Does Your Hair Need a Detox?

Spring is an occasion to start fresh. It’s the time to crawl out from under the Thai takeout and True Detective-covered rock you’ve been living under, and back out into the sunlight. It’s also an ideal moment to renew, but I’m not talking about your body—in my book, spring diets consist of fish tacos and micheladas—I’m talking about your hair. In anticipation of beach season, we spoke to color guru, and Nexxus celebrity color expert, Aura Friedman (who has tended to the buttery hues of stars such as Jennifer Lawrence and Carolyn Murphy) about the rules of detoxing. Write this down.

Why You Should:

Tap water contains a multitude of sins. According to Friedman, NYC tap water is notoriously high in minerals, rust, and chlorine, which can seriously harsh your balayage and double process game. These headaches are of epic proportions if you are icy blonde—like myself—who is desperately holding on to each cool toned strand for dear life. Rust, especially, warms up your highlights, leaving you with a yellow tint. Your ends, especially, get the brunt of the deposits, as they are most porous.

Product buildup can also flatten, dull, and coat your mane, prohibiting proper moisture from penetrating. Week after week of using serums and pomades can also leave you (literally) flat out of luck.

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What You Can Do:

Give your tresses some love à la a 90’s Kim Basinger, by washing your hair with Evian. If that seems gratuitous, “you can always buy a filter for your shower head," Friedman says. T3 sells various models at Sephora. You can also pull a modified Basinger by filling a spray bottle with distilled agua for 2nd day re-wetting.

Shampoos for the Marginally Dulled and Deposited on:

Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo is like the Psssssst of the purifying shampoo world. It’s been around forever, very affordable, and does what it promises to do.

Davines SOLU Shampoo is an accomplished, all-natural version, with a sweet almond scent. This moisturizing super-goop is a zero impact product that protects and nourishes your scalp while deep cleansing your locks.

Bumble and bumble Sunday Shampoo is like one of those XYZ for Dummies books. Lather. Rinse. Repeat (next Sunday).

For the Damaged:

Friedman swears that Redken Pre Art Treatment is the product for the fried, weak, and bleached. Unlike traditional clarifying shampoos that can strip, Pre Art “contains a high concentration of chelating agents that surround minerals making them more soluble so they can be washed away.” In other words, it will help make hair look plumper while simultaneously shining and strengthening the cuticle.

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For the Green:

Those with an affinity for the breast stroke, should opt for Malibu C Swimmers Water Action Shampoo. If you’re lucky, winter can be the time for a much needed warm weather vacation. Unfortunately, all that pool time can wreak havoc on a mop-especially a blonde one. Friedman also stresses that before getting all Diana Nyad, “you should wet your locks with fresh H2O and comb conditioner through to protect.”

How to Tell if It’s Time to Detox:

Friedman says a quick test of your strands should do the trick by rubbing your ends between your fingers. If you are in need of a treatment your ends “will feel like Barbie hair. Plastic—y and almost slimy.”