Does your hair hate soft water? Here are the best shampoos for soft water areas you can use right now.
Soft water is amazing for making a beautiful cup of tea.
For hair, though? It turns out it’s not so good for some of us.
I can’t believe I am saying this …
But here’s my confession, and I know you’ll despise me for this.
My hair hates soft water.
While most of us complain about the adverse effects of hard water on our hair, I seem to have a mysterious problem.
After moving out of London and settling in my new home in the suburbs, my hair turned into a flat and lifeless mess.
I had no idea what was going on …
- It was lacking in volume
- It felt thinner by the day
- It felt slimy after a few hours of washing
- My faithful hair products were no longer working
- My hair was too soft to hold on to any style
Was it stress, a sudden effect of getting older, or something in the air?
But then, it finally clicked. ?
It was something in the water – or rather, not in the water.
My hair couldn’t adjust to soft water in my new home, and it would look like an oil slick a couple of hours after washing.
The problem?
I realized that soft water took longer to cleanse my hair from shampoos and styling products.
“Washing can be a challenge when water’s very soft. It takes longer to thoroughly cleanse hair of hairspray and other styling products, which results in product buildup on the scalp.”Celebrity hairstylist Oscar Blandi – Speaking to Glamour.com Magazine
And here’s what this means:
When soft water struggles to rinse out shampoos from your hair, the soapy stuff builds up more slimy residues.
I know this sounds gross, but I had to deal with it.
So after searching high and low to find the right products that can redress the balance of my hair, here’s what I found …
Table Of Contents
- The Best Shampoos for Soft Water Areas That Rinse Out Without Leaving Residues
- 1. WOW Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo
- 2. Redken Hair Cleansing Cream
- 3. Lush Seanik Big Shampoo
- 4. Voluminous Sea Salt Shampoo
- 5. Maple Organics Degrease Shampoo
- 6. TRU Moroccanoil
- 7. Lemon Sage Oily Hair Shampoo
- 8. Tree to Tub Soapberry For Hair Shampoo
- 9. Klorane Purifying Citrus Shampoo
- 10. DEGREASE Clarifying Shampoo for Oily Hair
- How A Shampoo for Soft Water Can Rebalance Your Limp And Flat Hair
- 1. WOW Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo
- 2. Redken Hair Cleansing Cream
- 3. Lush Seanik Shampoo Bar
- 4. Voluminous Sea Salt Shampoo
- 5. Maple Organics Degrease Shampoo
- 6. TRU Moroccanoil Clarifying Shampoo
- 7. HoneyDew Lemon Sage Oily Hair Shampoo
- 8. Tree to Tub Soapberry For Hair Shampoo
- 9. Klorane Clarifying Shampoo With Citrus Pulp
- 10. DREGREASE Oil Balancing Shampoo
- Conclusion
The Best Shampoos for Soft Water Areas That Rinse Out Without Leaving Residues
1. WOW Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo
Deep Cleansing. No Residues. Good For Soft Water.
2. Redken Hair Cleansing Cream
Creamy formula that rinses out. Adds moisture and shine. Removes excess product buildup.
3. Lush Seanik Big Shampoo
Sea salt for big volume. De-greases hair. Tropical scent with citrus extracts.
4. Voluminous Sea Salt Shampoo
Sulfate free. Blend of minerals to boost volume. Moisturizes, smoothes and shines.
5. Maple Organics Degrease Shampoo
For oily/greasy hair. Treats dandruff. Paraben and sulfate free.
6. TRU Moroccanoil
Natural formula. Treats greasy hair and dandruff. Maintains moisture control.
7. Lemon Sage Oily Hair Shampoo
Balances oily hair. Nourishes and adds volume. Natural ingredients.
8. Tree to Tub Soapberry For Hair Shampoo
Balances hair and skin for softness. Gives hair shine and strength. Vegan, fair trade and sustainable.
9. Klorane Purifying Citrus Shampoo
Detoxifies and clarifies. Removes product buildup. Protects hair and scalp.
10. DEGREASE Clarifying Shampoo for Oily Hair
Sulfate-Free. Paraben-Free. Sebum Control.
How A Shampoo for Soft Water Can Rebalance Your Limp And Flat Hair
Soft water makes it difficult to wash products out of your hair and skin.
Check this: My landlord treated our hard water, and I can’t get my hair to look clean
That’s because soft water contains more Potassium and Sodium that form insoluble compounds when mixed with shampoos and soaps.
Instead, the lather clings to your skin and sticks rather than rinsing off.
This leads to:
- Unpleasant buildup
- Potential dandruff problems
- Heavy and limp feeling hair
- Extra greasy scalp
- Lack of volume
- Knots and tangles
- And difficult to style hair
A good shampoo for soft water fizzes out all the residues from your hair. It uses less suds and more water-soluble ingredients that trap dirt and flush them away.
By lifting the dulling deposits, a shampoo for softened water reinvigorates your scalp and allows your hair to flourish.
After using the WOW ACV Shampoo for a week, here’s how it changed my hair:
- I didn’t find any gunk in my hairbrush
- My hair didn’t feel plastered to my scalp
- No visible greasy partings
- Definitely less dry shampoos. Yayyy!
- More volume from the roots
- I could go a few days without shampooing
- My hair had fewer knots and tangles
- My hair got progressively better at retaining moisture
So let me show you my top picks for soft water shampoos that will revive your flat, limp, and oily hair.
1. WOW Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo
This ACV shampoo neutralizes soft water hair buildup with one wash. I love how clean and fresh my hair felt after using it for the first time.
When soft water messes with your hair, you tend to overdo it with junk products. This shampoo allows you to start again with clean and refreshed hair.
2. Redken Hair Cleansing Cream
This Redken shampoo for soft water is the best shampoo for fine hair and soft water.
Made with fruit acids, it strengthens the hair follicles. This shampoo works to remove product buildup, restoring volume.
3. Lush Seanik Shampoo Bar
The Lush soft water shampoo is perfect if you want a natural solution to your soft water problems.
It’s made with a variety of natural ingredients. It has funky stuff like Japanese nori seaweed, to soften and soothe.
It’s one of the bestselling shampoo for soft water in the UK.
Check it out:
4. Voluminous Sea Salt Shampoo
Choose this volumizing shampoo for soft water if you’re looking to add plenty of ooomph to your hair.
It features rich minerals to detoxify and strengthen. It moisturizes and smoothes your locks too with the therapeutic effects of dead sea salts.
5. Maple Organics Degrease Shampoo
A clarifying shampoo for soft water is essential if your water is turning your hair greasy.
The Maple Organics Degrease Shampoo cleanses and clarifies. It prevents grease while promoting volume. It’s also designed to moisturize the scalp to treat dandruff.
6. TRU Moroccanoil Clarifying Shampoo
I recommend Moroccanoil if you just need an extra weekly shampoo for soft water.
It cleanses, removes product buildup, and promotes new hair growth for luscious locks.
TRU Moroccanoil
Natural formula. Treats greasy hair and dandruff. Maintains moisture control.
Related: Moroccanoil clarifying shampoo review »
7. HoneyDew Lemon Sage Oily Hair Shampoo
HoneyDew is another recommended shampoo for oily hair problems due to soft water. The treatment gets rid of excess sebum for cleaner hair. Plus, it volumizes for more bounce.
It uses natural herbs for nourishment. And it takes care of that horrible itchy scalp feeling.
8. Tree to Tub Soapberry For Hair Shampoo
The Soapberry for hair shampoo is a mixture of pure botanical ingredients that balances the pH of your scalp. The awakening peppermint scent will have you hooked from the first whiff.
It’s suitable for all hair types and it’s chemical free.
9. Klorane Clarifying Shampoo With Citrus Pulp
Here’s another recommended shampoo for soft water users made with citrus pulp. It works great for oily hair and you’ll feel the deep cleansing action straight away.
You can use it daily, weekly – it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t contain harsh chemicals that will disrupt your scalp’s pH.
Bonus: Klorane is also a good shampoo for softened well water as per customer feedback we had.
10. DREGREASE Oil Balancing Shampoo
This all natural shampoo from Hair Superfood gently balances your scalp to clear excess sebum, flaking, and dandruff problems. It also helps prevent bacterial infections on your scalp with its anti-fungal ingredients.
It doesn’t produce a lot of lather, but it gets the job done.
Conclusion
So there you have it.
The best shampoos for soft water that will turn your limp and greasy hair into clean and voluminous locks again.
Volumize, nourish, and clean with one product. Your hair will be smoother, shinier, and bouncier than ever!
Now that I use the WOW ACV shampoo, I don’t hate soft water at all.
WOW Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo
Best recommended shampoo for soft water.
Laura is a UK-based freelance writer who occasionally writes for this blog.