Chelating Shampoo??

[Cassilicious]

Officially my first post because I am going crazy with these ends and trying to avoid a cut!!

My ends are dry and tangly and clarifying has not done the trick! The ends are fine the day I wash them and then the next day they seem to already have lost moisture and are dry, tangly, velcroey....ICK!

I want to try chelating before I decide on a cut. I've looked around and people here seem to love the Joico K-Pak Chelating Shampoo. I looked for it, but can only find their Clarifying Shampoo?? Is it the same thing under their label?? If not, any other chelating shampoos to recommend??

[Sterlyn]

I have never used the Joico shampoos, but frequently makers don't put the word chelating in the name. You want to find something that removes mineral deposits on hair. IFRC swimmers shampoos often have chelating properties.

There was a Joico shampoo that several people here liked for chelating but I don't think it had chelating anywhere in the name, I want to say it was listed as a clarifying shampoo but on the label it listed that it removed mineral deposits too. The last time this discussion came up I meant to make a list of the ones people recommended and didn't and now the name escapes me.

Maybe someone will chime in with a suggestion. I use Lanza chelating and it works well for me but it's the only one I've ever tried. I have a giant bottle of it so it will be a while before I need to try anything else. HTH

ETA: If you do use a chelating shampoo, they can really dry out your hair so plan on following up with a conditioner that's really moisturizing.

[scrivener827]

I'm having the exact same issues with my ends! And I, too, tried to find Joico K-Pak chelating shampoo, since that is what I have seen mentioned in the boards a lot, but could only find the clarifying. I decided to try the clarifying shampoo anyway, and it's okay, but didn't make any real noticeable difference. Hopefully someone will pop in here and let us know what the deal is. If anyone has any recommendations for other chelating shampoos I would really appreciate it!

[Cassilicious]

Thanks for the replies! Sterlyn, I will definitely follow up with a good conditioning treatment! scrivener827, hopefully someone else will chime in! I hate when my hair acts all rebellious!

[lapushka]

Is your hair dyed, bleached, processed in any way? Because that all depends on the product recs.

[Cassilicious]

Lapoushka, nope. All virgin hair for me. My hair is about hip length so it is old and worn from pre-LHC abuse, but that's about it.

[meteor]

Officially my first post because I am going crazy with these ends and trying to avoid a cut!!

My ends are dry and tangly and clarifying has not done the trick! The ends are fine the day I wash them and then the next day they seem to already have lost moisture and are dry, tangly, velcroey....ICK!

Welcome to the LHC, Cassilicious! :cheer:

What leave-ins (oils, conditioners) are you using? If you aren't using anything, try LOC (liquid leave-in + oil + cream conditioner) or sealing moisture with oils and/or silicone serums. Some hair (especially porous or damaged) loses moisture very fast, so it needs some added occlusion (permeable barrier) for the hair to remain moisturized longer.


I want to try chelating before I decide on a cut. I've looked around and people here seem to love the Joico K-Pak Chelating Shampoo. I looked for it, but can only find their Clarifying Shampoo?? Is it the same thing under their label?? If not, any other chelating shampoos to recommend??

Yes, it's chelating, as well as clarifying. The website says
Perfect choice for: Everyone – even hard-core swimmers. Our lightweight formula won’t overwhelm fine hair, yet is rich and nourishing enough to impact thicker strands; even those exposed to chlorine, minerals, and hard water. (http://www.joico.com/products/k-pak-clarifying-shampoo-2/)
I find you can get the best chelating results when you massage it into hair for a few minutes thoroughly.

Other chelating products: Ion, Kenra, Pantene Damage Detox, Paul Mitchell Shampoo Three (the latter 3 products both chelate and clarify).

To identify chelating products, look for chelating agents like EDTA or citric acid listed *high up* on the ingredients list (if they are listed at the bottom, they are used as stabilizers and pH-adjusters, but when listed high up among surfactants - they are chelating). HTH! :flower:

[lapushka]

I do believe he Joico protein pack is *very* potent, and it might be the same for their chelating shampoo. Meteor's given you some great options!

[renia22]

If any of the above shampoos are hard to find, Ultra Swim is decent and you can find it rather easily. I've purchased that one a few times, and have been happy with it.

[Cassilicious]

Thanks everyone!! I've taken a closer look at the faucets and shower head and it looks like I might actually have hard water too?? There are white spots on the shower head and under the faucet is rusty?? I'm not going to be able to buy any shampoo till about next week. I have vitamin c, citric acid, and ACV lying around. Do you think some sort of rinse will help till then?? (Sorry for so many questions!)

[meteor]

Thanks everyone!! I've taken a closer look at the faucets and shower head and it looks like I might actually have hard water too?? There are white spots on the shower head and under the faucet is rusty?? I'm not going to be able to buy any shampoo till about next week. I have vitamin c, citric acid, and ACV lying around. Do you think some sort of rinse will help till then?? (Sorry for so many questions!)

Sure. :) For example, you can make so-called "miracle water" with citric acid and vitamin C. Check out this thread: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128756