Is the Water in Copenhagen Hard? (Hair Question)
 

Does Copenhagen have hard water? I am always having hair struggles in London, and just want to be prepared in Copenhagen in case I have to call in for reinforcements (bring my Lush hard water shampoo and/or look for a salon).

Thanks in advance!

Don't worry, tap water in Copenhagen is definitely not hard as in London and almost all people in Denmark, as in Sweden, drink tap water.

Its quality is just far superior that of London's, where people usually buy bottled water.

And tap water in the US falls some where in between.

<<< Its quality is just far superior that of London's, where people usually buy bottled water. >>>

I hope the rest of your information isn't as incorrect as this one. People in London DON'T "usually" buy bottled water

I couldn't find the Dh value for Copenhagen but for other towns in Denmark, which take water from Copenhagen it seems to be about 26Dh, which makes it hard. I'd take the special shampoo just in case.
Hardness of the water has nothing to do with the drinkability of it.

There is, BTW, some negative correlation between water hardness and heart attacks. Hard water, in other words, is healthier than soft.

That's why no-one with any sense in London wastes money on that unhealthy overpriced junk they sell in bottles. And why "people usually buy bottled water" is utter twaddle.

I didn't notice any problem with the water in Copenhagen. I was there for a week so washed my hair several times. My neice was there for a year and never complained about it.

The water in Copenhagen is fairly hard: 18 - 25° dH according to Copenhagen's energy and water supply.

Thanks for all the replies. Actually, I'm from NYC, but I referenced my visits to London for anyone who has gone through the experience of having long hair and visiting a city with a hard water supply. It's so not fun!

I guess it won't hurt to bring some hard water shampoo, just in case.

"And tap water in the US falls some where in between."

This statement doesn't even contain enough information to be right or wrong.

Tap water in the US varies tremendously, from extremely hard to extremely soft, from absolutely sweet and safe to drink to horrible. No generalizations could possibly be useful.

Even herer where I live the water can be extremely soft or hard just a few miles apart, depending on where it comes from.

Well, when I stayed with a host family for six months a few years ago, they would only drink bottled water. But that wasn't the case in Torquay though.

About water in the US, I don't know where you've been traveling fnarf, but in general, tap water in major US cities is definitely not hard as in London, and yet not soft per se.

Like I said, it depends on where you are. I have friends who are on well water which is the hardest water I've ever seen just a few miles from our super-soft water from the Tolt River system. Tap water throughout the Southwest is usually very hard; here in the Northwest, very soft unless it's from a ground water system.

trsny
I used to have hair problems with London's hard water until I started buying my shampoo when I got there instead of toting stuff from home. Most manufacturers make minor adjustments in their formulae from region to region to take into account the principal characteristics of the local water supply. I suspect that's why a salon shampoo worked and my own efforts caused severe hair management problems.

VirginiaC, you make a good point about buying shampoo in the city one will be washing their hair in. I think I've heard that recommendation before. I will see about purchasing a trial sized bottle when I arrive in Copenhagen. Thanks.

Well, I wasn't talking about rural amish areas where your friends are on well water. I was talking about metropolitan areas where people, uh, don't use well water.

I don't know why I'm bothering to respond, but your determination to cling to untruths demands it.

The municipal water supply in major US metropolitan areas ranges from extremely hard to extremely soft. LOTS of places rely on groundwater, not just well water, which is almost always harder than river water or collected rainwater.

The tap water in Seattle comes from more than one place, depending on where in the city you are. If you're in the Tolt supply area, your water is, in fact, EXTREMELY SOFT.

Other places, like the Southwest of the US -- including many large cities -- have very hard water. In fact, in many areas water is becoming a bit of a crisis, as demand increases, supplies dwindle, and mineral content goes up.

It is simply not possible to generalize about "water in the US". It depends on where you are. The country spans five thousand miles!

Water supply in large US cities goes through reverse osmosis filtration and thus can't be as hard as you say even in the south west- except for rural areas and small desert towns. Get your facts straight, my dear.

My hair is usually washed in NYC too. I spent 2 weeks in Aug in Fredericia and bought Sunsilk (color and shine) shampoo and conditioner from the local supermarket. With the added humidity (it rained 13/14 days) my hair was soft every day(maybe too soft), quite a contrast from my Rome experience in the winter.

Unless it's changed a lot...yes..it's hard...in comparison to what I'm used to. I lived there for 20-plus summers and used to collect filtered water in containers or use spring water to wash my hair in. Happy Travels!