Clarifying???

[jellycatty]

Hey everyone this is my first post here!

I have a lot of buildup and scalp from my hair even though I shampoo every other day. I would like some NATURAL clarifying methods from you guys. I might start CO washing but I'm scared I'll get even more acne (when conditioner touching my skin I get acne whether it's on my neck, back, scalp).

I have tried an ACV rinse and my hair didn't like it, it made my scalp really itchy and dried it out. It still makes my scalp itchy when I do spot treatments on the acne too... I was thinking of doing a lemon rinse but I'm scared it will make my dark brown hair orangey and I don't want that.

I heard club soda is a good to clarify with, does anyone use that?

Sorry I am just a total newbie at this ):

[Suze2012]

I would recommend a good read from the beginning of the Co washing thread.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=2898

From what i have read on there (and I'm quite new to this also (!) is that for a natural clarify baking soda would be the option if you want something natural.

It can be mixed with normal shampoo or mixed up with water (or both).

I don't think too much is needed - hopefully smeone will come along soon to give and idea of quantities.

I have seen some people say they didn't get on with it, one post I read just recently said that her hair doesn't like baking soda at all - this reminded me of a time years ago when I was advised by my doctor to take baking soda orally for a problem I had with my tum - I found that my hands swelled to double the size and were very sore and itchy - I'm allergic to it in any kind of quantity.

However - it does work successfully for many people.

Should you decide not to go for baking soda then Nutrogena anti residue shampoo seems to be one of the top choices for it. I use to use it years ago and found it did the job but wasn't too harsh on my hair.

It is also recommended that you do a treatment prior to clarifying to protect your hair to some degree - which is what I did.
I used Ion clarifying shampoo to clarify but did a treatment the night before. I always found Ion to be very drying but the treatment stopped this from happening.

As for the acne.. I bought some aloe vera gel yesterday to try as a leave in conditioner for my hair and I did a bit of reading up on it yesterday.
Though it is good as a moisturiser the reviews I have seen also say it is great for sunburn, irritated skin...and brilliant for acne - so if this is something you are worried about you might want to give it a try.

I'm not very experienced in all of this - I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than me will come along with more info soon. They're a friendly and helpful bunch on here. :)

[Madora]

Hey everyone this is my first post here!

I have a lot of buildup and scalp from my hair even though I shampoo every other day. I would like some NATURAL clarifying methods from you guys. I might start CO washing but I'm scared I'll get even more acne (when conditioner touching my skin I get acne whether it's on my neck, back, scalp).

I have tried an ACV rinse and my hair didn't like it, it made my scalp really itchy and dried it out. It still makes my scalp itchy when I do spot treatments on the acne too... I was thinking of doing a lemon rinse but I'm scared it will make my dark brown hair orangey and I don't want that.

I heard club soda is a good to clarify with, does anyone use that?

Sorry I am just a total newbie at this ):

I don't know if this article will help, but here it is:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=224

Every time you put anything on your hair, it leaves a little bit of residue, and over time, the residue builds up, which requires clarifying at some point.

I've only used Neutrogena Anti-Residue Clarifying shampoo to clarify (you can read reviews in the Review section ..see grey menu bar, above).

After clarifying, your hair will be stripped, so it's always a good thing to restore moisture to your hair via a conditioner or moisturizing treatment.

Good luck!

[Kiwiwi]

I suffered from adult acne for many years too.
I found that silicones and certain oils (coconut) that touch my face cause or make my acne worse. So I do suggest a silicone free conditioner (and makeup if you use it).

I know this is more about hair but I can give advice about acne so I can't help but share it.

My (pretty severe cystic) acne has been completely gone for about two months now.
I used bezolpyroxide hydrogel on the infected skin every evening for a few hours, for about two weeks. It's VERY heavy stuff and you NEED a very good moisturizer when you use it.
My face got very red and painful after two weeks so I stopped using it. My acne was pretty much gone by then.
In that time I also started eating a lot healthier. I really found that eating more fruits and vegetables helped too! I drink a green smoothie every morning (some fruits, leafy greens and flax seeds). I am absolutely positive that helped my skin too.
I believe that acne (or any other skin issue) comes from within. You're either allergic to something or some Hereditary thing is going on. I believe I needed more real food and stop eating dairy and gluten.
Just a tip for you to look at :)

[afu]

Personally I use baking soda because my hair doesn't like shampoo and near me clarifying shampoos are pretty expensive. As well as using it on its own dissolved in water, I now use it every so often mixed into my conditioner for a mini clarify in my CO routine

[SpinDance]

If you have problems with conditioner, trying CO seems like it would just make things worse. Clarifying shampoo's can be drying, so perhaps try one but dilute it. I've used both the Neutrogena Anti-Residue as well as the Suave one. I rarely seem to need to clarify, but then I dilute both my conditioner and shampoo, especially the shampoo. Lather isn't required to clean, and you can feel the cleansing happening as you work the diluted shampoo in.

My hair doesn't like ACV, it gets really dry and sometimes gets static, too, which I hate.

I highly recommend looking in the newbie advice articles and just go very slow with your experiments. We are all different and what works for one person may or may not work for you. Keep records so you can track your results over time. Best of luck with finding a routine that works well for you and your hair!

[jacqueline101]

I use sauve clarifying shampoo.

[WaitingSoLong]

Kiwiwi, thanks for your post! I kow this is not my thread but I am fighting the worst acne of my life right now and haven't a clue why. It's not my "time of month" like everyone seems to think it is. I'd chalk it up to stress but I've been under much worse without all this.

To the OP: Until now, I have used aloe vera gel with huge success for my adult acne. My hair cannot survive without cones so going cone free is not an option for me. I know my skin is sensitive but I have never pinpointed what sets it off and what doesn't, except I know coconut oil does. I also know using fragrance free soap helps me a lot but doesn't cure me.

I have yet to try the baking soda thing. I use clarifying shampoo followed by a good conditioner. I have been curious about the baking soda but am sort of chicken to try it. I have heard good things and horror stories about it so I have always been afraid of it.

[caadam]

I would like to say that lemon juice is very good for chelating buildup from hair and scalp. I have very dark brown hair, and I've used lemon juice rinses. It hasn't made my hair orange or anything. :) In fact, it was the only thing I could use to chelate mineral deposits from my hair when I first started my water-only routine. Now I use citric acid powder and ascorbic acid powder mixed with tap water every time I wash my hair, which I find a much nicer alternative. lol

CO method is very nice. I found that when I was COing, I didn't have a problem with buildup. My favorite conditioner with that method was Suave's Rosemary Mint conditioner. It's light, cleans well, and smells wonderful. My second favorite was VO5 Moisture Milk's Strawberry and Cream. Smells delicious. lol

Baking soda is a good clarifying product, but just know that it is VERY harsh, and you should only use a little bit. It's something you should use every once in a blue moon, too. It should be used like a regular shampoo or hair product, but something to help clarify and refresh when the scalp and hair are heavy with buildup. It should also be diluted when used.

I've tried club soda, and really... I noticed no difference. Just me, though.

[afu]

also another tip I would recommend if you are having skin problems is try to stick to very simple care products, that way you can easily identify what is setting off your reactions if it is something topical. I have switched to natural skincare which has made a huge difference, i now only use manuka honey, aloe vera gel and sweet almond oil on my face and my spots have cleared up and skin tone is much more even

[swearnsue]

I've been using baking soda to clarify for a year now. I disolve 1 Tbs of baking soda into 1 cup warm water. Stir about 1 minute. In the shower I was with a sulfate shampoo and rinse. Then pour the baking soda/water solution slowly over your head and gently massage and squish in. Leave on for about 2 minutes and rinse out. Now I shampoo again with a gentle shampoo with about 1/4 tsp coconut oil in it (you may want to skip the coconut oil if you get breakouts though) then I rinse. By now I've turned the shower from hot and to more of a warm temp. Now I use conditioner and rinse then I end with a diluted vinegar rinse and I rinse the vinegar out with even cooler water. During the shower I go from darn hot to as cool as is comfortable. My vinegar solution is 1 Tbs vinegar to 1 cup cool water. I only clarify about every 2 months. If I used cones I would have to do it more often. Anyway, this is what I do and I haven't had any problems with it drying my hair or scalp.
I see that you don't like ACV rinses. If you use baking soda to clarify you must use an acid rinse of some kind. Club soda isn't the same.

[partlycloudy]

Please don't use lemon! Lemon is corrosive to hair. It will roughen up the cuticle and is damaging. I do a lot of reading on the science of hair.

For your scalp and general moisture, maybe try doing an SMT.

[heidi w.]

I suggest the best way to clarify hair is to buy a clarifying shampoo and use that for a clarifying hair wash.

If you want to go natural, my hair guru taught me how to clarify with Baking SODA (not powder). He taught me to blend 3 Tablespoons of Baking Soda with 3 Tablespoons of my chosen shampoo. Mix it really well til it becomes a bit more creamy and some bubbles come up and burst, perhaps. No lumps in this concoction.

Get in the shower and wet the hair and apply mixture to the scalp related hair and length. Wash hair per normal, otherwise. Since you're new I am going to be somewhat repetetive for a lot of readers here. Do NOT pile hair on the head; allow length to hang down either down the back or down the front of you (drawn in front of you). Try very hard to not rough up the cuticles, which piling hair on the head can cause.

Rinse well, and condition. I am going to make a particular point here. It is very important to understand WHAT clarifying is, what it means. It means one is stripping off the outer shell of hair all the stuff that resides on the hair, including residual product, any applied products such as leave-ins or hairspray, all conditioning is stripped. In short, clarifying de-nudes the hair. It is bare naked without any conditioner, nothing. If you do not condition, you will end up with weird-feeling hair (since everything is removed) and it will feel delicate, slightly brittle-ish, be a bit more tangly, and so on. The clarify hair wash then worked. BUT we MUST replace what has been removed. We MUST condition the hair. And we must do it with a quality conditioner, and possibly consider a deeper conditioning session.

You can oil the hair, too, if you like. I oil mine when the hair wash is done, and when the hair is fully dry. But a lot of hair types can't do it that way.

Anyway, the focus is clarifying. A lot of people clarify on a schedule, a routine. This is wholly unnecessary unless there's some specific actual reason that requires it. I recommend clarifying ONLY on an as-needed basis. And that's it. Clarifying is somewhat harsh, and somewhat harsh if one uses Baking Soda. I don't mix it with water. I've never done it with water. I always do it with shampoo. This is how my hair guru taught me to do it, and I'm stickin' to his advice. He was a fabulous hair stylist. He loved to help women look beautiful. That was his goal, and he really liked when he achieved that goal.

ACV rinse is the only vinegar that risks tinging the hair a bit of a reddish hue. But it takes a long time for that to occur. Do not use the vinegar of any type (don't use Balsamic vinegar as that has sugar in it) only; it MUST be diluted. Lighter colored hair can use white distilled vinegar, or lemon or lime juice. These two juices will not create orange colored hair, neither will ACV if you're a brunette. Just a little hue of red can occur over a long time of use of Apple Cider Vinegar. Dilution is approximately equal parts. Such as 3 Tablespoons of vinegar/juice to a cup (8 oz) of water. I used to make mine in a Biggie Cup and dip the entire length in this cup and pour the remainder over my head. An ACV or other rinse is not a clarifying hair wash, even though somer report it works as a clarifying agent.

It will ONLY remove what remains on the hair from that specific hair wash, including minerals from harder water types. Once it's dried on the hair, then one must actually clarify.

heidi w.

[jellycatty]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!


I suggest the best way to clarify hair is to buy a clarifying shampoo and use that for a clarifying hair wash.

If you want to go natural, my hair guru taught me how to clarify with Baking SODA (not powder). He taught me to blend 3 Tablespoons of Baking Soda with 3 Tablespoons of my chosen shampoo. Mix it really well til it becomes a bit more creamy and some bubbles come up and burst, perhaps. No lumps in this concoction.

Get in the shower and wet the hair and apply mixture to the scalp related hair and length. Wash hair per normal, otherwise. Since you're new I am going to be somewhat repetetive for a lot of readers here. Do NOT pile hair on the head; allow length to hang down either down the back or down the front of you (drawn in front of you). Try very hard to not rough up the cuticles, which piling hair on the head can cause.

Rinse well, and condition. I am going to make a particular point here. It is very important to understand WHAT clarifying is, what it means. It means one is stripping off the outer shell of hair all the stuff that resides on the hair, including residual product, any applied products such as leave-ins or hairspray, all conditioning is stripped. In short, clarifying de-nudes the hair. It is bare naked without any conditioner, nothing. If you do not condition, you will end up with weird-feeling hair (since everything is removed) and it will feel delicate, slightly brittle-ish, be a bit more tangly, and so on. The clarify hair wash then worked. BUT we MUST replace what has been removed. We MUST condition the hair. And we must do it with a quality conditioner, and possibly consider a deeper conditioning session.

You can oil the hair, too, if you like. I oil mine when the hair wash is done, and when the hair is fully dry. But a lot of hair types can't do it that way.

Anyway, the focus is clarifying. A lot of people clarify on a schedule, a routine. This is wholly unnecessary unless there's some specific actual reason that requires it. I recommend clarifying ONLY on an as-needed basis. And that's it. Clarifying is somewhat harsh, and somewhat harsh if one uses Baking Soda. I don't mix it with water. I've never done it with water. I always do it with shampoo. This is how my hair guru taught me to do it, and I'm stickin' to his advice. He was a fabulous hair stylist. He loved to help women look beautiful. That was his goal, and he really liked when he achieved that goal.

ACV rinse is the only vinegar that risks tinging the hair a bit of a reddish hue. But it takes a long time for that to occur. Do not use the vinegar of any type (don't use Balsamic vinegar as that has sugar in it) only; it MUST be diluted. Lighter colored hair can use white distilled vinegar, or lemon or lime juice. These two juices will not create orange colored hair, neither will ACV if you're a brunette. Just a little hue of red can occur over a long time of use of Apple Cider Vinegar. Dilution is approximately equal parts. Such as 3 Tablespoons of vinegar/juice to a cup (8 oz) of water. I used to make mine in a Biggie Cup and dip the entire length in this cup and pour the remainder over my head. An ACV or other rinse is not a clarifying hair wash, even though somer report it works as a clarifying agent.

It will ONLY remove what remains on the hair from that specific hair wash, including minerals from harder water types. Once it's dried on the hair, then one must actually clarify.

heidi w.

Thank you for posting this, it is really helpful! I understand about clarifying much more now.
:)