Hair

Hard water, hair and chelating cosmetics. What does “chelating” actually mean?

27 September 2026

Sometimes you change cities and your hair changes too. Same shampoo, same conditioner, same routine — and the hair looks duller, feels rougher, is harder to detangle, or simply behaves differently. One cause can be something very simple: water.

Hard water does not mean poor-quality water. “Hard” mainly describes the amount of dissolved minerals, especially calcium and magnesium. That load depends on the geology of the source, so two cities can have completely different water — and hair can respond differently.

Hardness is often given as milligrams of calcium carbonate per litre (mg CaCO₃/l) or in German degrees (°dH). In simple terms, water below 100 mg/l is soft, 100–200 mg/l is moderately hard, 200–300 mg/l is hard, and above 300 mg/l is very hard.

The differences between European cities can be large. London is known for hard and very hard water. Copenhagen also has naturally hard water, though it is being centrally softened district by district. Berlin’s water is classed as hard, and in Warsaw the hardness is clearly felt too. Cities such as Stockholm and Gothenburg have much softer water.

So a move is not only a change of address. For hair, the whole environment of daily washing changes.

What does hard water have to do with hair?

Every wash puts hair in contact not only with shampoo, but with the minerals in the water. With regular washing, some of those mineral components can stay on the hair surface and gradually form a deposit.

Hair can then feel rougher, look duller, feel weighed down or become harder to detangle. This is especially noticeable on bleached, coloured and more porous hair.

Other metals come into play as well, for example copper from pipework. That is why haircare now talks not only about cleansing, but also about chelation.

What does “chelating” mean?

The word sounds chemical. The idea is simple.

A chelator is an ingredient that captures selected metal ions. It binds them into more stable complexes, so they can rinse away with the water instead of remaining on the hair surface.

That difference matters. A chelating shampoo does not have to be simply a “stronger” clarifying shampoo. It is not about stripping everything from the hair more aggressively. It is a more precise approach to specific components in the water and in the deposit.

It is not about stronger cleansing. It is about more precise cleansing.

BOGDAO’s dual chelating system

In our formula we use two chelating ingredients: Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate (EDDS) and Sodium Phytate.

EDDS is the system’s main chelator. It binds selected metal ions, including calcium, magnesium, iron and copper. It is readily water-soluble and readily biodegradable, so it lets us combine chelating performance with the environmental profile we wanted when designing the formula.

Sodium Phytate, the salt of phytic acid, completes the system. It also has chelating properties and helps bind metal ions. It also supports the stability of the formula itself by limiting the unwanted effect of trace metals.

Together they form a dual chelating system, designed to take into account not only what is on the hair, but also what is in the water used to wash it.

CHELATING HAIR SHAMPOO SAGE

When we created BOGDAO Chelating Hair Shampoo SAGE, we did not want another very strong chelating shampoo meant only for an occasional hair “reset”.

We wanted a product that takes hard water into account in regular washing.

That is why we combined the EDDS + Sodium Phytate system with a mild, sulphate-free cleansing system. Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate and Lauryl Glucoside cleanse hair and scalp effectively, without the dryness and roughness typical of aggressive clarifying.

Polyglyceryl esters support the cleansing system, with inulin and fibre-conditioning ingredients. pH 5.0–6.0 was chosen with both hair and scalp in mind.

The result is a shampoo that cleanses sebum, styling product and everyday residue, while also accounting for the minerals and metal ions hair meets in every shower.

CHELATING HAIR CONDITIONER SAGE

Cleansing is only the first step. After that, we focus on the structure of the hair itself.

At the heart of BOGDAO Chelating Hair Conditioner SAGE is FiberHance™ BM Solution — a technology designed to work inside the hair fibre. It supports new interactions in keratin structures, helping increase the mechanical strength and resilience of weakened hair.

That matters especially for bleached, coloured, frequently heat-styled hair, or hair more prone to breakage.

The formula also contains trehalose, safflower oil and naturally derived emollients, which support softness, smoothness and easier detangling without unnecessary weight. An acidic pH of 4.0–5.0 was chosen for the conditioning step.

The two products therefore have different, complementary roles: the shampoo focuses on cleansing with water in mind, and the conditioner on the condition and structure of the fibre.

SAGE — science meets ritual

Function was the starting point, but care should not be only functional.

That is why both products share the SAGE scent — a composition built around aromatic sage, juniper, vetiver and yuzu. Fresh, green and woody, closer to a contemporary spa than a classic hair-product fragrance.

Hair does not exist apart from its surroundings. Every day it meets water, temperature, styling, colour and the environment.

So we made a routine that considers not only the hair, but also the water you wash it in.

If after a move or while travelling your hair suddenly feels different, check the water before you change the whole routine.

Sometimes the problem is not your shampoo. Sometimes it is simply the water.