The 7 Best Chelating Shampoos for Hard Water in 2023

If you care for your hair then you must have heard about the best chelating shampoo. Now if you are using hard water then this chelating shampoo will definitely work as it takes out all the impurities and makes your hair very nice and shiny.

Don’t worry; I have shared some of the best chelating shampoos below which will for sure help you to get rid of damaged hair due to hard water.

You can hope that after using the below listed natural chelating shampoo, you will be getting clean and manageable hair that will sparkle with shine and luster.

The chelating shampoo basically plays a role in energizing your scalp and you can easily glide your brush through your hair knots just like a knife in butter.

You must be worrying that in your busy schedule there will be no time to maintain your hair. You may feel guilty for dousing your hair by using the spray every morning.

Trust me this is not the main case you will be dealing with. The main problem lies when the accumulation starts and it won’t get away because of the presence of hard water.

In this article, I will help you to get rid of filth from your hair. Your main reason for reading this article is because your hair may feel

• Clumpy at the roots
• Frizzy ends.
• Gross and slimy
• Dry but still greasy
• Flaky scalp

If you summarise all these points, the main point comes that hard water has already made your hair full of filth and made your scalp feel gross.

You know what you cannot avoid hard water as according to a fact 85 % of people who are living in the US, is using hard water.

If you’re among the hard water users then you’re seeing the right thing for yourself is the best chelating shampoo for hard water.

Best Chelating Shampoo for Hard Water

1. Neutrogena Anti-Residue Clarifying Shampoo:

Are you tired of using a shampoo that is having the capability to make your hair look dull as well as rough?

Then you on the right way as this Neutrogena shampoo is having a fresh and light scent that is not overpowering.

It will help you to get rid of your residue very fast as it is having well and high-quality ingredients. It is having some of the chelating shampoo ingredients like citric acid, PEG Hydrogenated castor oil, and also sodium chloride.

All these ingredients make this shampoo a standalone from every other product.

If you see dullness in your hair then that maybe because of the styling products, conditioners, and other shampoos.

The best way you can treat your hair is by using the Neutrogena chelating shampoo. You will love to see what changes it does to your hair.

Pros:

• good cleansing effect
• Light scent not overpowering.
• High-quality ingredients
• Improves the volume of hair.
• tested and approved by a dermatologist.

Cons:

• Some people are having the issue of seeing their hair getting dry after using this product.

2. Malibu C – Natural Protective Hard Water Wellness Kit:

Do you know how useful malibu can be to your hair? Have you used this company’s product before?

If you are using the Malibu C wellness kit then you can easily see the difference after using the first remedy pack. It is filled with many natural chelating shampoo ingredients that make your hair healthy.

The health kit will not only clarify your hair but will also make your hair soft. If you have never used this company’s product then you can give us a try as this won’t let you down. If you are living in a house where the water surface is very hard then you can try the Malibu C wellness kit. It will repair your hair when you are using mineral-rich hair.

Pros:

• Eco-friendly
• Cruelty-free
• Vegan
• Plat based
• Brings back the natural color of your hair.
• Clarifies your hair.

Cons:

• The scent is not so appealing.
• Very costly.

3. Paul Mitchell Shampoo Three:

Do you love swimming? Or are are you into swimming for a long time that is affecting your hair? No need of worrying as this is the best shampoo that a swimmer can use.

As it deals with all the chlorine particles present in the water of your swimming pool. So enjoy your swimming without any kind of tension for your hair. It is a chelating clarifying shampoo that plays a major role in cleansing hair and removing chlorine, minerals, and iron from your hair. It is having a good record of usage while using it before the treatment of deep conditioning.

Pros:

• Vegan
• Paraben-free
• Reduces the frizziness.
• It is color-safe.
• The brassy and green tones of hair are removed.
• The waxy films are also removed.

Cons:

• Possibility of making your hair brittle and dry.

4. Grapefruit Detox Re-Nutrient Shine Repair Shampoo:

What do you want to see in a shampoo? What scent are you looking for in your shampoo? These two may be some questions but the main question is will it make your hair look natural?

So no need to worry as the LifeLab grapefruit shampoo is having a good citrus scent and it will also make your hair feel natural after every use. This natural chelating shampoo is a quality product at an affordable price.

Now with this product, you can answer all of your questions easily. If your hair is already damaged then this grapefruit shampoo can help your hair to get back its glory.

You can get back the exact hair which you were having before it was damaged. Cleansing of all the toxins is very easy with the use of this chelating shampoo.

Pros:

• No parabens
• No sulfates
• No BPA/Phthalates
• No DEA/TEA] no synthetic fragrance
• No synthetic color
• Cruelty-free
• Restores the natural condition of your hair.
• The cleansing process is very good.

Cons:

• Your hair can become dry if you use it continuously for more than a month.

5. Kenra Clarifying Shampoo:

Have you ever thought that you are using a shampoo and it’s doing just nothing to your hair?

Well, it may happen sometimes that you are using shampoo to protect your hair from hard water but you are not getting any kind of results.

If your hair is a victim of hard water then you can consider this as the best chelating shampoo for your natural hair. It is having a scent of grapefruit which gives a good but soft scent.

This is a shampoo with the ever-present scent but it is soft. This not only deals with hard water problems but also makes your hair feel natural. According to some buyers, it diminishes irritated scalp.

Pros:

• Lather well
• Works on color-treated hair
• Adds shine to your hair
• Make your hair soft.
• It can easily counter the mineral saturation effect.

Cons:

• Can dry out your hair.

6. Moroccan Oil Clarifying Shampoo:

If you are using a regular shampoo that is not giving any kind of response in reacting to your rough and dull hair then you can use this Moroccan oil shampoo.

It is also one of the best chelating shampoos with revitalizing formula, deep cleansing which plays a role in removing the hair’s everyday build-up. It does not have any impurities. It is a product which is a thick, clear product of a light yellow color.

A little bit of shampoo in your palm has the capability of making your hair look awesome. And so all the worrying days are gone and you can enjoy your free soft hair wherever you go.

Pros:

• Paraben-free
• Sulfate-free
• Phosphate-free
• Nourishes hair
• The effect is present for 4 to 5 days.
• Keeps the scalp clean.
• You can feel your hair weightless after using it.

Cons:

• It is not so available in the market.

7. Ion Hard Water Shampoo and Conditioner Set:

Having natural chelating ingredients in shampoo is the best thing that you can get from your shampoo.

So because of this your hair can also feel entangled and so using another shampoo may make your hair feel entangled but this shampoo will not produce such an effect.

Brands matching hard water conditioner is also there which is also very effective. If you are looking to turn back the discoloration of your hair then this ion hard water shampoo is the product you should go for. This shampoo is having the capability of reinvigorating and clarifying the harmful toxins from your hair.

Pros:

• Can be used multiple times per week.
• Make your hair feel soft and healthy.
• The process of cleansing is done thoroughly without entangling your hair.

Cons:

• If you use it constantly in a single week for a month then it can make your hair dry.

Tips to Pick the Best Chelating Shampoo 

You must be thinking that how should I pick the best chelating shampoo for my hair. Now you can follow these above easy steps to choose your chelating shampoo.

Understanding the type of hair is very important. You must understand what type of hair you are having that is whether you are having

• Curly
• Dry
• Oily
• Fine hair.

I have reviewed some of the best products including pros, cons, and reviews, among which you can choose the best chelating shampoo for yourself.

Ingredients to Look for Before Buying a Chelating shampoo?

If you are planning to buy chelating shampoo for your hair then you must look for certain chelating ingredients so that you get what you need.

• EDTA ingredients must be there in the shampoo.
• The scent that is the shampoo must have a good smell.
• The shampoo must be creamy and conditioning so that it will be easy to detangle.
• Safe for hair that is colored.
• Shampoo must be free of paraben and sulfates.
• Too many additives must not be there.
• Natural chelators must be there, for example, phytic acid.

How Hard Water will Harm your Hair and Skin?

You must know that mineral salts are the main problem that damages your hair and hard water contains many mineral salts with varieties of disadvantages.

• Chlorine and calcium are present which will play a role in choking your hair from the root.
• Sulfates will play the role of stripping off all the natural oils.
• Magnesium will take the shine off your hair.
• Silica is present in hard water which can form insoluble and hard deposits on the surface
• Copper can cause discoloration of your hair.

All these mineral salt plays a major role in damaging your hair. You can trust me; I will help you get rid of all the negative effects of hard water on your hair.

Now the main question is how do these mineral salts of hard water damages your hair? You must be keen to know so here let me tell you how it does-

The mineral salts will gradually break down the structure of your hair and will easily crystallize inside wet hair. This will brittle the hair by sucking in the moisture.

Yes, your right, weak and brittle hair will split the ends and if you are having blonde hair then you will see your hair color changing to orange.

Those were some of the bad effects of mineral salts. Now see what the hardness of water actually do to your hair-

• A stubborn layer will form on your head.
• Conditioners won’t be able to penetrate down your hair.
• Colors will become dull.
• You will as if your hair has become flat and heavy.
• Dandruff is common in this case.
• This is the main point that will scare you which is hair loss because of the blocked pore.

Why is it Essential for hair to have chelation from Hard Water?

The minerals which are present in hard water also play a role in raising the ph value of the water which will damage your hair.

You might be thinking now what ph range you must have for perfect hair wash. Yes, the question is quite obvious and everyone will have the same question in their mind.

The minerals make the ph to rise to a level of 8.5 but the range which you must have for your hair is within 5.5 to 6. Above 7 is the dangerous thing which you must take care of as that is too alkaline.

Now think, a high concentration of magnesium, calcium, sulfates, etc are nothing but a hair disaster recipe.

What is a Chelating Agent Present in Shampoo?

Now after reading all the damages of hard water to your hair, you must be thinking about what are chelating agents and how it can help you in solving the problem.

Yes, you are on the right track. I will discuss a few words about the chelating agents.

Chelating agents are basically present in chelating shampoo for curly & natural hair which can protect your hair from any kind of damage from the hardness of the water.

They basically grab on the minerals and form a ring-like structure. In short, they form a cage around the filth so that your entire hair complex can be rinsed by the shampoo. Then all these minerals together leave your hair during the wash.

If you want to chelate your hair then you must look for certain chelating ingredients shampoo like the

• Tetrasodium EDTA
• Disodium EDTA.

Now you must be thinking what is all this EDTA stuff. EDTA is basically nothing but colorless water-soluble which plays a role in dissolving ions and limescale.

If I were you, then I should have looked for these ingredients in a chelating shampoo before I buy them. These are the chelating shampoo ingredients that you must look for.

Do You Really Need a Chelating Shampoo to Wash Hair?

There is a certain time when you can chelate your hair and they are-

• If you swim regularly then you need to chelate because of the presence of chlorine in the swimming pool water.
• When you relax your hair with no-lye formulae.
• The most common part is when you are having hard water at your home.

Reasons Why you should use chelating detox shampoo?

There are many reasons why you should use these chelating shampoo and the reasons are as follows-

Improves the working of your conditioner

There are many times when your favorite products fail to meet your demands. You may want to think about them more than once before you just want to throw them away.

It may not be the fault of your conditioner but the reason could be hard water. If you use these chelating shampoos you may get better results from your favorite conditioners or serums.

Getting rid of crunchy rough hair

People living in places where getting rid of hard water is impossible then it is essential for them to use the chelating shampoo.

These are most common in the areas of the United States. You cannot afford to allow the minerals to crystallize your hair and make them rough and crunchy.

In the case of well water also, the chelating shampoo is very useful. You can always give a try to the chelating shampoo.

Glide through your knots very easily

Use the chelating shampoo and then you can easily detangle your hair without any difficulties.

Buying a chelating shampoo when you know that you use hard water is the best gift that you can gift to your hair. Try it and you won’t get a chance to regret it.

Flat iron in a very short time

This is the best thing which a woman would like that is getting ready in a pinch. You can use a flat iron and give a single stroke and you’re done.

There are many reasons why clean hair takes very little time for a flat iron when compared to rough crunchy hair.

The layers of filth make the job of flat iron difficult and so they take more time to straighten your hair.

So the filth makes the flat iron to use for more time which can damage your hair. If there is no such layer of filth then you can dry your hair faster and most importantly single stroke will be enough to style. Using less heat will also save your hair.

Keeping the hair color vibrant

The copper minerals that are present in hard water can let your hair color to lose its edge.

At a very less time, the oxidized copper can discolor your hair. If you are having blonde hair then it will turn to brassy and yellow.

If you use the chelating shampoo it will play a major role to remove the oxidizers from the hard water. So now you are free from the oxidized copper and let your hair color shine and grow.

Plumping up your hair

These chelating shampoo not only plays a role in protecting your hair but will also give a boost to your hairstyle.

You can get voluminous hair by using these kinds of chelating shampoo. So prepare yourself to get surprised.

Cleaning of your scalp

Check this shampoo out as it will pull everything out that plays a role in clogging your scalp pores.

Different kinds of shampoos are there for a different kind of scalp treatment like itchy scalp and many more.

How much Chelating Shampoo You Should Use?

You will have different questions in your mind like if you use these chelating shampoos very frequently then can it damage your hair.

So here are some tips for you regarding the use of chelating shampoo. If you use natural chelating shampoo then you can use it twice a month.

You must keep in mind that you do not need to use the chelating shampoo daily. The natural chelating shampoo is very stronger than normal regular shampoos.

Using the chelating shampoo for natural hair before coloring your hair will be a great step towards getting good color. This will increase the effectiveness and play a role in making your color more vibrant.

If you use the chelating shampoo 2 to 3 days before the color treatment then you can easily find the difference when you will color your hair.