You have probably heard about the numerous benefits of soft water, it leaves your skin feeling super soft, and can even help to clear up acne. Who wouldn’t want to remove the hardness-causing minerals such as calcium and magnesium, allowing only softened water to enter your home, right?
However, soft water may sometimes make your hair seem greasy even after washing it. This is where shampoo for soft water enters the room. While hard water leaves your hair feeling filmy and straw-like, soft water leaves hair feeling shinier and softer.
By removing the harmful ions in your water supply, soft water changes the dry texture of your hair, making it soft and shiny. On the other hand, most experience a lubricious feeling which is actually a result of your skin’s natural oils moisturizing your scalp. If this is the case for you, do not panic.
It is quite outstanding how one hair-care product can become your BFF, and this is certainly the case with shampoo for soft water users. If you feel like your hair is not responding all too well to your soft water or perhaps your hair does not do too well in these conditions, shampoos for soft water are here to help.
Stick around as we fill you in on the best shampoo for soft water reviews, how they work, where you can find them, how you can add them to your hair-care routine, tips, and more.
Shampoo For Soft Water Reviewed In This Guide
Best Overall: Degrease Oily Hair Care Shampoo For Soft Water
⇣ Jump to ReviewBest On Amazon: Redken Detox Shampoo For Soft Water
⇣ Jump to ReviewBest Affordable: Lemon Sage Oily Hair Shampoo For Soft Water
⇣ Jump to ReviewBest For Frizzy Hair: Voluminous Sea Salt Shampoo For Soft Water
⇣ Jump to ReviewBest For Color Treated Hair: Extra Clarifying Shampoo For Soft Water
⇣ Jump to ReviewHow To Choose The Perfect Shampoo For Soft Water For You?
Whether you need a specific shampoo for soft water or not really depends on your hair type. For those of us with curly, dry, or frizzy hair, soft water will often be great, as it frequently produces softness and bounciness that gives the hair life.
However, people with hair that tends to be oily are more likely to need a shampoo that interacts well with, or is designed for, soft water. This is because soft water struggles more to gain traction with the hair shaft less mineral content means less opportunity for friction.
This can then result in a soapy, slippery residue that remains on the surface of the scalp and hair. If you can relate and your hair has been feeling lifeless, unmanageable, and very soft or slippery, you can benefit from using shampoo specifically for this water type.
Hair that has been chemically treated is often moisture-stripped, so the best clarifying shampoo not only gently absorbs oil but also adds much-needed nourishment to strands.
Look for a shampoo for soft water that focuses on this issue and not just the removal of styling product buildup. With so many different shampoo options to choose from, it can be quite overwhelming to know which would work best.
In order to find the best one for you, you must keep in mind certain factors such as ingredients. The most common oil-absorbing ingredients in shampoo are types of starch powder, like rice and cornstarch.
It’s also worth knowing that soft water is considered to be significantly more gentle on colored hair, so a good shampoo for soft water lathers more with soft water, and you don’t need to use it as much.
Types Of Shampoo For Soft Water
Clarifying Shampoo For Soft Water
Clarifying shampoos help remove product buildup, restore your hair, and make it more bouncy and shiny. However, you should not use a clarifying shampoo more than once or twice a week as it may dry out the scalp and hair.
Purifying Scalp Scrub Shampoo For Soft Water
Scalp scrubs work the same way as facial scrubs. They exfoliate the scalp and remove dirt and product residue. When buying scalp scrubs, check for clarifying and hydrating ingredients like aloe vera, apple cider vinegar, essential oils, and sea salt.
Detox Shampoo For Soft Water
Detox shampoos are clarifying shampoos meant for people who use lots of hair products. They may contain ingredients like tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar, and menthol and help purify the scalp and manage issues like dandruff.
Clarifying shampoo is designed for removing product buildup and excess sebum from the hair. It is intended for occasional use to deeply cleanse your hair. Unlike regular shampoos, clarifying shampoo can remove all dirt and residues from the scalp.
Using clarifying shampoo provides thorough cleansing, rejuvenates your hair, and prepares it for coloring. However, it may strip your hair color due to the presence of surfactants. It may also remove the natural oils from your hair and cause breakage. So, do not use it more than once a week.
Color-Treated Hair Shampoo For Soft Water
Using soft water can cause a lot of product build-up on your scalp. Not to mention all the hair styling products that go on your tresses. This shampoo works almost like a detox, clarifying all the nastiness from your hair.
Sensitive Scalp Shampoo For Soft Water
Despite its clarifying properties, this shampoo is completely free of sulfates and is also hypoallergenic. So it’s the perfect choice for people with sensitive scalp conditions like scalp acne or psoriasis. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy on grease and dandruff.
Volumizing Limp Hair Shampoo For Soft Water
Soft water is lacking in minerals like calcium and potassium. And while this is a good thing for dry, frizzy hair, it can spell trouble for greasy locks. This shampoo, enriched with sea minerals, fixes that problem right up. Additionally, it contains only plant-based surfactants so despite cleansing your hair and making it voluminous, it never dries it out.
Hair Loss Shampoo For Soft Water
This formula is free of harmful chemicals like sulfates and parabens too so it is mild but effective. It contains DHT blockers. So if your issue is not only soft water but hair loss too, this is the best shampoo for soft water for you.
Curly Hair Shampoo For Soft Water
This shampoo is just the partner for soft water if your hair is prone to frizz, flaking, or dullness. Argan oil is the chief ingredient here. So this shampoo nourishes your strands from within, even while it controls excess oiliness. The shampoo removes product build-up, repairs damage, and adds hydration to your tresses.
Best Shampoo For Soft Water List
1. Degrease Oily Hair Care Shampoo For Soft Water
What We Like
- Deep Cleansing
- Essential Oils
- Oily Scalp Care
What We Don’t Like
- Strong Scent
Degrease is one the most popular purifying shampoo oily hair formulas that can tackle some of the most common hair concerns making it a top greasy hair shampoo for oily scalp care
One of the best ways to combat flaking and itchy scalp is to ditch your artificial dandruff shampoo with damaging sulfates and choose one with gentler more hydrating natural ingredients.
What Our Testers Say
I cried tears of joy after using this product! I always had long, lush, and easy-to-manage hair Until I had kids. After that my hormonal balance changed and my hair became so greasy.
Water would literally slick off of it in the shower and there was no point in even trying to dry it.
I had pretty much given up home until I came across this shampoo in an article. After just one use I had my hair back! I can run my fingers through it and falls so naturally. I couldn’t be happier.
This shampoo for soft water is sulfate-free, clarifying shampoo for build-up, you can say goodbye to tricky buildup in your hair and scalp with the Degrease formula featuring natural hair care products like rosemary oil for hair care.
This Oily Scalp Shampoo offers better hair begins at the scalp and our oily and dry scalp shampoo for men and women features some of the finest natural hair products like cleansing cypress basil and lemon oils.
Tips
Rinse hair. Allow your head to absorb the therapeutic benefits for three minutes, followed by a rinse and singular repetition if needed. For optimum results give it 10 days as it takes time to fix the imbalance that causes oily/itchy hair.
2. Redken Detox Shampoo For Soft Water
What We Like
- All Hair Types
- Removes Buildup
- Strengthens Hair Cuticle
What We Don’t Like
- Small Container
This clarifying shampoo is perfect to remove product build-up. Redken Detox Hair Cleansing Cream is a clarifying shampoo for all hair types and textures that removes product build-up, excess oil, and pollution residue in just one use.
Hair Cleansing Cream features the AHA Fruit Acid & Cleansing Complex to deeply cleanse and strengthen the hair.
Clarifying shampoo deeply cleanses hair from build-up and instantly refreshes hair in just one use. Leaves hair feeling thoroughly cleansed. This Hair Cleansing Cream is suitable for color-treated hair.
This shampoo for soft water can clarify hard water minerals from hair in just one use. This Redken shampoo for soft water is the best shampoo for fine hair and soft water.
What Our Testers Say
Made with fruit acids, it strengthens the hair follicles. This shampoo works to remove product buildup, as well as restore volume.
I used this shampoo to prepare my hair for color treatment. Wow! What a difference this makes! My hair took the color more evenly and it took the color to a lighter shade, which is optimal. The hair is shiny and soft. I’m in love.
Tips
Apply to wet hair, massage into a lather & rinse. Use 1x/week.
3. Lemon Sage Oily Hair Shampoo For Soft Water
What We Like
- Sulfate-Free
- Deep Cleansing
- Herbal Shampoo
What We Don’t Like
- Strong Scent
This Honeydew shampoo for soft water combines nutrient-rich jojoba oil tea tree and rosemary oil for hair in one potent sulfate-free shampoo dry scalp care formula designed for hair and scalp cleansing.
The clarifying formula for oily scalp care with natural lemon essential oil and sage oil combine to refresh your scalp and hair leaving you feeling and looking fantastic
Moisturize more body into your hair with our favorite volume shampoo for fine hair plus our sulfate and paraben-free shampoo for color-treated hair works great for all hair types.
It offers a herbal shampoo formula, meaning no matter your hair type length, or style this women’s and men’s shampoo is formulated to gently help hair find balance for beautiful lustrous clean hair from root to tip.
With this shampoo for soft water, you can treat your hair with plant-based ingredients that deeply nourish your hair including lavender tea tree oil rosemary essential oil jojoba oil, and more for hair care you can trust.
What Our Testers Say
There’s honestly nothing I can say about this product that would be negative.
It cleans my hair and scalp without drying (no harsh sulfates), has minimal ingredients, and has an amazing earthy scent.
I always unscrew the cap in the shower and take a big whiff before treating my hair to the sensation. It takes me back to childhood, reminiscent of the scent of nettles in the summertime after a rain. I love it.
Tips
For maximum benefits, allow 2-3 minutes of absorption and rinse thoroughly.
4. Voluminous Sea Salt Shampoo For Soft Water
What We Like
- Detoxifying Blend
- Rich In Minerals
- Sulfate-Free
- Silicon-Free
What We Don’t Like
- Pricey
The Voluminous Sea Salt Shampoo for soft water is a unique blend of rich minerals from the sea that helps remove build-up for natural bounce, body, and texture.
It is formulated with Rhodiola Rosea Extract to strengthen and invigorate the hair making it look healthy, shiny, and stronger. Rice protein increases volume while invigorating the hair, making it look healthy, shiny, and stronger.
Combined with Bamboo Water to reinforce your hair’s smoothness, shininess, and strength to hair structure. And, finally, Pro-vitamin B5 helps to reconstruct the hair cuticle. This shampoo will help reduce breakage by 92% after only one use.
Made with a plant-based surfactant which is a natural, food-grade, anionic surfactant derived from a combination of coconut oil and the naturally occurring sodium salt of fatty acids and sarcosine amino acids. Natural, renewable, vegetable source, mild but effective cleansing.
What Our Testers Say
I recently moved to a building that has a soft water filter. It took me a week plus to figure out what happens to my normally low-maintenance hair. It looked dirty and greasy EVERY DAY. At first, I thought I had forgotten to wash the conditioner out.
Nope. Maybe I was leaving the towel on too long? Nope. I could not grasp what was happening!
I finally realized it was soft water. This would be great news for some people. Those of us with fine straight hair- not ok!
This shampoo is a hair lifesaver. It is more money than I usually spend on shampoo (remember my low-maintenance hair?) but you only need to use a small amount and it is worth it!
How To Use Voluminous Sea Salt Shampoo For Soft Water
- Rinse hair thoroughly, and then apply the shampoo to your palms and rub them together.
- Apply to your scalp, massaging vigorously for one to three minutes.
- Rinse hair thoroughly, and apply hair conditioner if necessary.
5. Extra Clarifying Shampoo For Soft Water
What We Like
- Purifying Shampoo
- Essential Oils
What We Don’t Like
- Small Bottle
- Earthy Smell
Get the ultimate clarifying shampoo for soft water and for build-up with this deep cleansing shampoo oily hair treatment combo brimming with citrus essential oils and other natural hair care products.
One of the best ways to avoid itchy scalp and flaking is to ditch that artificial dandruff shampoo with damaging sulfates and choose one with gentler more hydrating natural ingredients.
Try this hair-loving dry scalp treatment clarifying shampoo sulfate-free formula for a hair and scalp detox and show your locks some love to boost your hair appearance.
What Our Testers Say
I’ve looked for a shampoo that stops hair follicles from plugging up with oil and getting infected. This IS the shampoo! I know this works because I didn’t use it for 10 days while on vacation, and the problem came back.
I started again and within a week the shampoo cleared up the problem. I’m sold.
Consider one of the best shampoos for oily hair and flaky scalp care that nourishes the hair with special ingredients like Jojoba oil, Peach kernel oil, Lemon essential oil, and Basil oil.
Tips
For maximum benefits, allow 2-3 minutes of absorption and rinse thoroughly.
Shampoo For Soft Water Buying Guide
What Is A Shampoo For Soft Water?
The best shampoo for soft water is the type of cleansing shampoo specifically formulated to clear the buildup and remove the residue of styling products. You can opt for a clarifying formula that also goes under the names “purifying,” “detox” and deep-cleansing,” since these are designed to remove stubborn build-up from your hair.
How Does A Shampoo For Soft Water Work?
A shampoo for soft water is formulated specifically to trap those impurities and wash them away. It is an excellent addition to your hair care routine if you are an infrequent washer, or swimmer, have problems with oily hair, or simply need a scalp refresh.
A good shampoo for soft water fizzes out all the residues from your hair. It uses fewer 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.
Features To Look For In A Shampoo For Soft Water
Key Ingredients
If you know that you’re in an area with soft water, and are looking for a shampoo to help with that, these are the ingredients to avoid. They’ll only encourage oil build-up and make the problem so much worse: parabens, sulfates, triclosan, and triclocarban.
Shampoo for soft water may contain anionic detergents like:
- Lauryl Sulfates: These work in both hard and soft water and lather. Lauryl sulfates are excellent cleansers and can be rinsed off easily. Popular lauryl sulfates used in shampoos include:
Sodium lauryl sulfate
Ammonium lauryl sulfate
Triethanolamine lauryl sulfate - Laureth Sulfates: These are milder than lauryl sulfates but are excellent cleansers and have foaming properties. Commonly used Laureth sulfates in shampoos include:
Sodium Laureth sulfate
Ammonium laureth sulfate
Triethanolamine Laureth sulfate
You may also look for ingredients like alpha-olefin sulfonate and sodium stearate. These ingredients can cleanse dirt and buildup from the scalp
Moisturizing Agent
A good shampoo for soft water hair will also ideally have a moisturizing agent added in, like argan oil or oat milk, so that your hair doesn’t get overly dry. These products use kaolin clay and rice and cocoa powders to fight excess grease and add volume to the hair.
While most commercial dry shampoos use synthetic fragrances, this product uses a blend of essential oils to create a nice, refreshing scent.
Suitability for Hair Type
Now every shampoo is tailored to a different hair issue and type. You should check if it’s actually worth using a specific product for a specific texture.
Effectiveness
It is always a good idea to check each shampoo’s effectiveness by reading and properly understanding its label. You can also read reviews from users to see how effective a product is.
Common Questions About Shampoo For Soft Water
What does soft water do to your hair?
Because soft water can penetrate the hair follicle more fully, it generally helps hair look shinier, softer, and less damaged. In addition to being gentler on your hair, soft water lathers more quickly and easily so you don’t need to use as much product as you would with hard water.
Why does my hair feel greasy with soft water?
Soft water can make your hair greasy and flat; the soft water will make your hair hold on to your products which can also cause build-up. This can be particularly difficult for people with fine or oil-prone hair. If you have soft water in your shower, combat these effects by using a clarifying shampoo and conditioner.
Why do you need a shampoo for soft water?
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.
How to repair hair that has been damaged from hard water?
- Install a water softener shower head. Soft water is essentially the opposite of hard water. While it contains some minerals, the concentration is nowhere near as high as hard water.
- This means that it’s cleaner and healthier. While the best method for purifying your water is to install a water softener in your home, this can run on the expensive side.
- Use a clarifying shampoo. A clarifying shampoo can help to revive hair damaged by hard water, according to experts. The best way to restore the hair to its former glory is to remove the mineral build-up. Use it at least once a week.
- Apply a hair mask. Restore moisture and shine to your locks with a nourishing hair mask at least two times per week. Make sure you’re massaging well into the scalp and working it through to the tips of your hair.
- Try a citrus and vinegar rinse. To combat damage from hard water, you must start at the scalp. You’ll find that a mixture of water, vinegar, and citrus juice of some sort is a good natural solution for treatment.
Enjoy Your New Shampoo For Soft Water
Remember solving hair damage starts right at the source. Now that you have learned about some of the best shampoo for soft water options, you can review the products in this guide and pick the one that suits your hair needs the best.
We hope you found this information useful, so all we have to say for now is thank you for stopping by.
If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot us a message to us. We are always happy to hear from you and what you have to say.