Is This Harsh Enough To Clarify?

[Complexity]

So, I've never clarified my hair before, and I'm not actually sure that I need to but my ends have been being a pain lately so I figured I would give it a shot today (wash day). I'm currently sitting with a bunch of coconut oil on it in a braided bun and will be heading to the shower whenever the worst of the heat breaks, which should be a few hours from now.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a new shampoo called Naked by HE and it gets my scalp super clean (maybe a little too clean, but I just don't have the extra cash to go get something else atm so I'm planning to use the whole bottle before getting a new one. It's just a small bottle anyway). I figure if it'll work as a clarifier, it would be worth reinvesting in because i do like the smell and HE products are cheap enough.

Anyway...

I'm not sure whether or not you folks need the whole ingredients list or not to tell (if you do, I can go get the bottle), but here's what I do know - There are no cones or parabens in the shampoo and it contains both SLS and SLES (and those ingredients are what follows water).

Do you think it would work as a clarifier? And if so, can someone explain how exactly I go about clarifying? I get that I wash my length as well, but do I just wash once? Twice? Am I supposed to condition afterward (I have Aussie 3MM for that if I do)? :confused::confused: I'm still a far cry from figuring out what my hair/scalp needs haha, but I figure this couldn't hurt.

Y'all are the best!

[Boadicea]

SL(E)S will do for a clarify, but an other important ingredient in a clarifying shampoo is (H)EDTA. That dissolves any mineral residue you might have from hard water or chlorine. Whether you wash your hair once or twice depends upon how much build up you have. I'd say clarify once, see how that goes and if needed repeat the next time.
When your hair is feeling thin and smooth, then your done.

To smooth the cuticle again, you can do an ACV rinse. Works for me every time. After that you can do a DT or at least use a leave-in conditioner. It's very important to put moisture back in your hair after clarifying.

HTH

[lithostoic]

I used that shampoo like 2 hours ago to wash out my deep conditioner! It doesn't feel overly dried out or anything. It's my clarifying shampoo.

[Anje]

It probably is. I recently got a little bottle of the Neutrogena clarifying shampoo, but I honestly think anything harsher with sulfates is enough for most people, at least around here. Maybe if you're putting loads of mousse and gel and hairspray and paste and who knows what else on your hair, you'd need a special clarifying shampoo? But for me with conditioner and some oil and the odd occasional silicone, normal transparent sulfate shampoo seems to be adequate.

I just shampoo the length and ends along with the scalp, and maybe make sure I get the ends really well. If it doesn't lather well, I do it a second time. For me, that's good enough. Follow up with my usual conditioner, because more than that is more than I can be bothered with. Compare to a normal wash, where I squirt a bunch of diluted shampoo on my scalp and really don't ever get suds on my length, unless they flow down there during rinsing. Heck, I use the same shampoo, but it's a squeeze of it in an old conditioner bottle (because I make more of those than empty shampoo bottles) with a few cups of water added, so it's a lot less harsh.

[Complexity]

lithostoic, we really are hair twins haha!

I don't have any ACV, but I do have white vinegar (and I keep forgetting to do a final rinse with it even though my hair does seem to like it. New habits are hard to establish haha) so I'll try that. I just checked the bottle and EDTA is on the ingredients list (it's near the end, but it's definitely there), so I'll definitely give it a shot!

Thanks so much! :blossom: :)

[Complexity]

It probably is. I recently got a little bottle of the Neutrogena clarifying shampoo, but I honestly think anything harsher with sulfates is enough for most people, at least around here. Maybe if you're putting loads of mousse and gel and hairspray and paste and who knows what else on your hair, you'd need a special clarifying shampoo? But for me with conditioner and some oil and the odd occasional silicone, normal transparent sulfate shampoo seems to be adequate.

I just shampoo the length and ends along with the scalp, and maybe make sure I get the ends really well. If it doesn't lather well, I do it a second time. For me, that's good enough. Follow up with my usual conditioner, because more than that is more than I can be bothered with. Compare to a normal wash, where I squirt a bunch of diluted shampoo on my scalp and really don't ever get suds on my length, unless they flow down there during rinsing. Heck, I use the same shampoo, but it's a squeeze of it in an old conditioner bottle (because I make more of those than empty shampoo bottles) with a few cups of water added, so it's a lot less harsh.

Thanks Anje. I've actually been considering trying out diluting this shampoo because of how harsh it is (I only was once a week, but this shampoo comes close to leaving my hair 'too' clean and kind of dries it out a little to a point where it's itchy for the first day), but I don't have anything to use at the moment (though now that I'm thinking about it, I must have an old water bottle or something around here somewhere).

[lapushka]

Yes, it should do for clarifying! And there is nothing wrong with sulfates. The HE line and the Pantene line are the harshest out there (because they contain both SLS & SLES). If you want something slightly milder then get a Dove or Nivea or Garnier shampoo.

But any sulfate shampoo should do for clarifying!

[Complexity]

Yes, it should do for clarifying! And there is nothing wrong with sulfates. The HE line and the Pantene line are the harshest out there (because they contain both SLS & SLES). If you want something slightly milder then get a Dove or Nivea or Garnier shampoo.

But any sulfate shampoo should do for clarifying!

Thank you, ma'am! :) I'm actually kind of excited to see if I have super soft hair hanging out somewhere haha!