Thursday, October 16, 2014

From Brown To White And Back Again

Fifteen years ago I took the plunge.  After decades of fighting the grey that had overtaken my hair I surrendered, waved the white flag (literally) bid farewell to Lady Clairol and let Mother Nature have her way with me.

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I admit the first few weeks were difficult.  Every time l looked in the mirror and that head of white looked back at me I would gulp.  Who was that old woman?  Certainly not me.  Eventually I grew accustomed to my new look.  The new, more natural me was just that, a more natural me.

Fast forward fifteen years...my white hair is turning brown again.

And it aint pretty.

The well that services Little Red is deep and plentiful.  Our water is cold, clear and very usable however there is one itty bitty problem.  It is full of iron.  While not harmful to drink the iron content is so high that it stains everything, including my hair.  It is turning a dull, muddy shade of brown, much like a tea stain on a white linen tablecloth and it won't go away.

I have tried washing my hair in the sink with filtered water heated on the stove.  That process slowed the staining but did not eliminate it.  We had a filter installed that after three months I have declared a waste of money.  The only viable solution it seems is a whole house water softener.  The problem, we have nowhere to put it.  It needs to be installed where the well water enters Little Red, which is the kitchen.  The unit is too large to fit under the sink.  We have space in the utility room, but that is located at the opposite end of the house and would require a pricey reroute of our plumbing.  The biggest obstacle in our path however is that we winterize the cottage before we head south.  Shut everything off, drain the pipes and turn off the heat.  The unit we need can not be winterized.

Short of washing my hair with bottled water or shaving my head there is little I can do to solve the problem.  Unless... I leave town, go to Florida for the winter, grow out the dingy brown, and return to my au natural state.

That could work.

Until we return in the spring when the whole murky process begins anew.

As my friend Di Di would say, "it's a first world problem."

Indeed.


1 comment:

Audrey said...

What about a bottled water system - the 5 gallon bottles delivered to your door (or purchased at the grocery store)that are turned upside down onto a "unit" that then delivers hot or cold purified water...... Just keep in your bathroom; draw pitchers of hot water to wash your hair with while in the shower. Doesn't solve the problem of staining your clothes - but your hair will remain it's gorgeous color!!