Why clarify?

[Oskimosa]

Yes, I'm new... trying to read as much as I can! There's so much for me to learn. Before TLHC, I always thought I babied my hair.

To the point now...
I NEVER EVER EVER clarify. ASAP, I'm going to start going no-poo and see if it works out for me. For the past 6 months, not a drop of styling product has touched my hair; and THAT was for my wedding! Before that, it had been about another 6 months since I had used something.. it was um.. one of those serums you put on before hot styling your hair. Now I occasionally blow'fry' or hot iron, but generally just shake and go. Why would I want to clarify my hair if I never get "buildup" from products? I know switching to no-poo will clear up the 'cones' from my hair, but after that, why would I clarify?? Isn't baking soda clarifying enough??

BTW, I have rather oily hair that is very thick, theres a ton of it, and I never have problems with it feeling dry or weak or anything. In fact, right now I'm not even using conditioner because I had found a shampoo that did so well without it. Of course it has 'cones' in it...

Thanks so much!!:p

[lookingglass]

It dosn't sound like you would need to clarify if you aren't using condish, butters, oil, or other products.

[Riot Crrl]

That's slightly backwards... a no shampoo routine will not add silicones to your hair, PROVIDED you choose a conditioner with no silicones to use.

It is recommended to clarify very well with sulfates to remove any silicones that were on your hair from the old products, before beginning a no-sulfate routine. Baking soda will get many things off your hair, but silicones aren't necessarily one of them.

Stopping sulfates actually stopped my roots from overproducing oil. I think my poor glands were just paranoid and always looking to batten the hatches against the next detergent attack. Now they have normalized and are not too oily at all.

[Oskimosa]

I hate to reply to myself prematurely, but I also want to add that my hair is very thick and I already henna with BAQ. I don't want to clarify and deep condition if it will make my hair fuller and thicker; I just want it to stay soft and shiney. Dont need any extra volume here!!! I always read about everyone wanting more volume, but not much about having thick hair and keeping it tame...

[Oskimosa]

Oh wow, thanks. That was so fast that I hadn't seen those replies before posting that.

And oh boy, how do I find a 'sulfate' shampoo with no 'cones'?? Or do I just dump Dawn on my head? ..Then I'm guessing I condition with something ..natural to avoid MORE cones???

[Riot Crrl]

There are many cone free conditioners out there. A lot of them are quite cheap! The cheaper ones actually tend to be best for if you intend to wash your hair with them. I have used Suave Naturals (about a buck a bottle) successfully, but my favorite is the Whole Foods generic store brand which is called 365 Everyday Value.

You may wish to condition with a heavier conditioner afterwards, which is what I do. Or, you may not. For this my favorite is Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose, but it is very heavy and even I must be careful with it. It has no silicones, nor do any of their products as far as I know.

For clarifying before you start... there are many cone free sulfate shampoos. They all have pretty much the same first ingredient as dish soap though, SLS. Dish soap is not out of the question, but if you are going to use it then I'd suggest to dilute it first as all the dish soaps are so concentrated nowadays.

[Oskimosa]

So, that means my plan will be to use diluted dish soap followed by a natural conditioner for... how long... when will I know when the cones are gone? I wash every other day. (Finally broke from every single day, sometimes twice! In fact, sometimes I wait 3 days! *so proud*)
Then I switch to baking soda 'wash' and ACV rinse. I guess from there I experiment until I find out what works?

BTW thanks so much for the guidance... I can't wait to stop using all these chemicals. (hope it works for me!)

[Riot Crrl]

Some of them are said to take "several washes" before they are fully off. I only clarified really well once and had good luck with that after starting CO, but who knows.

[birthmarkie]

I clarify with a gentle but effective sulfate shampoo OR a more natural, non-sulfate shampoo. I do this because I have hard water that gives me dandruff otherwise. If you've ever used a standard shampoo, it probably had sulfates in it. I think dish soap would be extremely drying, so I'm not sure that is the best plan. If you don't feel like you have buildup from cones, I would think it is safe to say that you don't. For me, buildup is only a problem on the scalp. Switching to more natural conditioners shouldn't be a problem. Good luck! Your hair looks shiny and healthy.
ETA link to chemical database: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ since you sound interested in chemicals -- or rather a lack thereof.

[aisling]

That's slightly backwards... a no shampoo routine will not add silicones to your hair, PROVIDED you choose a conditioner with no silicones to use.

It is recommended to clarify very well with sulfates to remove any silicones that were on your hair from the old products, before beginning a no-sulfate routine. Baking soda will get many things off your hair, but silicones aren't necessarily one of them.

Stopping sulfates actually stopped my roots from overproducing oil. I think my poor glands were just paranoid and always looking to batten the hatches against the next detergent attack. Now they have normalized and are not too oily at all.

'Cones aren't the only thing that can cause buildup, it's good to know that also oil residue and a bunch of ingredients in conditioners for example, can cause buildup. If silicones were the only thing causing buildup, I'd never have to clarify but I do.


I clarify with a gentle but effective sulfate shampoo OR a more natural, non-sulfate shampoo. I do this because I have hard water that gives me dandruff otherwise. If you've ever used a standard shampoo, it probably had sulfates in it. I think dish soap would be extremely drying, so I'm not sure that is the best plan. If you don't feel like you have buildup from cones, I would think it is safe to say that you don't. For me, buildup is only a problem on the scalp. Switching to more natural conditioners shouldn't be a problem. Good luck! Your hair looks shiny and healthy.
ETA link to chemical database: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ since you sound interested in chemicals -- or rather a lack thereof.

So you actually have a sensitive or troublesome scalp, not really buildup?

[Riot Crrl]

'Cones aren't the only thing that can cause buildup, it's good to know that also oil residue and a bunch of ingredients in conditioners for example, can cause buildup. If silicones were the only thing causing buildup, I'd never have to clarify but I do.

Well, this may be a YMMV thing, but now that I don't use cones anymore I never clarify with anything stronger than vinegar rinse. That cuts even the weirdest conditioner buildup for me, as long as there are no silicones in it.

[birthmarkie]

So you actually have a sensitive or troublesome scalp, not really buildup?

I think it might be a combination of hard water, chemicals, and sensitivity. ETA: That's why I don't CO all the time (potential buildup).

[talula_fairie]

I don't use a harsh clarifying shampoo per se, I just use, once per week, a shampoo containing sodium laurylth sulfate. Normally I use one that is SLS/SLES free but I noticed that after awhile, it doesn't really get your hair totally clean. So about once per week I use my (still fairly gentle, and UNSCENTED I can't believe I found and unscented shampoo) clarifying shampoo. After I clarify my hair is sleeker, softer, and shinier.

[missy60]

If your hair is doing great then I really dont see the need to clarify. I never clarified when I was using shampoo. Dont feel you need to change your routine if you have found one thats working for you already. There are several really long hairs on here that basically just shampoo and condition.

What is this great shampoo your using that is so good you dont need a conditioner.

[lookingglass]

The dishsoap thing sounds scary to me. Is this a common routine?:confused: