Chelates & Hair Care

Before a perm, all-over color or highlight, many hair care professionals wash your hair with a special type of shampoo. You may also do the same thing at home using shampoo or a home remedy, either when your hair becomes dull or just before a chemical treatment. What makes this process effective, and the reason you would not want to use this shampoo or remedy daily, are ingredients called chelates.

Function

When you wash and rinse your hair, even thorough shampooing and rinsing does not always entirely remove dirt and debris. If you live in an area with hard water, shampooing can add to the problem as minerals from the water bind to your hair and remain after rinsing. Hair care professional Cathy Lessmiller says that buildup in your hair over time can cause it to look dull or flat as can alter the results of a chemical treatment such as a perm or hair color. Chelates function as deep cleaning ingredients that strip your hair of these chemical or mineral deposits.

Identification

In hair care products, chelating agents are ingredients that bind to deposits in your hair, such as metals or minerals, allowing you to rinse them away. Chelates are the chemical compounds that form when chelating agents bind to hair deposits. Chelating, also called stripping or clarifying, is the procedure you follow to remove deposits. Although you or your beautician can apply a chelating agent as a separate step, using a clarifying shampoo is the most common way to accomplish this task.

Types

Hair care products that contain chelating agents are stronger than products you would use on a daily basis. Look for products labeled as clarifying, deep cleaning or formulated for hard water as a clue. In addition, Lessmiller recommends that you read product labels and look for ingredients such as tetrasodium EDTA. acetic acid, citric acid or glycine in commercial shampoos. Home treatments often use baking soda, lemon juice, or vinegar as ingredients.

Time Frame

How often you chelate depends on factors such as the number and frequency of styling products you use in your hair, whether you have hard water or whether you swim in chlorinated water. In general, however, you should only use a clarifying shampoo, or chelate, once or twice per month.

Considerations

Chelates not only remove deposits, but also strip natural oils form your hair. Because of this, Lessmiller reminds you to thoroughly condition your hair immediately after using a clarifying shampoo. If you plan to color or perm your hair, talk to your hair care professional and get her recommendations about chelating prior to your appointment