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View Full Version : Am I over-clarifying?



oatmeal1991
July 9th, 2017, 01:06 PM
A few months ago I asked for advice as to why my hair might not be absorbing any moister, and after following the advice to try clarifying, my hair is feeling much better! I'm worried though about getting caught in a cycle of needing to clarify every week now. When I try to clarify less, my roots gets greasy pretty fast, and any other shampoo I use leaves a buildup and doesn't make my hair feel clean. Am I going to destroy my hair? It's already on the dry side, so I'm scared I'm going to start making it worse again. Oh, and if it matters, I'm using the Suave clarifying shampoo.

Obsidian
July 9th, 2017, 02:16 PM
I've been washing every other day with that same shampoo for over two years now and it's not ruined my hair. I don't think you have have anything to worry about.

katieing
July 9th, 2017, 02:19 PM
I think it depends on how often you wash your hair in between clarifying, and if you are using cone-y products. For example, if you wash four times a week using a very coney conditioner, then it may be suitable to clarify every other week. I would say it's safe to lay off the clarifying for a while, though; if you say your hair is dry, it might be that the sulfates in the clarifying shampoo are too much for your hair. You won't destroy your hair through clarifying often, but it will be less healthy than it could be.

I think you should try to extend the time between clarifying washes and see how your hair feels (every other week instead of every week, etc). If your hair still feels dry, maybe clarify less or do some DTs.

lapushka
July 9th, 2017, 04:19 PM
I wash weekly, I clarify weekly (sometimes - lengths, other times + lengths). My hair is fine after some 10 odd years.

Anje
July 9th, 2017, 05:54 PM
Keep an eye on it, and be prepared to step back if you notice damage or dryness. For the most part, I'd say don't clarify as such -- that is, don't wash all the way to the tips of your hair with concentrated shampoo every single wash. That's a lot for your ends. But if your scalp likes that shampoo, I don't see any reason not to use it on your scalp, and maybe let suds run down your length a little.

Something else you might want to try is diluting the shampoo, to reduce its harshness while still having those same ingredients washing your hair rather than one of the others you tried that makes your hair feel coated. I like to put a substantial squeeze of shampoo in an old bottle, then add a bunch of water and shake them to mix. (I use a LOT of water for this, more than most, so I end up with something that's maybe 5-10% shampoo.) Then I just aim the liquid shampoo at my scalp and squirt a bit on and lather it. Works a charm, less harsh on hair, and I think it distributes to the whole scalp a lot better.

ETA: It's worth mentioning that for a portion of the population, scalps react to harsh washing by increasing oil production. Some people are pretty steady-state with how much oil they make, but others like me will find their hair gets greasy faster and faster when they wash with something strong. Diluting my shampoo helped counteract this trend, as did washing when my hair needed it rather than on a fixed schedule.

Siri
July 9th, 2017, 06:03 PM
I using the same clarifing shampoo as you on average once a week and haven't had a problem. I was my hair every other day with different shampoos.

Cherriezzzzz
July 9th, 2017, 06:24 PM
Sauve clarifying made my hair INCREDIBLY greasy. I had to stop using it. I suggest you simply switch to a new shampoo like I did.

Dark40
July 9th, 2017, 07:26 PM
I would only clarify once or twice a month. Because, I use coney conditioners on my hair daily by co-washing. But I don't wash my hair any on Sundays. I use shampoo on my hair once or twice a week.

Nique1202
July 10th, 2017, 06:09 AM
I have to use a clarifying-strength sulfate shampoo at every wash because of my greasiness, lower-strength shampoos don't even get my hair clean in the first place so it stays looking greasy even right after a wash. As long as you restore moisture to the length of the hair with conditioner, it will not damage your hair in the long term to use a clarifying shampoo more often.

Some people get greasy hair more often when they use stronger shampoos, yes, but lots of us find that our hair gets greasy faster when our scalp is not stripped of everything. If other shampoos leave your hair feeling coated/unclean, and if your roots get greasy faster when you don't clarify regularly, it likely means the other shampoos you're using aren't cleansing enough for your scalp.

So, for your situation specifically, you may want to consider using the clarifying shampoo at every wash for a while, though only apply it on the scalp, not to the whole length, and only wash when your scalp gets greasy instead of on a specific schedule if you can manage it. Just make sure you're using good moisturizing conditioner(s), on the midlength and ends but not too near the scalp, to restore what the clarifying shampoo strips out.

lapushka
July 10th, 2017, 08:02 AM
Some people get greasy hair more often when they use stronger shampoos, yes, but lots of us find that our hair gets greasy faster when our scalp is not stripped of everything. If other shampoos leave your hair feeling coated/unclean, and if your roots get greasy faster when you don't clarify regularly, it likely means the other shampoos you're using aren't cleansing enough for your scalp.

I am like that. I need the stripping feeling of a preferably harsher sulfate. It is what it is. I've been fortunate to have been able to stretch to a week, but by then I need *full-on* cleansing.

You just have to gauge this by your own roots a bit. The rest can be (like Nique said) treated heavily if it needs to with conditioner.

Cherriezzzzz
July 10th, 2017, 08:29 AM
I should point out however morrocainoil clarifying was the best for my hair. I used that daily for a long time with no ill effects. It didn't make me greasier like the sauve did. But also morrocainoil's moisture repair was drying?! So take that for what it's worth ;) they smell pretty amazing too. I just do not believe sauves clarifying is actually clarifying shampoo... it left my hair roots so incredibly oily it just seemed impossible. I've used a trillion different things, but that is one shampoo that seems like for some hair types, isn't a good shampoo. Sauve has better shampoos lol their "salon" brands (mimics) are actually quite good! And didn't leave my roots a nasty greasy mess! Even if I co washed w their coconut conditioner it wasn't as bad as the clarifying one!

*Wednesday*
July 11th, 2017, 05:08 PM
I clarify once monthly. I use Neutrogena clarifying shampoo. I do on my Sunday wash followed by a deep conditioning for 10 min. with my Hask deep C. when I rinse, my hair is squeaky clean. It feels so wrong to feel so clean.

Rebeccalaurenxx
July 11th, 2017, 09:41 PM
I clarify with every wash. Scalp ONLY. The length gets touched straight maybe once a month or once every 2 months. Not too often. And I use cones. That's just what my scalp likes. The ends don't seem to mind it. As long as you're not rubbing the clarifying shampoo into your length, you'll be fine. Some scalps like the above posters said, actually need the sulphates regularly. I have SD so it's kind of just something I have to do.

lucid
July 12th, 2017, 11:58 AM
I had to clarify often until I found a shampoo that suited my hair. I usually had to clarify once a week (I wash my hair 3 times a week), but sometimes even more.

Lots of shampoos cause buildup because of the ingredients, so it's not necessarily that they aren't able to clean your hair, but that they deposit stuff to the hair that can cause buildup. I can't use sulfat free shampoos (I've tried a bunch of different brands, and they all cause massive buildup in my hair because of the ingredients) and a lot of sulfate shampoos contain cones and other ingredients that build up in my hair as well. I have settled on a sulfat shampoo that is quite mild, yet strong enough to remove very greasy hair in one lather (I tend to get an itchy scalp when using cleansing/strong sulfat shampoos) and it contains some some nourishing ingredients as well so that my hair doesn't become dry. I only wash the scalp, using CWC, and I never have to clarify any more.