But if you’re like most people, you don’t think twice about the water you shampoo with. You probably don’t even have a clue what comes out of your tap, and stays on your hair!
WHAT DO MINERALS IN WATER DO TO YOUR HAIR?
You’ll be shocked by how many problems are linked to mineral build-up on your hair: color fading, brassy blondes, dingy or muddied hues, coarse rigid hair that lacks movement or body/bounce, dull, droopy curls, lackluster locks, highlights that seem to “disappear” just a couple weeks after leaving the salon.
Minerals can also pose a real problem for professional colorists. If you have mineral deposits in your hair when you go to the salon for color processing, it can skew the results. Because certain minerals (like copper) will interact chemically and accelerate the color processing, making it hard for your colorist to control the end results.
HOW DO MINERALS ATTACH TO YOUR HAIR?
Minerals are “positively charged” and attracted to hair strands, which have an innate negative charge. Also, when you bathe or shower in warm water your hair’s outer cuticle layer opens. Trace minerals can lodge in the openings.
WHAT ARE THE "BAD MINERALS" IN WATER?
Calciumis the most common mineral in United States water. Calcium builds up on your hair, leaving it dry and weighed down. It will take the spring out of curls and can even cause perms to relax. Calcium also builds up on the scalp and causes dandruffy flaking. Calcium “build-up” can clog and even block your hair follicles, causing breakage and preventing healthy hair growth.
Magnesium + Aluminumare prevalent in hard water everywhere. They cloud color and leave hair dull, dry, and weighted down.
Copperdiscolors light hair, producing a green tint when oxidized, and can make dark hair appear darker. Copper also interferes with color processing, because it acts as a catalyst to accelerate developers, which can damage your hair and deliver unexpected color results.
Iron + Manganesewill oxidize, and cause light-colored hair to look orange and cause dark hair to become darker with red highlights. They can cause excessive drying and actually make hair texture frizzier.
Leadwhich is toxic and has been removed from most water systems, still exists in traces (because of older pipes and plumbing) and will leave hair with a dark grey caste.
