Clarifying when you don't use shampoo?

[lynnala]

I've never quite gotten the clarifying thing down. Do you need to do it if you don't use any kind of soap or conditioner on your hair? I've started using Indian herbs on my hair, along with a light Vatika pre-oil, and I really like the way my hair is doing with this routine. Should I still clarify every so often? How do you know if your hair needs to be clarified? Does a baking soda wash clarify? Or ACV?:confused:

[Autumn]

Over time, by paying attention to your hair and testing different ways of caring for it, you will learn how your hair feels when it needs to be clarified. For example, my hair is straight and fine. It is usually easy to get a comb through it. When it gets kind of tangly and difficult for me to comb or put up comfortably, I know it needs to be clarified. However, different hair types behave differently when they need clarification.

Ever since I started CO washing with Aubrey conditioners for normal hair, my hair rarely need to be clarified. When I do clarify, I usually clarify with egg. I mix up a couple of eggs and put them on dry hair. I typically add Tea Tree and Rosemary oils, honey and ACV to the egg as well. I leave the mix in for an hour or more and then rinse it out with warm water (not hot or you'll cook the egg on your hair :) ).

[baobhan sith]

You can clarify with egg? I never knew that! That would be really good for me because i don't want to use shampoo again, and i'm kinda put off baking soda after i saw what it did to the polish on the table...

Do you just put egg on your hair and rinse, or do it like a egg shampoo? I've seen egg shampoo somewhere on here... just can't remember where.

[lynnala]

(not hot or you'll cook the egg on your hair :) ).Clarify and breakfast, all rolled into one!:p

Thank you, I've never heard of clarifying with egg.

[Autumn]

Yes, actually, egg is a very effective natural shampoo. Additionally, it has lots of protein, which is good for many hair types.

baobhan sith- I am not familiar with "egg shampoo". I use a wisk to mix up eggs with a tablespoon of honey, a teaspoon of mild organic ACV, and a few drops of essential oils. I just kind of use my hands to glop it onto my dry hair. Then I put a shower cap and towel over it and leave it for a while. It should rinse out fine with just water. When I get out of the shower, I always separate the strands a bit with my hands and let it dry before combing.

In my opinion, baking soda is not great for hair. I tried baking soda once and that was the worst my hair has ever felt. It totally stripped it. I never used baking soda again... I'd try shampoo before I'd try baking soda again, and I haven't used shampoo in a couple of years now.

[Honey39]

I dunno, I read a lot about clarifying here, and it freaks me out a wee bit, and I think I should clarify! But I CO_wash every day usually, and after six months it seems like my hair can get a bit laden down by about the fourth week, although not much. So I don't bother to shampoo at all, or clarify, and my hair is in the best condition its ever been in!

I think it depends if you're putting anything on your hair that causes build up - I'm using oil and conditioners, both of which are easily rinsed out by condition-only washing (I'm cone-free). I think the idea of baking soda sounds terrible, to be honest - I just have this image of my hair is a total dry frizzy mess if I did it, but I'm probably being biased!! I think that if it does work for you, it has to be done with care (certainly not every week, maybe every few months?????)

[lynnala]

I've washed with baking soda before, it actually made my hair feels quite soft.

[danacc]

The only time I clarify is when I don't like the way my hair feels, and my usual methods of cleaning and moisturizing aren't fixing it. For my hair, that usually means stiff-feeling ends. I never clarify on a schedule, and I rarely (1-2 times a year, maybe) need to clarify.

I'd say no, you don't need to clarify every so often. Since you're happy with how your hair feels and behaves, you can happily forget there's any such thing as clarifying. If you ever hit a run of "bad hair days", you might consider it as a possible step to get back to your current happy state. But unless you hit that point, enjoy your hair and your usual routine!

(Oh, and ACV does not clarify. It helps the water to rinse more cleanly, but it won't cut through what was already built-up on the hair. Baking soda clarifies quite well but is alkaline. If you use baking soda in a hair-washing solution, rinse well, then always follow up with diluted ACV after the rinsing.)

[lynnala]

Lynnala is happily then forgetting that clarifying exists.....

[Heidi_234]

For those who are willing to clarify with shampoo, any commercial shampoo with not too many additives would do the trick. As you remember, most of commercial shampoo strip the hair complete, makes them too harsh for using all the time, but great clarifiers.

[Opal25]

I use baking soda to clarify - about a teaspoon of baking soda to every cup of water - & it seems to work for me. If I use too much baking soda then it dries out my hair.... However, I think that it is possible that quality of water (hard vs soft water) would play a role in the extent to which baking soda clarifies. But then again, everyone is different & what works for one might not work for another.

[lynnala]

For those who are willing to clarify with shampoo, any commercial shampoo with not too many additives would do the trick. As you remember, most of commercial shampoo strip the hair complete, makes them too harsh for using all the time, but great clarifiers.That makes sense, since the reason I stopped using shampoo is because it seems to strip all the oil out of my hair.

[galleth]

I'm CO and clarify with Baking Soda (1 tbsp in 1 cup of warm water), then follow by a SMT. I usually get great results. I do it when cones products have been put into my hair when I get my hair done for some important event... I'm usually cone free.