No matter the amount of money, time and energy spent on treating, nourishing and styling your tresses, there are some days when your hair just will not cooperate. Regardless of which way you brush it, sweep it or part it, a bad hair day will see you glaring at the mirror, hopelessly trying to tame your overly voluminous locks or coax those dull, lifeless tresses into some form of ‘do’. Remarkably, new research, published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, has revealed the true cause of all this frustration is hidden in our water.
The study, lead by researcher Dr Jennifer Marsh of Procter and Gamble, analysed the hair of 450 women and discovered damaged hair was associated with a build up of copper particles on the hair strands.
Maddeningly, no matter how much we indulge in conditioners and treatments, the copper will persist in leaving our tresses dull and lifeless because it’s lurking in our water supply. Low levels of the metal occur naturally in tap water, but most deposits come from pipes and hot water tanks in our homes. When we wash our hair, the copper residue gradually builds up, accelerating the rate of hair damage and resulting in split ends and flyaway strands.
The researchers found most women had between 20 and 200 copper atoms for every million molecules in their hair, with some participants exhibiting more than 500 atoms per million molecules. “The copper is not present in very large amounts but it is important,” says Dr Marsh. “It comes from tap water and the hair acts like a sponge, picking it up over time.”
Dr Marsh goes onto explain how copper promotes the activity of damaging free radicals in the hair, which are created after hair colouring or excessive UV exposure. Copper catalyses the reaction between these free radicals and proteins on the hair shaft, making hair less resilient against physical processes like brushing, blow-drying a washing. “The hair will break down faster – leading to split ends and a lack of shine. It will also make the hair harder to manage,” Dr Marsh says.
Primarily, the copper causes harm to the hair cuticle (the outer sheath of the hair), leaving it dry and prone to damage. Considering a single strand of hair can take three years to grow out, the metal’s effect worsens over time. Unfortunately, even salon regulars aren’t safe from the damaging effects, with higher levels of copper found in coloured hair.
Thankfully, it’s not all bad news for those who covet luscious locks. The research discovered treating hair with chelants – chemicals commonly used in washing powder – could neutralise the copper. The principle scientist at Pantene, Dr Jeni Thomas, explains beauty companies are endeavouring to incorporate chelants into everyday dyes and products.
“Everyone seems to have copper in their hair, but the levels seem to vary a great deal,” says Dr Thomas. “You can’t often see the effects under a microscope, which is why we believe copper has been largely missed as a source of damage. At the moment, we are focusing on using this information to improve hair colour formulations but we are also exploring how to incorporate it into everyday hair care.”
