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Your Colour Isn't Failing. Your Water Is Contaminating It.

Copper and iron ions from water enter your hair with every wash. When they mix with colour and bleach, results become patchy and unpredictable — through no fault of the formula or stylist.

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Detox

See the Metal Detox System

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WHO NEEDS METAL DETOX

HIGHEST PRIORITY

Anyone Who Bleaches or Lightens

Patchy lift, immediate brassiness, uneven sections — these are metal contamination presentations

HIGHEST PRIORITY

Colour-Treated Hair With Instability

Colour that fades fast, shifts in tone, or doesn't

match the shade card

HIGHEST PRIORITY

Colour-Treated Hair With Instability

Colour that fades fast, shifts in tone, or doesn't

match the shade card

 

ALSO BENEFITS

Porous & Damaged Hair

Porous hair absorbs 2x more water — and 2x more metal

ALSO BENEFITS

Porous & Damaged Hair

Porous hair absorbs 2x more water — and 2x more metal

 

ALSO BENEFITS

Porous & Damaged Hair

Porous hair absorbs 2x more water — and

2x more metal

ALSO BENEFITS

Older Vancouver Buildings

Pre-1990s buildings with copper plumbing have higher copper ion content

The L'Oreal Professionnel Metal Detox System

Metal Detox is a 5-product system with two protocols: a home maintenance routine (shampoo + mask + oil, used every wash) and a professional pre-service treatment (Pre-Treatment spray, used before every colour, balayage, or lightening appointment). Both use Glicoamine as the active — the only chelating agent small enough to penetrate the hair fiber and neutralize metal inside the cortex.

  • Anti-Metal Shampoo

  • Anti-Metal Mask

  • Leave-in Cream

  • Concentrated Oil

L'Oreal Professionnel Metal Detox Anti-Metal Shampoo

$38.95 CAD

Metal Detox anti-metal cleansing cream shampoo detoxifies hair after any colour, balayage or lightening service. Metal inside the fiber creates both a risk of breakage and it negatively impacts colour results during colour, balayage and lightening services. The generous rich cream transforms in a concentrated foam to gently cleans the fiber and removes the accumulation of metal particles.

KEY BENEFITS

  • Hair is detoxified for intact colour vibrancy with intense shine
  • Sulfate-free colour safe formula. Longer lasting colour, 2 x shinier
  • Hair is stronger
  • Fiber is strengthened, more resistant to breakage
  • Colour lasts longer, 2x shinier*. 87% less breakage
  • Hair is smoother, nourished for 72 hours
  • 100% reliable colour

HOW TO USE: Apply evenly on wet hair. Lather until a rich foam is obtained. Rinse.

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L'Oreal Professionnel Metal Detox Anti-Deposit Mask

$48.95 CAD

The Metal Detox Metal Protective Mask protects the hair fiber from particle deposits after any color, scanning or discoloration service. Its rich cream formula brings cosmeticity and prevents new metallic particles from redeshing on the hair.


Metal inside the fiber creates a risk of breakage and has a negative impact on color results during the living room services.Her concentration in the hair varies according to their porosity and the quality of the water which is used during washing.
The patented technology of this mask is concentrated in glicoamine, a molecule small enough to penetrate and neutralize the metal inside the fiber. The hair is less porous, intensely nourished and incredibly shiny.

KEY BENEFITS

  • Minimizes breaks
  • Optimizes the result of the color
  • Protects the color of UV rays
  • The hair is visibly healthy: elasticity, resistance and impermeability of fiber
  • Brilliance
  • Neutralizes and detoxifies metal hair

HOW TO USE: Apply on clean and humid hair, on lengths and tips. Leave to act for 1 minute, then rinse. For best results, use with the Metal Detox shampoo.

Elle Beauty Grand Prix Winner 2025

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L'Oreal Professionnel Metal Detox Cream Leave-in

$38.95 CAD

Metal Detox Anti-metal High Protection Cream protects the fibre from particle deposits after any colour, balayage or lightening service. Metal inside the fibre creates both a risk of breakage and it negatively impacts colour results during colour, balayage and lightening services. Hair is instantly smoother, softer & more nourished.

KEY BENEFITS

  • Protect the fibre from particle deposits
  • Hair is instantly smoother, softer & more nourished
  • Hair is stronger
  • Colour brightness is up to 97% preserved after 8 weeks*
  • Up to 72h hydrations & anti-humidity*
  • Up to 3x more definition*
  • UV & heat protection up to 230°C*

HOW TO USE: Apply daily on dry or towel-dried hair. Start with 1 or 2 pumps and spread evenly from mid-lengths to ends. Add more as needed depending on hair length. Do not rinse. Proceed to blow-dry or air-dry.

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L'Oreal Professionnel Metal Detox Anti-Deposit Protecting Oil

$29.95 CAD
$40.95 CAD

This oil rich in concentrated active ingredients nourishes the hair without weighing it down. It instantly plumps the hair fiber, reduces damage and restores shine.

KEY BENEFITS

  • Suitable for natural, colored and bleached hair
  • 97% damage prevention
  • Preserves color
  • Prevents particles deposits
  • Provides 2x more nutrients
  • Reduces frizz
  • Protects from heat up to 446°F / 230°C
  • Lightweight and non-oily finish

HOW TO USE: Use on clean, damp hair. Distribute 1 or 2 pumps from roots to ends. Apply to dry hair as a finishing treatment.

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Two Different Water Problems. Two Different Solutions.

FEATURE

L'OREAL METAL DETOX

KERASTASE PREMIERE

What it removes 

Copper and iron metal ions from water and oxidative services

Calcium and magnesium deposits from hard water

Active ingredient

Glicoamine — patented chelating agent that tracks and neutralizes metal inside the fiber

Citric Acid + Glycine — decalcifying and keratin chain repair

Symptom it fixes

Patchy bleach, colour instability, colour shift, service-related breakage

Stiff, rigid, brittle hair — dullness — bond repair underperforming

Who needs it most

Anyone who colours, bleaches, or uses oxidative services

Anyone in a hard water area with stiff, dull, brittle hair

When to use

Pre-service treatment before every colour + daily shampoo system

Every wash for first 4 weeks, then every 2–3 washes

Can it be used together?

Yes — and for clients in older Vancouver buildings who colour, using both is the complete protocol

If you have both colour instability and hair stiffness or brittleness, the full protocol is Metal Detox and Première for at-home calcium management. Both are available at Zennkai. → See the Hard Water Hair Repair for the full Kerstase Premiere system.

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FAQ

Why does my bleach go patchy or uneven?

Patchy, uneven bleach lift is one of the most common presentations of metal contamination in hair. Copper and iron ions — deposited inside the hair fiber from municipal water and copper plumbing — react with the oxidants in bleach and lightener during the service. This reaction is uneven across the hair shaft because metal concentration varies section to section, strand to strand, depending on each strand's porosity and exposure. Where metal concentration is higher, the oxidant reaction is disrupted, resulting in sections that lift less, go brassier, or achieve different tones than adjacent sections despite identical product application. The professional protocol for preventing this is L'Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox Pre-Treatment Spray (10% Glicoamine) applied to dry hair before every lightening service. Glicoamine neutralizes metal ions inside the fiber before they can react with bleach oxidants — restoring the predictability and consistency of the service result.

What is Glicoamine and how does it work in hair?

Glicoamine is a patented chelating molecule developed by L'Oréal Professionnel specifically for hair metal contamination. A chelating agent is a molecule that binds to metal ions and renders them chemically inert — preventing them from reacting with other substances. What makes Glicoamine unique is its molecular size: it is small enough to penetrate the hair fiber and reach metal ions inside the cortex, where other chelating agents cannot reach. Once inside the fiber, Glicoamine tracks, binds to, and neutralizes copper and iron ions — preventing them from reacting with the oxidants in colour and bleach services. In clinical testing, Metal Detox with Glicoamine delivered 99% less breakage in one use, 87% less breakage risk as a pre-service treatment, and 100% true-to-tone colour results. Glicoamine is present across the full Metal Detox range — Pre-Treatment Spray, Anti-Metal Shampoo, Professional Mask, Leave-In Cream, and Concentrated Oil — providing both acute metal removal and ongoing protection against re-accumulation.

How is L'Oréal Metal Detox different from Kérastase Première?

L'Oréal Metal Detox and Kerastase Premiere both address water-related hair damage, but they treat completely different contaminants. Metal Detox (Glicoamine) addresses copper and iron metal ions that penetrate the hair fiber from water and oxidative services — the primary symptom is colour instability, patchy bleach, and service-related breakage. Kérastase Premiere (Citric Acid + Glycine) addresses calcium and magnesium mineral deposits from hard water — the primary symptom is hair stiffness, rigidity, brittleness, and dullness that doesn't respond to conditioning. Both contaminants come from water, but they are chemically distinct and require different treatments. In older Vancouver buildings with copper plumbing and hard water, both forms of contamination are often present simultaneously — using both systems together is the complete professional protocol for water-contaminated hair.

Does everyone need Metal Detox or just people who colour their hair?

Metal contamination from water is universal — everyone who washes their hair in municipal water accumulates some level of metal in their hair fiber. However, the consequences are most significant for clients who colour, bleach, or use oxidative hair services, because metal ions react with service oxidants to create unpredictable results. For clients who don't colour, metal contamination still causes increased breakage (particularly in porous hair, which absorbs 2x more water and metal), reduced smoothness, and accelerated damage in heat-styled hair. The home maintenance system (Anti-Metal Shampoo + Mask + Oil) benefits all hair types. The Pre-Treatment Spray is specifically for clients receiving colour or lightening services. For coloring clients in Vancouver with copper plumbing — the pre-treatment before every service is not optional if consistent, predictable results are the goal.

How often should I use L'Oréal Metal Detox?

The recommended usage protocol for the L'Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox system: Anti-Metal Shampoo — every wash (replaces regular shampoo). Professional Mask — once or twice weekly after shampooing (1 minute leave-in for maintenance, 15 minutes for intensive treatment on bleached hair). High Protection Cream or Concentrated Oil — daily on towel-dried or dry hair, lengths to ends. Pre-Treatment Spray — before every colour, balayage, or lightening service. For clients in older Vancouver buildings with copper plumbing or those who bleach frequently, this full protocol is recommended as an ongoing routine rather than a temporary course of treatment. Metal re-accumulates with every wash in a metal-contaminated water supply — consistent ongoing use prevents re-accumulation rather than repeatedly treating the problem after the fact.

Can Metal Detox be used on color-treated and bleached hair?

Yes — Metal Detox was designed specifically for colour-treated and bleached hair, which is the highest-priority group for metal contamination management. The Anti-Metal Shampoo is sulfate-free and colour-safe, formulated to protect colour longevity while removing metal particles. Clinical testing of the full system demonstrated longer-lasting colour, 2x shinier results, and 100% true-to-tone colour consistency. For bleached hair specifically: bleached and lightened hair is the most porous hair type, which means it absorbs 2x more water — and 2x more metal — than unprocessed hair. This makes the ongoing use of Metal Detox maintenance products particularly important between lightening services, not only at the service itself. The Professional Mask provides 100 hours of nourishment specifically for dry and bleached hair while protecting against metal re-accumulation.

My hair color looks different than expected — could it be metal contamination?

Yes — metal contamination is one of the most common and most frequently overlooked reasons for unpredictable colour results. Signs that metal contamination may be affecting your colour: the result is warmer, brassier, or more orange than the formula should produce; colour fades unusually quickly; bleach lifts unevenly across sections of the head; colour doesn't match the target shade despite correct application; highlights look inconsistent from foil to foil. These outcomes happen when metal ions inside the hair fiber react with colour or bleach oxidants during the service — disrupting the expected chemistry. L'Oréal Metal Detox Pre-Treatment Spray (10% Glicoamine) applied before the service neutralizes metal before it can react. For clients who have experienced repeated unexpected colour results despite professional application, Metal Detox pre-treatment is the professional intervention that restores predictability.

Where can I buy L'Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox in Vancouver?

L'Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox is available at Zennkai across six Metro Vancouver locationsSouth Granville, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Langley, Pitt Meadows, and Surrey — and online at zennkai.com. Zennkai carries the full Metal Detox system: Pre-Treatment Spray (professional pre-service), Anti-Metal Cleansing Cream Shampoo, Professional Mask, High Protection Leave-In Cream, and Concentrated Oil. All products are 100% authenticated professional stock — the identical formulas used in Vancouver salons, with free shipping on orders over $50 and Beauty with Benefits loyalty points on every purchase.