Clarifying & Chelating

[alishaxmarie]

I've never used a chelating shampoo so I'd like some suggestions of shampoos that both clarify and chelate? I usually follow every wash with an acidic rinse (ACV to be precise) but recently I read that acidic rinses are better at keeping the hard water minerals down to a minimum rather than fully removing them. I do live in an area with hard water and, as it's summer, I regularly swim in pools or the ocean.

Also, how often do you clarify your hair? Should I wait until I think I actually need to clarify or is it alright to just clarify every month even if I could probably do it less often without suffering from the typical signs of build-up? I mostly use water-soluble cones like bis-aminopropyl dimethicone but occasionally I'll use a serum with a mix of cones that are more prone to building up.

[Panth]

Clarifying requires a cleansing agent that is both capable of removing product build-up and is at a strong enough concentration that all product build-up will be stripped off. The easiest way to guarantee this is to use a shampoo that is advertised as "clarifying". In these, the cleansing agent is typically sulphates (which will remove 'cones as well as other types of product-based build-up such as oils, waxes, plant extracts, etc.). Regular sulphate-containing shampoos may not have sufficient concentration to remove all build-up (or may contain coating ingredients that will prevent you from attaining a clean slate).

Chelating requires an agent that is both capable of removing mineral build-up and is at a strong enough concentration that it will act to do this. The easiest way to guarantee this is to use a shampoo that is advertised as "chelating" or "swimmer's" (as chelators are the active ingredient in swimmer's shampoos that remove chlorine). In these, the chelating agent is typically EDTA. Many other toiletries also contain EDTA but these are typically in low concentrations where it is used as a pH buffer (to prevent the pH changing if a bit of water or other product gets in the bottle) and so these cannot be used to chelate.

Technique is also important. Unlike with usual washing, the clarifying or chelating shampoo must be massaged thoroughly throughout the entire length of the hair, not just used in the scalp region. As these treatments are stripping and thus can be drying, some people like to use a moisturising treatment after clarifying/chelating.

Personally, I like Pantene's classic clarifying shampoo (the one in a clear bottle with a blue label, NOT the brown bottle / red label one which bizarrely contains 'cones). It is advertised as a clarifyer but IMO it also chelates (well, it certainly removes all the limescale from my sink whenever I use it).

[lapushka]

Personally, I like Pantene's classic clarifying shampoo (the one in a clear bottle with a blue label, NOT the brown bottle / red label one which bizarrely contains 'cones). It is advertised as a clarifyer but IMO it also chelates (well, it certainly removes all the limescale from my sink whenever I use it).

I have a few of those bottles (the clear one with the blue top/label) - *love* it to bits, but it's pretty drying on the lengths while my Aqua Light is not, so I reserve it for every month/few months.

[alishaxmarie]

Personally, I like Pantene's classic clarifying shampoo (the one in a clear bottle with a blue label, NOT the brown bottle / red label one which bizarrely contains 'cones). It is advertised as a clarifyer but IMO it also chelates (well, it certainly removes all the limescale from my sink whenever I use it).

Thanks you two! I'll have to check it out since that's my only suggestion so far. I have another question though, should I follow the clarifying/chelating up with an acidic rinse (after I condition once or twice)? Or would it be fine to just clarify, condition, and go? I've clarified before, but like I said, I'm new to chelating. I would assume that because I have hard water that I should complete my wash routine with my usual ACV rinse to prevent the hard water minerals from sticking back to my hair after I've already chelated.

[Marika]

I don't see anything wrong with an ACV rinse after clarifying/chelating (it's actually probably a good idea). Personally, I don't do it but our water is quite soft here. I'm a pretty hardcore cone-user and I clarify/chelate when I feel like I can't get my hair clean with a regular shampoo anymore. Or if my ends are extra tangly. This happens maybe once every two months. I do use sulfate shampoos but I don't consider them to be clarifying. Pantene is a good choice. Joico, Redken and Paul Mitchell have nice clarifying/chelating shampoos but they are expensive and cheaper products do the same thing.

[Ambystoma]

I love my Joico K - pak clarify/chelating shampoo. I use it every 4 washes, we have hard water and I'm a silicone addict so even though I use a sulphate shampoo down to the tips every wash, I still need a little extra cleansing. It keeps my ends so soft and healthy and split free, I used to have dry, tangly damage prone ends before I started doing it regularly.

[Panth]

An ACV (or other acidic) rinse is not going to chelate (the exception: citric acid rinses). You just can't get a strong enough dilution without having it become way, way, way too drying. Acidic rinses do, however, seem to slow mineral build-up if used after every wash. They also are shine-promoting and help restore the scalp/hair to its optimal acidic pH (not a problem if you use shampoo but essential if you use alkaline things like soap / shampoo bars).

If you are regularly using an ACV rinse to help prevent mineral build-up then, yeah, use it after every and any wash. After all, if you've got hard water then when you rinse out your conditioner you're going to be applying (a very, very tiny bit) of mineral again from your rinse water.

[alishaxmarie]

I couldn't find any Pantene shampoos labeled as clarifying so I bought their "Weekly Deep Cleanse" shampoo instead. The front says it's a purifying shampoo for detoxing and resetting and it's also in a clear bottle so I figured they may have changed the name or something. It has SLES, SLS, and cocamidopropyl betaine without cones. Citric acid is the first ingredient after water, the sulfates, and sodium citrate so I think it may be able to chelate but I don't know for sure. The tetrasodium EDTA isn't too far down the list either. Let me know what you guys think though!

Ingredients:
Water, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium citrate, citric acid, sodium xylenesulfonate, sodium chloride, fragrance, cocamide mea, sodium benzoate, tetrasodium EDTA, panthenol, panthenyl ethyl ether, mentha piperita (peppermint) oil, menthol, mentha arvensis (mosa mint?) leaf oil, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone.

[alishaxmarie]

Also, thanks everybody! After I try this shampoo out, I'll just wait to use it again until I think I actually need to clarify.

Panth: Do you know why citric acid rinses chelate but other acidic rinses don't? I'm just curious so it's okay if you don't feel like explaining.

[Panth]

That's not the clarifying one but it looks reasonably ok. I'm sure someone who's better at labels could chime in, though. ^_^

I'm not sure why citric acid rinses work. However, purportedly they do.

[alishaxmarie]

That's not the clarifying one but it looks reasonably ok. I'm sure someone who's better at labels could chime in, though. ^_^

I'm not sure why citric acid rinses work. However, purportedly they do.

There were no bottles labeled as clarifying so I looked at all the clear bottles with blue-ish labels and somewhere online also said that some clarifying shampoos are labeled as purifying so I just made sure it was cone-free since SLS, SLES, and Coco-Betaine are supposed to remove the cones that are not water soluble. I usually dilute my regular shampoo so I thought this combination would be clarifying. I read reviews on it yesterday and people were using it specifically for clarifying and were surprised that it made their hair softer rather than dry and straw-like since it's a clarifying shampoo (according to multiple websites and reviews). Since it made people's hair softer, I figured it might have at least a mildly chelating effect for the users in hard water areas.

[renia22]

That Pantene Weekly Detox shampoo is very nice, I have that one and find that it cleans nicely but doesn't make hair dry. They still make the regular clarifying one. I thought that it was discontinued too when the weekly detox one came out, but apparently they just changed the packaging. Target carries it, but I have not seen it anywhere else besides online.

Here are a few beautybrains articles you might find useful. One is on clarifying/ chelating, the other is on vinegar and chelating. According to them, vinegar does chelate. It doesn't "clarify" and remove product build up, however, so maybe that's where some of the confusion around vinegar comes in?

http://thebeautybrains.com/2008/03/clarifying-chelating-and-neutralizing-shampoos/

(Can't see the photos on my phone, not sure if anyone else can, but the info is there ):

http://archive.feedblitz.com/64871/~4152653

[Ligeia Noire]

I read this thread and others and is there a reliable shampoo that actually does both clarify and chelate? For sure?
I used the pantene detox but it definitely has cones because I feel the waxy layer which is fine but not when I want all out and I used to chelate with Malibu which really really leaves my hair like hay and it does not clarify... Is there a magical product that strips the silicones and the minerals?
Even if it dries out the length, I can always do an smt after....I am in need of chelating after more than a year only doing acv rinses, I can tell my scalp has a slight copper overcast which is certainly the minerals building up. It would be great only having to do it once a month if I could both join the clarifying and chelating process in one, so my hair would only suffer once. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated and looked into.


*edit* I was doing some digging and I quite liked the approach these guys take to hair care.. if i could get something full of nice stuff that also cleaned my scalp from build up and minerals like they claim that would be smashing....since we are all hair interested you might enjoy the info. So I copy pasted from amazon.
It is quite expAmazon. But it would last and last.
What do you guys say?
All baloney?
Not familiar with the brand.
How can a plant based shampoo clean minerals and silicones? I do see down there some ingredients from my chelate shampoo but no sulphates to remove silicones... Hmmm

Sorry for the long edit...


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Ingredients :
Water Deionized/purified (Aqua), Aloe Vera Leaf Juice (Aloe Barbadensis), Glucose/coconut Cleansers (Decyl Glucoside + Sodium Cocoamphoacetate), Radish Root + Coconut Milk (Leuconostoc Radish/cocos Nucifera Ferment), Vegetable Glycerin (Vegetable Glycerin), Saw Palmetto Fruit (Serenoa Serrulata Extract), Olive Leaf (Olea Europaea Leaf Extract), Green Coffee Bean (Coffea Arabica Seed Extract), Sea Buckthorn Fruit (Fructus Hippophae Extract), Willow Bark (Salix Alba), Senegal Acacia And Xanthan Gum (Senegal Acacia And Xanthan Gum), Disodium EDTA (Disodium edta), Lactic Acid (Lactic Acid).

[Ylva]

I mostly use water-soluble cones like bis-aminopropyl dimethicone but occasionally I'll use a serum with a mix of cones that are more prone to building up.

This isn't what you asked, but bis-aminopropyl dimethicone is mostly water-insoluble, as far as I know. The thing about it is that it doesn't build up on itself, much at least.

[paulownia]

I couldn't find any Pantene shampoos labeled as clarifying so I bought their "Weekly Deep Cleanse" shampoo instead. The front says it's a purifying shampoo for detoxing and resetting and it's also in a clear bottle so I figured they may have changed the name or something. It has SLES, SLS, and cocamidopropyl betaine without cones. Citric acid is the first ingredient after water, the sulfates, and sodium citrate so I think it may be able to chelate but I don't know for sure. The tetrasodium EDTA isn't too far down the list either. Let me know what you guys think though!

Ingredients:
Water, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium citrate, citric acid, sodium xylenesulfonate, sodium chloride, fragrance, cocamide mea, sodium benzoate, tetrasodium EDTA, panthenol, panthenyl ethyl ether, mentha piperita (peppermint) oil, menthol, mentha arvensis (mosa mint?) leaf oil, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone.
Strong stuff:D
Yes, it should do perfectly. No filmformers so it's good for clarifying. You have a chelating agent in it too.
The shampoo doesn't need to have ''clarifying'' in it's name to have the clarifying properties;)

[lapushka]

I read this thread and others and is there a reliable shampoo that actually does both clarify and chelate? For sure?
I used the pantene detox but it definitely has cones because I feel the waxy layer which is fine but not when I want all out and I used to chelate with Malibu which really really leaves my hair like hay and it does not clarify... Is there a magical product that strips the silicones and the minerals?
Even if it dries out the length, I can always do an smt after....I am in need of chelating after more than a year only doing acv rinses, I can tell my scalp has a slight copper overcast which is certainly the minerals building up. It would be great only having to do it once a month if I could both join the clarifying and chelating process in one, so my hair would only suffer once. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated and looked into.

I use either the Pantene Aqua Light, the Pantene clarifying, or the Pantene volume shampoo, all are equally nice and without silicones! The volume one does a really nice job and you can get it just about anywhere!

Hairprint is pretty hyped up, that's all I'm gonna say on the matter. ;)

[renia22]

^ Ligeia Noire- The Pantene Detox has been reformulated since this thread was started a few years ago, I think they discontinued that one, and the clarifying one. The Damage Detox in stores now is creamy and not suitable for clarifying. Paul Mitchell shampoo 2 is my current favorite clarifying/ chelating.

[Ligeia Noire]

Oh that explains it... yeah I don't know... I will keep on searching.

[nycelle]

I just heard about Pantenes new activated charcoal clarifying line. Personally, I love my old activated charcoal shampoo, it clarified beautifully (was sls free). Only stopped using it because it had dimethicone.
But if anyone's interested and hasn't heard of it yet, here's the link to Pantenes versions (https://pantene.com/en-us/shop-products/shop-charcoal-collection)

[lapushka]

Thanks so much for posting that, nycelle. Doesn't look like we're going to have that in Belgium, though. Too bad. :( Looks like it has sulfates, but not silicones (and for those interested no parabens either, which doesn't mean there aren't other preservatives in it).

[nycelle]

Thanks so much for posting that, nycelle. Doesn't look like we're going to have that in Belgium, though. Too bad. :( Looks like it has sulfates, but not silicones (and for those interested no parabens either, which doesn't mean there aren't other preservatives in it).

They might release it there.. It's such a new line, difficult to say for certain. They're probably testing the market for it right now.

[lapushka]

They might release it there.. It's such a new line, difficult to say for certain. They're probably testing the market for it right now.

Hmm. Yeah. You see, that's not the kind of packaging on Pantene we get here, which is why I'm quite doubtful. We get the regular bottles of shampoo & conditioner and that's about it.

[Suortuva]

There's so much knowledge about ingredients in this forum, so I would appreciate really much if somebody could tell me if this shampoo, Yves Rocher Anti-Pollution Detox Micellar Shampoo, is clarifying enough:

AQUA (WATER), AMMONIUM LAURYL SULFATE, GLYCERIN, COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE, SODIUM BENZOATE, PARFUM, CITRIC ACID, CASSIA HYDROXYPROPYLTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (CASSIA GUM), INULINFRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, ETHYLHEXYL SALICYLATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, SALICYLIC ACID, LIMONENE, MORINGA PTERYGOSPERMA SEED EXTRACT (MORINGA SEED EXTRACT), MALTODEXTRIN, 2840v0

[lapushka]

There's so much knowledge about ingredients in this forum, so I would appreciate really much if somebody could tell me if this shampoo, Yves Rocher Anti-Pollution Detox Micellar Shampoo, is clarifying enough:

AQUA (WATER), AMMONIUM LAURYL SULFATE, GLYCERIN, COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE, SODIUM BENZOATE, PARFUM, CITRIC ACID, CASSIA HYDROXYPROPYLTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (CASSIA GUM), INULINFRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, ETHYLHEXYL SALICYLATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, SALICYLIC ACID, LIMONENE, MORINGA PTERYGOSPERMA SEED EXTRACT (MORINGA SEED EXTRACT), MALTODEXTRIN, 2840v0

I would personally get something with SLS or SLES + CB instead of ALS, TBH.

I think, if I'm not mistaken that AL(E)S is a tad milder than SL(E)S.

[Suortuva]

I would personally get something with SLS or SLES + CB instead of ALS, TBH.

I think, if I'm not mistaken that AL(E)S is a tad milder than SL(E)S.

Thanks Lapushka! I was hoping it would clarify, because there's 'detox' in the name. It seems that all my shampoos with SLS has cones too. So stupid.

[lapushka]

Thanks Lapushka! I was hoping it would clarify, because there's 'detox' in the name. It seems that all my shampoos with SLS has cones too. So stupid.

I'm not saying don't use it, by all means do! I mean that I would stick to what I know is the harshest on the market; just my personal preference.

[Suortuva]

I'm not saying don't use it, by all means do! I mean that I would stick to what I know is the harshest on the market; just my personal preference.

Yes, I understand, and that is what I was asking, too, if this is a clarifying shampoo or if I need to find another one for that purpose.

I was a very long time without silicones, but I started to use them again in April, and I think my hair needs them. I don't think I have any problems with my hair (I mean with build up), but I thought it might be a good idea to have a real clarifying shampoo too.

[lapushka]

Yes, I understand, and that is what I was asking, too, if this is a clarifying shampoo or if I need to find another one for that purpose.

I was a very long time without silicones, but I started to use them again in April, and I think my hair needs them. I don't think I have any problems with my hair (I mean with build up), but I thought it might be a good idea to have a real clarifying shampoo too.

I think I would just go ahead and use the shampoo, Suortuva. AL(E)S isn't *that* less harsh than SL(E)S, so it's probably just fine!

[Suortuva]

I think I would just go ahead and use the shampoo, Suortuva. AL(E)S isn't *that* less harsh than SL(E)S, so it's probably just fine!

I've been using it once in a week or every other week. Maybe that's enough. I usually wash my hair at least 3 times a week, I just love washing my hair. And not all my products have silicones, I happily mix everything.

[renia22]

There's so much knowledge about ingredients in this forum, so I would appreciate really much if somebody could tell me if this shampoo, Yves Rocher Anti-Pollution Detox Micellar Shampoo, is clarifying enough:

AQUA (WATER), AMMONIUM LAURYL SULFATE, GLYCERIN, COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE, SODIUM BENZOATE, PARFUM, CITRIC ACID, CASSIA HYDROXYPROPYLTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (CASSIA GUM), INULINFRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, ETHYLHEXYL SALICYLATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, SALICYLIC ACID, LIMONENE, MORINGA PTERYGOSPERMA SEED EXTRACT (MORINGA SEED EXTRACT), MALTODEXTRIN, 2840v0

It really depends on what kind of build up you think you have, and overall formula/ concentrations of active ingredients. I would just use it and see how your hair feels, it’s probably clarifying enough if you don’t notice any issues otherwise?

[lapushka]

It really depends on what kind of build up you think you have, and overall formula/ concentrations of active ingredients. I would just use it and see how your hair feels, it’s probably clarifying enough if you don’t notice any issues otherwise?

Yep, it has a sulfate (granted a tiny lighter one), + CB in it, so it should be fine, IMMHO. :)