Tap water is one obstacle that stands in the way of women in the Middle East and their desire to achieve healthy, beautiful hair. It is said that one of the solutions for the damage caused by tap water is to rinse the hair with bottled or filtered water right before leaving the shower. However, a new hair product in the market promises to solves all hair woes related to the low quality of tap water.

We met with beauty guru Huda Kattan, AKA Huda Beauty, who talked to us about the main problem, its solution, and the new product.

What are the most common hair problems faced by women?

Of course the biggest issue is hair fall. It’s one of the most common questions I get. I think people are over-washing their hair a lot of times and probably not eating well so they are doing a lot of things that are causing hair fall naturally. As a woman, we feel more confident with beautiful hair. We want thicker, more voluminous hair. The second issue is definitely frizz. I get so many questions on frizzy hair and I have always had frizzy hair as well. Pantene’s Oil Replacement works well for me.

Why is tap water not healthy for the hair?

Water damage causes a few issues. When we went to Singapore we learned that it’s not water that is bad for hair, it’s the excess minerals such as copper in tap water that lead to oxidative damage. Water is hard here. It’s not like we are bathing with spring water! Copper is essential for the formation of healthy hair, but it’s the excessive copper that accumulates in hair fibers and oxidation leads to the breaking of bonds in the hair’s protein structure. This type of damage leads to protein loss, which over time leaves hair weaker, more breakage-prone and dull.

Is rinsing your hair with bottled water enough to solve the problem?

Definitely not, for sure. Rinsing your hair with bottled water doesn’t help because your hair is like a sponge. The moment you wet it, it has already come in contact with the minerals.

Woman is the GCC suffer from hair tangling, breakage, loss of surface sheen, and loss of body. In your opinion, what is the best solution for these problems?

To be honest, the best place to start is with proper education. I sat down with Dr. Steven Shield, Associate Director of Pantene Science, and after applying all his tips, I noticed that it has made such a huge difference to my hair. I am literally seeing how healthy my hair is getting. For instance, many people don’t know they shouldn’t be brushing their hair in the shower. It’s one of the worst things to do. You think you’re treating your hair right but really you’re damaging it. Even when it comes down to washing it. People don’t wash their hair properly. The way to wash your hair is by not washing your hair, but by washing your scalp! Also piling your hair on the top of your head when you’re shampooing and washing it roughly damages your hair. Hair is actually quite delicate. It’s very easy for you to open up a cuticle in the hair and cause damage to the strand of hair. You want to focus on your scalp and let the water rinse through. So many things we are doing thinking that we are cleansing our hair, but in fact we are harming our hair. Also, it’s important to use the right products for your hair depending on the hair type.

Pantene recently researched on the tap water problem. Tell us about it.

I think the whole idea is amazing — I love it. Now it’s really important to educate consumers on why this product is amazing. We know that our hair is being damaged after washing but we don’t understand why. Pantene is now educating people like us on the issue of copper. The idea is that copper is deposited in your cuticles as you wash your hair. But why is that a bad thing? Because copper oxidizes so the cuticles start to age and become more fragile and weak and start to open and the cuticles eventually break which causes split ends. Over time copper is being deposited so you have an accumulation of this copper weighing down on your hair.

You have recently visited their plant in Singapore. Tell us about the experience.

It was honestly a life changing experience. It was definitely one of the best things I’ve done so far. Hair is obviously a big concern of mine as I’m not only a makeup artist but I’m also a beauty blogger. Beauty as a whole is interesting and learning so much about hair and speaking to the experts was exciting. I was excited to tour the labs and see the science that goes behind each product. I saw them testing several hair strands and water. It was an amazing experience where I learned so much. I do feel like the more I work with Pantene I’m becoming more of a hair expert!

Tell us more about the product, how do you use it and what would you recommend?

I’ve been using the new Pantene ever since coming back from Singapore and I’ve noticed that my hair is softer and smoother. The texture is so soft and I have coarse, hard brittle hair. I’m in love with it. I recommend using Pantene’s Oil Replacement as the third step (after shampooing and conditioning). I have noticed a big difference in my hair when using oil replacement compared to when I don’t. I do use serums as well, but this is one of my favorites. I can do without the serums but without the Oil Replacement, I can’t. Also, I don’t use Oil Replacement on all my hair, only on the ends!

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