Ice cubes are the secret to shiny hair
We've long been told about the benefits of a cold rinse when you're washing your hair, but it could go even further than that, according to a new home-grown innovation.
Treating your hair with sub-zero temperatures can improve its strength, condition and shine, said Timothy Allan of New Zealand's Locus Research.
Allan's company has developed a hair conditioning system you keep in your freezer, and they say it can reverse the damage of heat styling and chemical processing.
It looks like hair straighteners, and you use it in the same way, but it's exactly the opposite. Once the Inverse system is cold it can stay below zero degrees for up to an hour.
"Heat does style your hair, but the problem is it's destructive to keratin", Allan said.
Cooling the hair right down "effectively locks in moisture", he says, which means "in the real world your hair is more manageable and has more definition".
Inverse was developed after founder and Kiwi hair stylist David Roe started experimenting with ice as a treatment, when his wife experienced surprising results after washing her hair with ice-cold water.
Inverse's manufacturers say it changes the fibre of the hair itself, making it smoother and helping curls fall in groups.
"I wouldn't call it an instantaneous effect", said Allan, but the "science matches up with the results".
As Allan points out, the beauty of this is that everyone has a freezer. Colour us intrigued.
Will you be washing your hair in cold water after reading this? Let us know in the comments below.
First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.
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