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Hard Water Shampoo

Hard Water Shampoo

Iles Formula
Benefits
  • Hair Repairing
  • Promotes Shine
  • Detangling
  • Colour Protecting
  • Anti-Hair Loss
  • Prevents Breakage
  • Hair Nourishing
The Hard Water Shampoo by Iles Formula is a gentle yet reparative shampoo designed to cleanse the hair without stripping, while actively supporting strength, softness, and long-term hair integrity. It purifies the scalp and hair fiber with a mild, sulfate-free cleansing system that respects the cuticle, making it ideal for dry, damaged, colour-treated, or chemically processed hair. The formula is crafted with a higher proportion of modern, low-irritation cleansing agents, allowing it to perform effectively in hard-water conditions by lifting impurities and mineral residue more efficiently while maintaining moisture balance. A blend of advanced conditioning agents and humectants helps reduce breakage and improve manageability during cleansing. Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5) hydrates the hair fiber, improves elasticity, and enhances softness, while hydrolyzed silk smooths the cuticle and reinforces weakened areas, leaving hair silky and resilient even before conditioning. Pracaxi seed oil replenishes lost lipids, seals the cuticle, and boosts shine without heaviness, while Yacón root juice attracts and retains moisture to keep hair supple and flexible. Conditioning polymers improve slip and detangling, minimizing mechanical stress during washing. The result is hair that feels deeply clean yet nourished, visibly smoother, stronger, and more luminous with every wash, even in mineral-rich water.
Read more
The Hard Water Shampoo by Iles Formula is a gentle yet reparative shampoo designed to cleanse the hair without stripping, while actively supporting strength, softness, and long-term hair integrity. It purifies the scalp and hair fiber with a mild, sulfate-free cleansing system that respects the cuticle, making it ideal for dry, damaged, colour-treated, or chemically processed hair. The formula is crafted with a higher proportion of modern, low-irritation cleansing agents, allowing it to perform effectively in hard-water conditions by lifting impurities and mineral residue more efficiently while maintaining moisture balance. A blend of advanced conditioning agents and humectants helps reduce breakage and improve manageability during cleansing. Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5) hydrates the hair fiber, improves elasticity, and enhances softness, while hydrolyzed silk smooths the cuticle and reinforces weakened areas, leaving hair silky and resilient even before conditioning. Pracaxi seed oil replenishes lost lipids, seals the cuticle, and boosts shine without heaviness, while Yacón root juice attracts and retains moisture to keep hair supple and flexible. Conditioning polymers improve slip and detangling, minimizing mechanical stress during washing. The result is hair that feels deeply clean yet nourished, visibly smoother, stronger, and more luminous with every wash, even in mineral-rich water.
Read less

200ml

£41
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More Info

  • - + Who it is for
  • - + How to Apply
  • - + Ingredients
  • - + Smell & Texture
  • - + About the Brand
  • - + Who it is for
  • - + How to Apply
  • - + Ingredients
  • - + Smell & Texture
  • - + About the Brand
Who it is for
Green tick
For you if

Hard Water Area

Dry Hair

Damaged Hair

Coloured Hair

Chemically Treated Hair

Curly Hair

Dull Hair

Sensitive Scalp

Frizzy Hair

Red Cross
Not For you if

Oily Scalp

Dandruff


Not sure? Consult an expert.

How to Apply
Apply to very wet hair. The key is to add more water while massaging, rather than more product—this activates the root extract and helps begin the process of reducing hair breakage and repairing damage. If hair breakage is a concern, concentrate on the ends for maximum nourishment and repair. Leave on for 1 minute, then rinse thoroughly to allow the formula to soften brittle hair and start the repair process. Repeat if needed. For very damaged or weakened hair, a third shampoo is recommended. Rinse thoroughly.
Ingredients

Water / Aqua / Eau, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil, Polymnia Sonchifolia Root Juice, Hydrolyzed Silk, Panthenol, Polyquaternium-7, Polyquaternium-10, Propylene Carbonate, Glycol Distearate, Benzoic Acid, Behenyl / Stearyl Aminopropanediol Esters, Laureth-4, Sea Salt, Dehydroacetic Acid, Propanediol, PVP, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Fragrance (Parfum)

Please note: The ingredients listed in this product are subject to change as the formulation is updated. We aim to update the INCI list as soon as possible, but we encourage you to read the ingredient list on the product itself to ensure it's suitable for your personal use.

Smell & Texture

Smell: White flowers, fresh linen and soft, subtle French-style florals

Texture: Rich and creamy

About the Brand
Brand logo
Founded by celebrity hairstylist Wendy Iles, Iles Formula was created from decades of hands-on experience working with the world’s most demanding hair—on fashion runways, red carpets, and editorial sets. After years of witnessing hair damage caused by over-processing and harsh products, Wendy Iles set out to create a line of high-performance haircare that prioritizes hair integrity, strength, and longevity. The result is a tightly edited collection of luxury formulas that blend advanced cosmetic science with refined simplicity, earning a cult following among professionals and clients alike.

Iles Formula treats hair with the same precision and respect as fine couture, focusing on preserving the cuticle and strengthening the hair fiber at every step. Rather than masking damage, each formula is designed to protect against it—improving elasticity, reducing breakage, and maintaining optimal moisture balance. Highly concentrated yet lightweight, the products deliver multiple benefits in one step, supporting all hair types while remaining especially effective for color-treated, fragile, or chemically processed hair.

At the core of Iles Formula is a philosophy of intelligent formulation: gentle cleansing systems, silk proteins, targeted conditioning polymers, and nourishing botanical ingredients work in harmony to smooth, strengthen, and protect without build-up. Each product is carefully calibrated to respect the hair’s natural structure while enhancing shine, softness, and resilience. This disciplined, results-driven approach—paired with an elegant sensory experience—defines Iles Formula’s reputation for effortless luxury and visibly healthier hair.

The Benefits

  • - + Cleansing
  • - + Follicle Repair
  • - + Hydrating
  • - + Colour-Protecting
  • - + Nourishing
  • - + Repairing
  • - + Strengthening
Cleansing

Routine hair cleansing is essential for maintaining optimal scalp hygiene and supporting healthy hair growth dynamics. Regular washing effectively removes accumulated sebum, environmental pollutants, microbial contaminants, and residual hair care products, thereby reducing the risk of follicular blockage and inflammation.

Proper scalp cleansing contributes to the regulation of sebaceous gland activity, helping to maintain a balanced level of sebum that protects the scalp without contributing to excessive oiliness or microbial overgrowth. This is particularly important in the prevention of scalp disorders such as dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, and folliculitis.

By preserving a clean and balanced scalp environment, regular cleansing supports the normalization of the hair growth cycle—including the anagen (growth), catagen (regression), and telogen (resting) phases—thereby promoting the growth of strong, healthy hair.

Follicle Repair

Hair follicle repair restores optimal growth and density by reactivating dormant follicles and balancing the hair growth cycle. Ageing, stress, and hormonal imbalances can shorten the anagen (growth) phase and prolong the telogen (resting) phase, leading to thinning. Repairing follicles involves stimulating dermal papilla cells, enhancing blood circulation, and supporting keratin synthesis to strengthen the hair’s structure. By reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, follicles regain their ability to produce thicker, stronger, and healthier hair over time.

Hydrating

Hydrating your hair means boosting its water content to ensure strands stay resilient, flexible, and healthy. Proper hydration is key to preserving the integrity of your hair's cuticle. When well-hydrated, the cuticle lies flat and smooth, creating a barrier against environmental damage and reducing friction between strands, which results in less tangling and a smoother texture. Heat styling, sun exposure, and harsh chemical treatments can strip your hair of its natural moisture. Using gentle haircare products designed to hydrate without weighing your hair down helps prevent dryness, brittleness, and breakage while enhancing shine and making your hair more manageable.

Colour-Protecting

Colour Protection in haircare is essential for maintaining vibrancy, strength, and long-term hair health, especially after colouring or chemical treatments. Daily exposure to UV rays, frequent washing, and thermal styling can break down pigments, weaken the cuticle, and leave hair dull and fragile.

This is where targeted colour-protecting care becomes critical. By shielding the hair from oxidative stress and helping the cuticle scales remain closed, it helps lock in colour and preserve luminosity. Hair stays radiant and reflective, while structural damage caused by treatments like bleaching is reduced. With consistent use, coloured hair looks brighter for longer, feels stronger, and is better protected against future fading and external aggressors.

Nourishing

Effective hair nourishment involves the restoration of the scalp’s barrier function, which plays a critical role in maintaining hydration and overall hair health. By enhancing barrier integrity, moisture is better retained and bioactive compounds are able to penetrate the hair cuticle, delivering deep nourishment to the cortex. This process contributes to structural reinforcement, improved elasticity, and greater resilience of the hair fibre.

Repairing

Damaged hair is typically identifiable by a rough, straw-like texture, increased difficulty in styling, and visible signs such as broken strands and split ends. These symptoms reflect underlying structural compromise within the hair fiber, often resulting from external aggressors such as chemical treatments, thermal styling, UV exposure, and mechanical stress.

Lipid Cement Deficiency occurs when the cuticle is exposed to aggressive treatments or environmental factors, and stripped of essential lipids, resulting in increased permeability. This loss compromises its barrier function, leaving the underlying cortex vulnerable to protein and lipid degradation.

Split Ends occur when the lipid distribution is uneven along the length of the hair shaft, with the ends being the most affected. The hair ends, being older and more frequently exposed to damaging elements, contain up to 30% less ceramide than the root, making the hair more prone to splitting and breakage.

Cuticle Scale Separation occurs when the lipid cement causes the scales to lift and disconnect, exposing the cortex and increasing transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This results in excessive dehydration, leaving the hair dry, brittle, and more susceptible to further damage.

Keratin Fiber Degradation occurs when the lipid and protein components weaken the keratin matrix, the hair loses tensile strength, flexibility, and resilience.

Loss of Shine occurs when the hair is damaged and exhibits irregularities and surface roughness due to disrupted scales and lipid loss. These irregular surfaces scatter light unevenly, leading to a dull, lackluster appearance.

Strengthening

Strengthening in haircare is all about restoring your hair's healthy structure and enhancing its resilience against damage, breakage, and the stresses of daily styling, such as heat exposure. Strengthening haircare products deliver essential components like proteins, hydration, and lipids that work together to reinforce hair strands. They support internal hair bonds, restore moisture, and coat the outer layer to protect and smooth, resulting in a shinier, smoother finish. By promoting a healthier hair structure, these products encourage faster hair growth and improve manageability.

  • - + Cleansing
  • - + Follicle Repair
  • - + Hydrating
  • - + Colour-Protecting
  • - + Nourishing
  • - + Repairing
  • - + Strengthening

Active Ingredients

  • - + Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5)
  • - + Silk Extract
  • - + Polyquaternium
  • - + Pracaxi Seed Oil
  • - + Yacon Root Juice
Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5)

Panthenol, also known as pro-vitamin B5, is a stable form of Pantothenic Acid which penetrates the hair fiber and converts into vitamin B5 once applied. It acts as a humectant, attracting and binding moisture to the hair, which helps prevent dryness and brittleness while improving softness and elasticity. Inside the hair shaft, panthenol increases water content, giving hair a fuller, thicker feel and improving flexibility so strands are less likely to snap under stress. At the same time, it forms a lightweight, breathable film on the surface of the hair that smooths the cuticle, enhances shine and slip, reduces friction during washing and brushing, and helps protect against mechanical damage. On the scalp, it supports hydration and barrier function, contributing to overall hair health, making panthenol especially effective for reducing breakage and improving the look and feel of dry, damaged or chemically treated hair.

Silk Extract

Silk Extract is a protein that coats the hair shaft, enhancing smoothness and shine, whilst protecting against environmental stressors. It strengthens and conditions hair fibres, reducing breakage, resulting in softer, more manageable hair.

Polyquaternium

Polyquaternium is a lightweight, water-soluble conditioning polymer used in haircare to improve softness, manageability and frizz control without weighing hair down. It works by carrying a positive charge, which allows it to selectively bind to the negatively charged areas of the hair, especially damaged or porous sections, where it forms a thin, flexible conditioning film. This film smooths the hair cuticle, increases slip, reduces tangling and minimises friction during washing and brushing, helping to prevent breakage. Because it rinses cleanly and does not build up heavily, Polyquaternium leaves hair feeling soft, silky and conditioned while still light, making it suitable for fine, colour-treated and damaged hair types.

Pracaxi Seed Oil

Pracaxi Seed Oil is a nutrient-rich plant oil extracted from the seeds of the Amazonian Pracaxi tree, and is valued for its exceptional smoothing, strengthening and shine-enhancing properties. It is naturally high in behenic, oleic and linoleic fatty acids, which allow the oil to spread easily over the hair surface and penetrate the cuticle to replenish lost lipids. By restoring this lipid layer, Pracaxi seed oil helps seal the cuticle, reduce moisture loss and improve elasticity, making hair softer, more flexible and less prone to breakage. Its lightweight yet deeply conditioning nature also helps tame frizz, improve manageability and add gloss without leaving hair greasy, making it particularly effective for dry, damaged, textured or chemically treated hair.

Yacon Root Juice

Yacón Root Juice is a plant-derived extract and is used for its powerful humectant and conditioning properties. Naturally rich in fructooligosaccharides and sugars, it attracts and binds water to the hair and scalp, helping to maintain hydration and prevent dryness. By increasing moisture content within the hair fiber, Yacón root juice improves softness, flexibility and elasticity, which reduces brittleness and breakage. It also helps smooth the cuticle and enhance manageability, while supporting scalp comfort by maintaining hydration, making it especially beneficial for dry, fragile or stressed hair.

  • - + Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5)
  • - + Silk Extract
  • - + Polyquaternium
  • - + Pracaxi Seed Oil
  • - + Yacon Root Juice

Spotlight

Damaged Hair

Dry and damaged hair occurs when the hair’s natural protective barrier is weakened, allowing moisture to escape and leaving the inner structure exposed to breakage and rough texture. This damage develops through a combination of external and internal factors. Heat styling tools lift and crack the cuticle, while chemical processes such as colouring, bleaching, or relaxing break down protein bonds and strip away essential lipids. Environmental stressors like sun exposure, pollution, wind, hard water, and salt or chlorinated water further dry and erode the hair surface. Internally, genetics, aging, hormonal changes, dehydration, and poor nutrition can reduce the scalp’s natural oil production, making hair more prone to dryness and fragility, especially through the lengths and ends. As the cuticle becomes rough and uneven, hair loses its ability to retain moisture, leading to dullness, frizz, tangling, split ends, and increased breakage. Repairing dry and damaged hair requires a gentle, consistent approach focused on restoring moisture, lipids, and strength. Mild, sulfate-free cleansing helps prevent further stripping, while humectants rehydrate the hair fiber and improve flexibility. Nourishing conditioners and oils replenish lost lipids, smooth the cuticle, and seal in moisture, improving softness and shine. Reducing heat, protecting hair during styling, and minimizing mechanical stress are equally important. With ongoing, targeted care, damaged hair can gradually regain resilience, manageability, and a healthier appearance.

Why I love it

  • "Iles Formula treats hair like fine fabric; focusing on preserving the cuticle, strengthening the fiber and preventing damage before it starts. Loved by hairstylists and clients alike, Iles Formula delivers visible improvement in hair strength, shine, and breakage reduction, making it as results-focused as it is indulgent."

    X Natalie K-F

    Founder, Embassy of Beauty

  • Iles Formula

    Hard Water Shampoo

    £41

    The Hard Water Shampoo by Iles Formula is a gentle yet reparative shampoo designed to cleanse the hair without stripping, while actively supporting strength, softness, and long-term hair integrity. It purifies the scalp and hair fiber with a mild, sulfate-free cleansing system that respects the cuticle, making it ideal for dry, damaged, colour-treated, or chemically processed hair. The formula is crafted with a higher proportion of modern, low-irritation cleansing agents, allowing it to perform effectively in hard-water conditions by lifting impurities and mineral residue more efficiently while maintaining moisture balance.

    A blend of advanced conditioning agents and humectants helps reduce breakage and improve manageability during cleansing. Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5) hydrates the hair fiber, improves elasticity, and enhances softness, while hydrolyzed silk smooths the cuticle and reinforces weakened areas, leaving hair silky and resilient even before conditioning.

    Pracaxi seed oil replenishes lost lipids, seals the cuticle, and boosts shine without heaviness, while Yacón root juice attracts and retains moisture to keep hair supple and flexible. Conditioning polymers improve slip and detangling, minimizing mechanical stress during washing. The result is hair that feels deeply clean yet nourished, visibly smoother, stronger, and more luminous with every wash, even in mineral-rich water.

    View product