As all good 2010s teen dramas taught us, frenemies are everywhere — even when we don’t know it. Your hair has a few, including humidity, cotton, flat irons, and, prepare to be shocked, water. Yes, the very element that we need to stay clean can stab you, and your fresh single process, in the proverbial back.
Water is usually a human’s best ally. Without it, we’d literally cease to exist. If you want to live a long healthy life, you drink it. If you want to clean your dirty hair, you step into the shower, turn on
the valve, and reach for a bottle of shampoo. As useful as water can be, it sometimes hides secret stressors that want to destroy hair, like harsh heavy metals. Corroding pipes or negligent groundwater
treatment can contribute to a high concentration of metal in tap water, copper being one of the most common contaminants.
Metals aren’t inherently evil. Normally, you’re getting your daily intake of the element through food or doctor-recommended supplements, but when a metal like copper invades your pipes and overloads your hair fibers, the results can be anything from faded color to breakage.
Luckily, your hair doesn’t have to be encumbered by metal forever. With the help of Min Kim, L’Oréal Professionnel global ambassador and colorist, we broke down exactly how you can address metal exposure and prevent frenemy sabotage in the future.
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Everything You Need to Know About
Protecting Your Hair From Hard Water
How Can Hard Water Affect Hair?
A higher concentration of certain heavy metals, including copper,
is one way your water may become “hard.” “Hard water creates a film on hair which prevents it from properly moisturizing and can leave
it tangly, dull, lifeless, and more prone to damage especially when exposed to chemical processes,” Kim says. According to one 2009 study, accumulated copper in the hair fiber can lead to increased fiber damage and a reduction in shine.
Hard water or metal exposure damage is not unusual. Kim says they’re the culprit behind two of the most common complaints
she hears from clients: either their hair is sensitive and breaking
or lacks shine. “Unless you’re washing your hair under a fresh waterfall, this is something we all deal with,” she says.
What Are the Long-Term Effects of Metal Exposure to Hair?
Like Kim mentioned, breakage and a loss of shine are usually the
two biggest results of metal exposure, but color longevity can also
be affected. “Over time, color treatments won’t last as long. Think: white hair coverage or a single process,” she says. “If you’re getting lightening services, such as foils or balayage, you are more likely to experience breakage and potentially see your lighter ends turn a greenish cast.”
Metal exposure doesn’t just have the potential to affect your
current hair color, but it can have an effect on subsequent coloring services, too, by reacting with the oxidants in lightening products
or dye, causing breakage in bleached and “virgin” hair (hair that’s never been chemically processed).
What Hair Types and Textures Are More Likely to See the Effects of Hard Water?
Any and all hair types and textures can be affected by hard water and metal exposure. Kim reminds us that hair is a fiber and its structure is damaged daily by thermal, mechanical, and chemical stressors. “Hair that is naturally drier, whether that be from damage or a curlier hair structure, is even more prone to breakage and dryness than smoother hair formations,” she says.
How Can You Prevent Hair Breakage or Color Fading From Metal Exposure?
At your next consultation or touch-up appointment, ask your colorist about a pre-treatment service. Kim says both virgin and color-treated hair can benefit from the added protection prior to coloring. To prevent metal buildup at home, use the L’Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox Sulfate-Free Shampoo. Formulated with glicoamine, an exclusive chelating agent, this shampoo helps gently cleanse hair while neutralizing the accumulation of metal particles in the hair fiber. “You’ll notice that hair feels clean, lightweight, and hydrated,” she says. “The shampoo is sulfate-free but lathers beautifully, and the mask will hydrate all hair types without feeling heavy and dull.”
If you already have an involved hair regimen, Kim recommends using this at-home system, which you can find at Sephora and top salons, for a minimum of two weeks after an in-salon pre-treatment or color service. The formulas, however, are gentle enough to be used daily, no matter your hair type or texture — color-treated hair or not. Kim puts it plainly: “Your hair will thank you.”
Like the shampoo, the L’Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox Hair Mask is gentle on color-treated hair and, with the help of glicoamine, can help maintain color vibrancy while preventing further metal-induced color fading. How soft it makes your hair feel is just an added bonus.
How Can You Prevent Hair Breakage or Color Fading From Metal Exposure?
Kim suggests following up with the Metal Detox Hair Oil, a thermal protectant that can help make hair stronger and shinier. Thanks to glicoamine — yes, more glicoamine! — this oil can act as a barrier against metal particles found in water. The goal: less damage, breakage, and color-fading.
How Can You Prevent Hair Breakage or Color Fading From Metal Exposure?
Photographer: Michael Kazimierczuk; Art Director: Meg Konigsburg; Hair Stylist: Anike Rabiu; Makeup Artist: Kelly Bellevue; Prop Stylist: Laura Woolf; Wardrobe Stylist: Hannah Lee; Producer: Alex Friedlander
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By Samantha Sasso
"Unless you're washing your hair under a fresh waterfall, this is something we all deal with."
"You'll notice that hair feels clean, lightweight, and hydrated," she says. "The shampoo is sulfate-free but lathers beautifully, and the mask will hydrate all hair types without feeling heavy and dull."
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Kim says both virgin and color-treated hair can benefit from a pre-treatment service prior to coloring. To prevent metal buildup at home, use the L’Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox Sulfate-Free Shampoo. Formulated with glicoamine, a patented chelating agent, this shampoo helps gently cleanse hair while neutralizing the accumulation of metal particles in the hair fiber. “You’ll notice that hair feels clean, lightweight, and hydrated,” she says. “The shampoo is sulfate-free but lathers beautifully, and the mask will hydrate all hair types without feeling heavy and dull.”
How Can You Prevent Hair Breakage or Color Fading From Metal Exposure?
Like the shampoo, the L’Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox Hair Mask is gentle on color-treated hair and, with the help of glicoamine, can help maintain color vibrancy while preventing further metal-induced color fading. How soft it makes your hair feel is just an added bonus.
How Can You Prevent Hair Breakage or Color Fading From Metal Exposure?
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