Chelating Shampoos - What They Are & How They Work

Chelating shampoos energize your scalp and flick your hair back to life! A chelating shampoo is a type of hair shampoo that contains chelating agents to remove minerals, metals, and other impurities from your hair and scalp. These agents bind to the impurities and wash them away when you rinse out the shampoo. Chelating shampoos are usually more acidic than regular shampoos and may contain ingredients like EDTA. EDTA is a colorless water-soluble solid that dissolves limescale and ions. Your list of ingredients will include EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid) in the name; Tetrasodium EDTA or Disodium EDTA. EDTA is a chemical that binds and holds on to (chelates) minerals and metals such as chromium, iron, lead, mercury, copper, aluminum, nickel, zinc, calcium, cobalt, manganese, and magnesium.

A chelating shampoo works just like an exfoliating face wash. It does more heavy lifting than your regular shampoo. A chelating-based shampoo deploys active molecules called chelating agents. These agents grab onto minerals, dirt particles, and leftover shampoos to make a new ring structure. They form a cage around the nasty stuff, withdrawing gunk, slime, minerals, and residues that build up in your hair from all the things that like to stick to or damage your hair and scalp, including:

Hard water showers

Minerals-heavy well water

Chemical services

Copper residues from water pipes

Daily gels, hair sprays

Skin shedding

Color depositing shampoos

Oral medications

Take a close look at your scalp, you may see these residues. They don't only coat your scalp. They also form an invisible sticky layer around your hair strands. And to make it worse, the stickiness attracts dust and dirt like a magnet. It makes your hair more greasy and your scalp itchy and flaky. Want proof? Your hair brush can definitely tell a tale or two. Besides looking like a graveyard for your shedding hair, you'll also find dust and yellowish blobs that come from your hair.

Washing your hair twice a month with a good chelating shampoo will get rid of dust, residues from sprays, gels, and other stuff you put in your hair, and mineral residues from hard water. The results:

Easier glide through knots

No crunchy hard water hair.

Your conditioner will work much better.

Flat ironing your hair will be faster - improves glide without all the gunk!

Hair appears fuller - the volume is because of less weight on the hair.