Newbie question

[Yasmine91]

I know i'm not all that new but still not firmiliar with some terms :P

Ok first one is 'clarifying'. Can someone please elaborate? :)

[tinti]

If it's clarifying shampoo you meen I think that's a shampoo that makes product buildup and that kind of stuff disappear, that's how it sounds at least, when I read things about clarifying :)

[goldenoak]

If it's clarifying shampoo you meen I think that's a shampoo that makes product buildup and that kind of stuff disappear, that's how it sounds at least, when I read things about clarifying :)

Yup, clarifying usually refers to a treatment to remove buildup from the hair shaft. The pro, obviously, is that it really cleans off your hair. The con is that often clarifying treatments end up stripping some natural oils from your hair in the process, so clarifying too often can dry out your hair. So it tends to be a "when-needed" procedure rather than a frequent one.

[may1em]

Getting product gunk off your hair so conditioners work better and it's smoother. Usually involves a relatively harsh shampoo. Good idea to use a good conditioner afterwards.

[ZoeSophia8]

Yep! If you use silicone products (ingredients that end in -one, usually), they can build up on top of the hair cuticle. You can also have build-up of other things, I'm sure, but I recently had a case of silicone build-up and an experience with my first clarifying wash.

I had started using the CWC method of washing hair (where you condition the length and shampoo only the scalp area), but I was using a conditioner that was full of cones. Because cones can only be removed from the hair shaft by using a detergent on them (such as a shampoo with sulfates), and I wasn't shampooing my length, I very quickly became aware of icky build-up on my hair. It felt weighed down and a little coarse, and looked terrible after about 24 hours of not showering.

I shampooed my whole head of hair gently with a clarifying shampoo (VO5 Kiwi Lime clarifying shampoo) and my hair loved me. :D HTH.

[Yasmine91]

Oooh sounds nice.

What kind of shampoos are they then? is aussie one of em?

[pepperminttea]

If you look on the ingredients list, silicones generally end in -xane, -conol, or -cone. In order to clarify, and get rid of silicone build-up, you have to use a sulphate shampoo. The most common sulphates are Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES), Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS), and Ammonium Laureth Sulphate (ALS). They're often the second ingredient after Water/Aqua.