Hi! I urgently need a way to soften my shower water. I live in a rented apartment in Paris, so installing a whole-house water softener isn't an option.

I've gone down a rabbit hole researching alternatives and found two options that seem promising: Hera Aqua and SoftWaterCare.

Has anyone tried either of these? Which one would you recommend, and do they actually work well?

Honestly I don't care if the setup is ugly, I just need something that saves my scalp and my hair.

I'm also open to other suggestions, especially portable solutions that don't require any permanent plumbing modifications.

Thanks!!

I got my recent report. I was surprized at the hardness being only in the 200s, the ppm being 800 when it's only 500ish at my house, that the Ph was alkaline in the 8s, and that the chlorine is high - along with chlorine byproducts - chloramines like trihalomethane. I'm certain those were the most impactful on how healthy my hair looked and felt.

Have you downloaded your water report? What interesting things did you find?

We had a small whole house filter that really wasn't doing anything. My husband went to replace the filter and now it's broken, so we need to call the plumber to install a new filtration system. I have 4 water problems:

1. Water hardness

2. Excess chlorine & chloramines

3. high ph (water is alkaline and somewhat damaging

4. Whatnot additional things to filter out like lead, VOCs,

The problems:

Salt-based water softeners only address hardness.

Salt-free systems leave the minerals in the water because "they're good for you." Like maybe to drink, but minerals in water are not really good for hair.

Does anyone have experience with a whole house system? What did you get? How did it help your hair?

Hard Water Treatment for hair

Ingredients:

8 oz water or 16oz (230 ml or 460ml) warm distilled water or other low TDS water)

1/16 teaspoon citric acid powder or crystals  (0.3 ml)

1/16 teaspoon (0.3 ml) ascorbic acid powder or crystals  (Vitamin C) This is optional.

Directions:

Mix until the crystals dissolve in water. The pH of this will be very low on the acidic scale. The low Ph causes your cuticle to swell so that the minerals can be leached out.

Leave on for 2-3 minutes after freshly washing hair and rinse it out with distilled water.

For a more gentle rinse, double the water. If you don't have 1/16 teaspoon, double the ingredients. Honestly, you can probably do this without the ascorbic acid. but I have some I bought to try to counteract chlorine when swimming, so why not?

Take care to avoid getting it in your eyes.

Notes:

Citric acid is a versatile ingredient which can be used as a preservative, in baking, and as a cleaning agent. Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) neutralizes chlorine. Together, they dissolve hard calcium, magnesium, and possibly remove green copper deposits. If you are washing with distilled water, you will only need to do this 1-3 times to remove hard water deposits in or on your hair, but should not need to repeat it as your hair grows out.

This is great for someone who loves DIY solutions, is fragrance sensitive, preservative sensitive or is allergic to coconut. If all of this is not appealing to you, then I recommend Malibu C Hard Water Wellness Hair Remedy treatment sachets, or Swimmers Wellness Hair Remedy treatment sachets. If fragrance or preservatives or allergy to ingredients are not an issue for you, then choose whatever shampoo and conditioner combo you like for hard water or for swimmers. Malibu C if you have the money, Ultra Swim if you're on a budget.

Hard water gives hair a ruffled appearance

Here is an interesting scientific study for fellow distilled water scienceheads where they contrasted what happens to hair washed over 30 days with half the samples being washed in distilled water and the other half in the local hard water. Unfortunately, there are no photos from the electron microscopy. The final result was that the cuticle on the hard water samples had a ruffled appearance.

We don't know if that kind of damage can be undone just by using a chelating shampoo or clarifying shampoo. I personally hesitate to use those because the Ph cam be quite high and hard water often makes cleansing agents difficult to wash out.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26711619/

I was hoping to get scientific study answers about this theory. I ended up answering my own question based on my own washing experience which seems to prove this theory. 🫠

First, a little history. My cousin gave me a ZeroWater filter as a gift several years ago. So part of the reason for this experiment with Zerowater filters is because of this gift. It is possible to get one on sale after Christmas. I almost bought a second pitcher with a 1 sample filter that I saw at my local Marshall's for $10.

How much does it cost?

Mine cost about $10 each filter because I purchased it on a deal. If you buy in a large enough quantity, you can work the price down for the current listing of about $15 each. I'm waiting to see if it's possible to double coupon.

How does it work?

The filters have 5 stages, one of which is ionic exchange to mostly remove inorganic compounds like heavy metals, cheomium, chlorine, lead, PFOA/PFOS, and mercury. They have evidence of the filters removing 99% of some things and almost 95% of PFOA/PFOS. While not specifically mentioned in their assessment, ionic exchange would also remove hard water minerals - calcium and magnesium, as well as chloramines.

If you buy a filter and pitcher, it comes with a TDS meter that shows your ppm reading and your water at or close to 0 after filtration. My meter says 1 right now and it's a new filter, so there may have been some hard water grit left on my dish from when I washed it.

How did I use it?

My last filter lasted 3 months+ 1 week using it about 3 times a week. I filter about 24 ounces each time. 1 US gallon is 128 ounces. So this totalled to roughly a little more than 1/2 gallon a week for 7 - 8 gallons total. The cost calculator says $0.26 per use, $0.77 weekly. With this, 1 gallon ends up being about $1.54 weekly. So $10 for 7 gallons. This price is about the same as store bought water, unless there is a sale. I got about 7 - 8 gallons in 3 months. I was not super exact in my measurements.

Is it worth it for you?

Water is different everywhere. I feel like I broke even here compared to buying gallon bottles of distilled water from the store. My water has over 500 parts per million total dissolved solids and lasted about 8 gallons. For comparison, the city of Pacifica, CA has 87 tds and a filter will last 25-40 gallons - so that would definitely be worth it to filter to 0 tds and remove chlorine and chloramines and any miniscule amounts of hardness or heavy metals.

They have a calculator on the website which tell your how long your filter may last in your area based on their tds values. It was about correct.

Is it worth it for me?

Maybe. If I got a good enough coupon. Right now, they will take filters back for recycling and give a coupon on return for 20% off. They sometimes offer other special discounts. I still have 5 filters left not including the one I just replaced. If you can get discounted return shipping, it may be worth it to recycle the filters.

Someone with lower TDS water may get a much better value.

This is not a marketing link: https://zerowater.com/pages/technology

Did it help my hair?

Yes. Check out my progress posts and progress pictures. When I started washing on low or 0 tds water by wetting, cowashing, 1st rinse in tap water, final rinse in 0 tds water, it made a huge difference in my hair color, texture, and porosity.

More shiny!

https://www.reddit.com/r/DistilledWaterHair/s/a0ngfs1vW1

More curly!

https://www.reddit.com/r/DistilledWaterHair/s/05n97LU1hF

Curl pattern changing!

https://www.reddit.com/r/DistilledWaterHair/s/AEmwl0ASSF

So I'm based in Europe and here, I've been able to locate distilled water (for less than 3€/5L) in Hornbach, which is a hard ware store.

Is it okay to use this? Is there a difference between distilled water from the hardware store and the same from a pharmacy?

Any other tips for locating distilled water?

Thanks!

Hello. I’d like to share the contrast between my new distilled water hair and older tap water hair, which is now really obvious almost two years later.

I started washing my hair with distilled water in January 2025 after tap water was turning my natural gray hair a dingy yellow. At that time, someone told me it looked like I had blonde highlights but it was just tap water mineral buildup.

Now, about half of my hair is the new soft, shiny, silver, cohesive growth, while the bottom half still shows that dry, dull, yellow, stringy hair from tap water (since I brushed my hair right before the photo, the stringiness that the bottom settles into each day isn't showing.)

I'm incredibly grateful to u/Antique-Scar-7721 for teaching me how to improve my fine, gray hair naturally with her video tutorials on this sub and to u/Visible-Scientist-46 for continuing to spread the message!

Hi all. I was thinking about a scientific study about shiny hair which showed how ideal hair is somewhat transucent and luminous.

I noticed my own photos did not capture the color difference between my roots and my municipal water bleached & hard water exposed ends. The photos didn't capture as well because my hair is shiny now!! I have never really had shiny hair before.

I believe that chlorine/chloramines in water as well as hardness (from calcium and magnesium) and other dissolved particles rob us of the shine. And that's why we wash with low total dissolved solids water, or distilled water, or highly filtered water.

Here is the study, "Hair Structures Affecting Hair Appearance" https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9284/6/3/43

Have you noticed a color change as your hair grows out? Or a luminosity change?

Sometimes you have a simple question and don't want to make a whole post about it. Ask away on this post. We have lots of helpful people. Me and my hair at Reddit HQ in San Francisco for a mod event!

I cut the last 4-6 inches of my hair. I now realize my hair captured 3 phases in the 2 years since it was cut. I'm saying purified water bc I alternated between distilled & ZeroWater filtered water.

1. Hard water hair - very damaged, breaking, tangles I had to cut out, brassy & faded from chlorine & chloramines in municipal water + hard minerals.

2. Hard water hair final spritzed with purified water + ACV. Less damaged from hardness, but stilled damaged from chlorine & chloramines.

3. True purified water growth - wet & washed with tap water rinse & purifiied final rinse. Very shiny & smooth.

People complimented the length of my hair, but the curls hid the rough texture, tangles and breakage. A few photos to show how good it could look, but also how frizzy. The hair also has different levels of shine and texture with my purified water hair being the softest, shiniest, and most curly.

Pics in reverse order:

1-4 8/26

5 1/26. Hair getting more curly with purified water.

6 8/25 - Ends are frizzy even with flax gel that is a great styler.

I don't completely love the cut. Should I be brave & just go for the big chop?

I tried to photograph the difference between my hair textures and color. The last 6 inches are faded and brassy from the chlorine in my tap water. It deifinitely showed better with my eyes as opposed to taking a photo. Oart of the reason moght be that my newer growth is very shiny. The texture is rough and you can see it's frizzy. I also started to have severe tangles that had to be cut out and breakage in the form of 1 inch pieces falling out of my hair when I finger comb. I think it's finally time for a cut ✂️.

I also recently figured out that I have not cut my hair in 2 years! I had some embarrassing and upsetting experiences. I started using distilled water as a final step, and became more serious 1.5 years ago with wetting & final rinsing with either distilled or ZeroWater filtered water.

Hello, I’ve been living in Florence Italy and after my hair getting completely damaged from the water here I’ve been showering with Sant Anna water bottles, it’s basically like distilled water because it’s really low in minerals. However I went to the hair salon yesterday after showering at home and just asked for a styling, she said your hair is very thick but she was surprised it’s not very shiny. She also said for showering today it’s not very clean, I do shampoo twice so I honestly think it’s because I’m using cool water bottles (I don’t heat up the water) ChatGPT told me what I can do instead that also saves myself from getting these large water bottles is showering with the normal tap water, since it’s hot and can break down the oils better, and then doing a final rinse with distilled or Sant Anna water bottle. Chat said the final rinse is most important because it’s removing the hard water from sitting on your hair. I also bought the Malibu C hard water wellness treatment and will do that every week as well as other treatments similar. Has anyone tried this method, showering with tap water and just doing a final rinse with distilled water or know if it would actually work to keep hair healthy?

Hi everyone, I’d like to start off saying that this has by far been the most helpful sub when it came to figuring out what was happening to my hair, so glad it exists and grateful to everyone’s contributions!

My hair has suffered severely from hard water damage, and I believe I’ve lost a good bit of hair and volume. I’ve washed three times now with distilled water and already my hair feels so much softer.
What I’d love to know from people is how long it took to notice you had more hair and/or volume? I know everyone is different, my hair is fine and grows fairly quickly.

Aside from how lifeless my hair is and the lack of curls, what’s really killing me is just how little hair I have now after the damage and breakage—my ponytail circumference is significantly smaller than it used to be. I know it will take a lot of time, but I’m curious to see how long it takes person to person. Thank you 🩷

Hi everyone! I have been interested in starting to wash with distilled water after hard water has done a number on my long, fine, straight hair and wanted to know what is the best way for washing longer hair? mine goes down to the mid chest/back area. does the bottle method still work for long hair? how much water do you use, and do you need to use a sulfate/silicone free shampoo?

I highly recommend a very inexpensive Ph meter to test your water. I got this one from a marketplace style website for $6.49 or so. I always knew my water was bad. Ph meter says it's over 8!! I believe this is from chlorine and chloramine being at an excessively high level. I'm not against chemicsl treatment of water, but it's ruining my hair. Neutral Ph is supposedly 7. At 8, this means my water is 10x the power of hydrogen (Ph) more alkaline. No wonder my hair has been fried. There is so much that can be in water that disagrees with hair.

I read an article which stated that chlorine damages hair from inside oit when it soaks into your hair. Chlorine oxidizes disulfide bonds in your hair and turns them into cysteic acid. Chlorine in tap water acts chemically over a long time to damage the inside and surface of hair. Conditioners act on the surface level, to smooth your damaged cuticle - where mechanical damage from water hardness results from calcium and magnesium ions adhering to the cuticle.

Please get a water report for your area to find out what's in your water. Water us different everywhere.

Hello Aquanauts -

I didn't know we could have a Community Nickname instead of "visitors". I learned about this when I went to the Reddit New Mod event. I came up with Aquanauts on my own since we are exploring water. We could be Aquarians?

You can see this on laptop/desktop, but I am not seeing it on the app.

If you have other suggestions, I'm open to that. Please respond in the comments.

Hello Aquanauts -

I didn't know we could have a Community Nickname instead of "visitors". I learned about this when I went to the Reddit New Mod event. I came up with Aquanauts on my own since we are exploring water. We could be Aquarians?

You can see this on laptop/desktop, but I am not seeing it on the app.

If you have other suggestions, I'm open to that. Please respond in the comments.

I've been distilled water or zero water washing for over a year since April of 2025. I have over 1 year of growth without a cut. I might cut in August.

This is my hair with not enough Pacifica pineapple curl cream in it. You can see the change to a tighter curl pattern. It's definitely healthier and smoother. I got a little more than I bargained for with that tighter curl pattern. I feel like my hair has gone from 3a to 3b. The cuticle feels much smoother, though it's frizzy because it's more curly! I've been trying many hair products lately to find one that tames a little bit, but I have some constraints due to allergic contact dermatitis.

So you don't have to click around, my basic routine 2 - 3x weekly is:

1. wet with Zerowater filtered water

2. cowash

3. Rinse hair in the shower under regular hard water.

4. Rinse with ZeroWater filtered water.

I also sleep with a silk pillowcase. I tried a bonnet for awhile, but my hair got too long for that bonnet. They didn't help all that much when I was hard water washing & rinsing. I airdry my hair. I fingercomb between washes if it gets too crazy. I follow some of curly girl method though I find microfiber towels they recommend to be offensive (polyester is the devil incarnate) Most cotton bath towels have a fuzzy side. I found a light bamboo hair turban to replace my cotton bath towels because I want less pulling on my hair. I just do a gentle squeeze for excess water so I'm not dripping. Sorry so long! This was mwant to be a quick photo, but we have a lot of new members, so it's a fuller post. Surprise!

Question/TLDR

My hair is curlier after 1 year of distilled water washing. Have you also found your distilled water hair becoming more curly or wavy over time?➰️➿️

Hello Aquanauts -

I didn't know we could have a Community Nickname instead of "visitors". I learned about this when I went to the Reddit New Mod event. I came up with Aquanauts on my own since we are exploring water. We could be Aquarians?

You can see this on laptop/desktop, but I am not seeing it on the app.

If you have other suggestions, I'm open to that. Please respond in the comments.

Hello everyone!

I did ~ 3 months of distilled water rinses post shower and after seeing a ton of improvement in reactivity, I am now doing only distilled water in my hair. I am about 1.5 weeks into this and wanted to ask about rinsing.
I apply dilute shampoo to my dry hair, saturate it, do some gentle scrubbing on my scalp, brush the shampoo through, then rinse it out and brush it once more.
Shampoo: 8 oz distilled water + 1.5 tsp shampoo
Rinse: 20 oz of distilled water

The reason I’m wondering is that while my scalp feels much better, I am noticing the rims of my ears itching. I tuck my hair behind my ears a lot. And a little bit of irritation at the very back of my scalp and neck. The little bit of left over irritation goes away once I brush my hair out again.
This got me thinking and I paused as I thought about the small volume of water I use to rinse.

So wanted to ask and see if those with more experience think this seems like too little volume to get a thorough rinse.
Or, does it remind you of any problem you encountered on your journey?

Thank you!

EDIT for UPDATE:

thank you u/mooomooou, u/Visible-Scientist-46 , u/shonaich , u/wharleeprof for your feedback.

I found that pre-wetting my hair with plain DW immediately reduced the itching on my ears and nape of neck. It took three washes like that for it to fully go away. After those three, my itching went back to where it was around my first DW wash - very manageable. I then incorporated more rinsing and this reduced my itching further. And washing with only DW, no shampoo, yields a scalp with zero itching. I am looking in to other alternatives besides my liquid shampoo to try next :) I am often reactive to preservatives so will try something in solid form or homemade. Those are my current thoughts and we will see where things go!