If you’ve ever wondered just what the purpose of a clarifying shampoo is, today you’ll get the clarification you’ve been looking for.
Before getting into what separates a clarifying shampoo from a regular shampoo, it’s worth getting to the roots of what a shampoo actually does. Because while we all grow up knowing that we wash our hair with shampoo, what do shampoos actually do to clean our hair? And what causes our hair to get dirty in the first place?
What Causes Buildup And Residue In Hair?
For better or worse, we all deal with buildup and residue in our hair. Factors that cause this build-up can relate to us as individuals, our personal hair care routines, and where we live.
For example, if you use leave-in styling products or sprays, you’re introducing foreign elements that can cause buildup over time. Likewise, you may experience a similar buildup if you have naturally oily hair.
Environmental factors, like having to wash your hair in hard water or living somewhere with high air pollution can also contribute to hair residue.
What Does A Clarifying Shampoo Do?
In short, a clarifying shampoo removes the buildup, residue, and toxins that accumulate in your hair over time.
This can include hard water buildup, fungus bacteria, silicone from styling products, and chemical deposits from hair color treatments.
A clarifying shampoo is a necessary part to the long-term health of your hair and one that is recommended as part of your hair care routine.
What Is The Difference Between Clarifying Shampoos and Regular Shampoos
Regular shampoos prioritize moisturizing your hair and giving it a beautiful shine rather than actually cleaning it. Often they include sulfates and sodium to provide that nice, thick lather that you’ve undoubtedly seen in commercials.
Over time, those sulfates reduce the acidity in your scalp, drying out your hair and leaving you with that greasy feeling.
Without a regular deep clean, that buildup can start to have serious implications on your scalp’s health and pH. As it changes from slightly acidic to more alkaline, a host of hair problems come about as a result, including dandruff and itchiness.
A clarifying shampoo fights this by using chelating agents that dissolves dirt, grease, and the buildup from your hair care routine. They then become water-soluble and are easily washed away.
How Often To Use A Clarifying Shampoo
You can think of a clarifying shampoo as a way of exfoliating your hair and scalp. While you generally wouldn’t exfoliate everyday, it is important to do regularly to ensure healthy, nourished hair.
As a general rule, clarifying shampoos should be used between four and eight times per month. Sometimes called purifying shampoos or detoxifying shampoos, you can adjust your usage depending on the type of exercise you do, if your city has a high level of pollution, and your own personal hair care routine.
For those of you with blond hair (or if you’ve colored your hair), it is important to use the clarifying shampoo soon after your time in the pool. This prevents brassy or green discolorations that are the result of chemicals or minerals being absorbed into your hair.
Do Clarifying Shampoos Work With Chlorine Buildup?
While chlorine may be useful for keeping our pools clean, it’s certainly not as useful for cleaning our hair. As frequent swimmers can attest, chlorine (and salt water, too) can lead to serious buildup. In fact, both can end up leaving hair dull, flat, and dried out.
That’s because the same magic that chlorine works to purify the water is damaging to hair. With its natural oils stripped away, your hair suffers.
Unfortunately, it’s usually the case that your regular shampoo isn’t able to address it, either. While mild shampoos won’t, clarifying shampoos are able to help save your hair from the potential damages of excessive chlorine.
Where To Start With Clarifying Shampoos
If you’re looking for your first clarifying shampoo – or to switch over to a more environmentally conscious company – give Moxy Beauty Products a try. Our Moxy Clarifying Shampoo is made with raw, natural materials to help you remove the daily buildup while also rebuilding your hair. See it for yourself here.