My hair has been looking dull lately

[CostaRita]

Suggestions to make hair shiny? I use the Curly Girl method (no cones, sulfates, etc.) which is supposed to make your hair less dull, but mine seems to be dull.

My routine:
Night -
Co-wash daily with As I Am Co-wash
SheaMoisture raw shea detangler (this stuff is super thick - I put it in after showering)

Morning -
Spritz with water and use SheaMoisture curl styling cream

Because the area I live in has hard water, I use DevaCare low-poo once a week

Suggestions? My hair is 3A/3B, average density, average thickness

[two_wheels]

I would clarify it, it probably needs that every so often if you CO with hard water.

[CostaRita]

I would clarify it, it probably needs that every so often if you CO with hard water.


So the low-poo wouldn't clarify it?

[two_wheels]

Just going from my own personal experience - I, too, live in a hard water area, and tried CO for a while. I'm dark blonde and my hair darkened as a result. Sulphate-free shampoo couldn't get it to shine again. Then I used a strong shampoo and it was lovely.

That is how it worked for me, and so personally I believe you would need something stronger. I do like strong shampoos for other reasons though (scalp loves them; I compensate with a lot of coconut oil) so I am rather biased! But I do see many recommendations here for a clarifying shampoo every now and then, so I think it's a good first try.

[CostaRita]

Just going from my own personal experience - I, too, live in a hard water area, and tried CO for a while. I'm dark blonde and my hair darkened as a result. Sulphate-free shampoo couldn't get it to shine again. Then I used a strong shampoo and it was lovely.

That is how it worked for me, and so personally I believe you would need something stronger. I do like strong shampoos for other reasons though (scalp loves them; I compensate with a lot of coconut oil) so I am rather biased! But I do see many recommendations here for a clarifying shampoo every now and then, so I think it's a good first try.


Okay - what are some ingredients in a clarifying shampoo that I should look for? Or, would the product just say "clarifying?"

[Larki]

Wouldn't she actually want a chelating shampoo? A clarifying shampoo gets rid of product buildup, not mineral buildup from hard water.

I co-wash and have hard water, and I just use Malibu C's hard water shampoo every two weeks. So far it's prevented any problems associated with the hard water.

[two_wheels]

Not sure about specific ingredients, but Neutrogena anti-residue seems to be recommended here quite often.
Otherwise I'd just go for the sulphatiest sulphates available.
You could always try a (very dilute) vinegar rinse first. It's supposed to help with mineral buildup. If that works, no need to clarify :)

ETA I suggest clarifying because I've read about shea products building up. Though, since I need to shampoo with strong stuff almost every time, I guess others would know better than me.

[FallingDarkness]

I'd also suggest maybe trying to stretch your washes a little bit? If the hard water is the problem, then using less of it might help out your hair some. :)

[vicvic]

As far as clarifying, you don't actually need it to say clarifying. You want something clear, with as few ingredients as you can find (no conditioning agents, cones, or anything fancy), and you want it to have sls. I bought Pantene sheer volume, which is crystal clear and as far as I can tell has no ingredients that would build up. It's also cheap, the best part. I spend enough on hair stuff already! It does the job perfectly.

My water isn't super hard though, so I don't know much about the chelating thing.

[Hootenanny]

I'll second two_wheels's recommendation that you use Neutrogena Anti-Residue shampoo. Also, if you have very hard water, then I recommend doing an acidic rinse every now and then, either with citric acid (1/8 teaspoon of citric acid powder added to 2+ quarts of water) or with diluted vinegar. I've lived for years in spots that have extremely hard water, and acidic rinses have really made a huge difference for me.