Please Clarify "Clarifying"

[heidi w.]

I guess perhaps I've never had buildup then, which would explain my confusion as to the need to clarify...I've never used conditioners or oils, or any kind of styling products, and use a very simple few-ingredient cone-free shampoo.

If baking soda clarifying must be followed up with conditioner, how do the people who use exclusively baking soda followed by ACV rinses keep their hair conditioned?

You misread me: any TYPE of clarify hair wash, whether a home recipe using Baking Soda or a store bought product or any other recipe (or product) MUST have a conditioning session as part of the process of this type of hair wash.

EXHIBIT A: this thread asked about clarifying, but I included ACV and other type of vinegar rinse to fully explain, knowing full well, that that many believe an ACV Rinse to be a clarify hair wash. It's only for that specific hair wash -- not for dried on gunk -- so I include this as expanded information on the topic of clarifying. Not all would think of adding this, though.

I am quite sure that some of these folks tend to forget to mention they did condition their hair because, likely, they're talking about this hair wash and don't realize that maybe mention of such would be helpful. It's easy to do. Lots of threads leave out pertinent information because it seems the topic isn't covering other aspects.

Some may not, though. Lucky them to fare well without conditioner. Most people's hair does fare better with some form of conditioning. ACV Rinse nor any other type of vinegar rinse is not a conditioner.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

How conditioner works! {entire text quoted] As you can see, vinegar clearly does not contain these surfectants.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A851627

When considering the question of how hair conditioner works you first need to know about the structure of hair. Hair, as you may know, is composed of a protein called keratin. This fact is important because keratin has a high percentage of those amino acids which have negative charges sticking out, like the hairs on a nettle.

The next thing you need to know is that most hair conditioners contain positively charged molecules called cationic1 surfactants. Soap, shampoo, and other cleaners contain surfactants (also called detergents) that are anionic2; that is, negatively charged. These cleaners are very effective at removing dirt, but they also remove natural oils and positive charges from the hair.

The positively charged surfactants in hair conditioner are attracted to the negative charges in your hair, and do not rinse out completely with water. When the hair dries, it is coated with a thin film, which adds weight, makes the hair easier to comb, and prevents static electricity from building up and 'frizzing' the hair.

Static buildup, by the way, is what happens when the positive charges are stripped from the hair. Rubber combs do this very nicely, which is why combing your hair on a dry day makes the hair 'frizz out'; because the negative charges on your hair are repelling each other!

All surfactants comprise an 'oily part' and a 'watery part'. The watery part - called the hydrophile - is what sticks to the hair; it contains the positive charge. The oily part - called the hydrophobe - is what gives the surfactant its conditioning ability, as it smooths the hair and gives it weight. The cationic surfactants used in conditioners come in several types, and can be classified by the nature of their hydrophobes.

If the hydrophobe has the structure of a saturated fat, like lard or butter, the surfactant has a waxy consistency. Oily hydrophobes, with a structure like liquid vegetable oil, give the surfactant a lighter texture; they may even be liquids. Hydrophobic polymers yield a hard, plastic-like material.

Hair conditioners come in several different types. 'Pack' conditioners are heavy and creamy in consistency. They contain high percentages of 'fatty' surfactants, and are used when the hair is damaged. Such conditioners are left in the hair for a long time, and will virtually 'glue' split ends and stripped scales into place. 'Leave-in' conditioners are lightweight, and will contain lighter-weight 'oily' surfactants, which add little weight to the hair. Ordinary conditioners have a balance between the two. There are also 'hold' conditioners; which are combination products that provide the benefits of conditioning while also holding the hair in place like a mousse. This effect is achieved using cationic polymers.

Finally, there are some conditioning ingredients which are not cationic. These do not offer the best results, but they have benefits of their own. Some anionic surfactants, which carry no electric charge, will stick to the hair in useful quantities. Unlike cationic surfactants, they can be mixed with anionic surfactants to produce conditioning shampoos. Other ingredients, like esters, oils, and polymers, are added to improve lustre, add comb-ability, and assure that the conditioning ingredients stay mixed in the bottle.


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1 Cationic means having a positive electric charge (ie missing one or more electrons).
2 Anionic means having a negative electric charge (ie having an additional one or more electrons). Anionic and cationic surfaces will attract opposites and repel like-for-like (like magnetic poles).



APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
What is Apple Cider Vinegar?
http://www.homeremediesweb.com/apple...h_benefits.php

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is an effective natural bacteria-fighting agent that contains many vital minerals and trace elements such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, chlorine, sodium, sulfur, copper, iron, silicon and fluorine that are vital for a healthy body.

Natural Apple Cider Vinegar is made by crushing fresh, organically grown apples and allowing them to mature in wooden barrels. This boosts the natural fermentation qualities of the crushed apples, which differs from the refined and distilled vinegars found in supermarkets. When the vinegar is mature, it contains a dark, cloudy, web-like bacterial foam called mother, which becomes visible when the rich brownish liquid is held to the light. The mother can be used to add to other vinegar to hasten maturity for making more Apple Cider Vinegar. Natural vinegars that contain the mother have enzymes and minerals that other vinegars in grocery stores may not have due to over-processing, over-heating, and filtration. For this reason, it is recommended that you purchase only Natural Apple Cider Vinegar, with an ideal acidity (pH) level of 5 to 7.

[Kirin]

Be forewarned before using baking soda and vinegar on hair. Natural as they may be, they are NOT harmless. Though many have good results both can potentially damage hair.

I do not doubt the good results of many who use baking soda and then vinegar rinses, however, a simple test at home for me in a shotglass proved both can dissolve hair, rather effectively too. The experiment I did used a shot glass of warm water and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and the same for the vinegar 1/2 teaspoon and water and hairs from my shower drain. The Baking soda took 24 hours to turn hair to mush, the vinegar 72.

A combination of -both- dissolves hair (straight use) in hours.

I did that experiment after my own failed (horrible!) attempt at using a very dillute baking soda wash on my hair. Others like me found it dried out the hair and made it exceptionally week.

So just bear in mind, your results may vary.

[heidi w.]

Be forewarned before using baking soda and vinegar on hair. Natural as they may be, they are NOT harmless. Though many have good results both can potentially damage hair.

I do not doubt the good results of many who use baking soda and then vinegar rinses, however, a simple test at home for me in a shotglass proved both can dissolve hair, rather effectively too. The experiment I did used a shot glass of warm water and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and the same for the vinegar 1/2 teaspoon and water and hairs from my shower drain. The Baking soda took 24 hours to turn hair to mush, the vinegar 72.

A combination of -both- dissolves hair (straight use) in hours.

I did that experiment after my own failed (horrible!) attempt at using a very dillute baking soda wash on my hair. Others like me found it dried out the hair and made it exceptionally week.

So just bear in mind, your results may vary.

I repeat: Do NOT BLEND Baking Soda WITH any type of Vinegar!! Never, ever, ever!!!

Rinse extremely well between applying a baking soda hair wash -- rinse WELL -- and then apply vinegar that is highly diluted (NEVER APPLY VINEGAR STRAIGHT TO HAIR! NEVER)

If one doesn't CONDITION EXTREMELY WELL when washing with Baking Soda, then the hair will come out as described above.

Correct: it is a common drain opener to apply dry baking soda and vinegar straight (no dilution is what I mean by 'straight') down a drain! dissolves the plug, including hair.

heidi w.

[n3m3sis42]

After reading this thread, I'm wondering if I need to clarify. I've been using shampoo bars since March, followed by an ACV rinse. I haven't used any -cones or sulphates since at least March 2007. This was working great for me until a couple of months ago, when my hair suddenly became SUPER dry and rather brittle. The only real change I can think of in any of my routines at that point in time is that I started weightlifting again after not doing so for almost 2 years.

Since that time, I have tried doing SMT's, and have started using a light, cone-free leave-in (Goth Rosary conditioner) after each time I wash. It doesn't seem to have helped with the dryness much if at all. I think that part of the problem may have been that I used a conditioner that contained protein in my SMT a couple of times early on. Afterwards, I realized that was probably a bad idea if I needed moisture. I'm not sure how much that exacerbated the issue.

I have never noticed my hair feeling coated or gunky, but it has been oddly tangly. I haven't clarified thus far because I'm scared that if clarifying is *not* what my hair needs, it will just end up being even more dry.

I got 3 inches of thin, scraggly ends trimmed off today. If I'm still having issues from here on out, maybe I will try clarifying with a dilute baking soda solution. I will definitely deep-condition afterwards.

You misread me: any TYPE of clarify hair wash, whether a home recipe using Baking Soda or a store bought product or any other recipe (or product) MUST have a conditioning session as part of the process of this type of hair wash.

EXHIBIT A: this thread asked about clarifying, but I included ACV and other type of vinegar rinse to fully explain, knowing full well, that that many believe an ACV Rinse to be a clarify hair wash. It's only for that specific hair wash -- not for dried on gunk -- so I include this as expanded information on the topic of clarifying. Not all would think of adding this, though.

I am quite sure that some of these folks tend to forget to mention they did condition their hair because, likely, they're talking about this hair wash and don't realize that maybe mention of such would be helpful. It's easy to do. Lots of threads leave out pertinent information because it seems the topic isn't covering other aspects.

Some may not, though. Lucky them to fare well without conditioner. Most people's hair does fare better with some form of conditioning. ACV Rinse nor any other type of vinegar rinse is not a conditioner.

heidi w.

I washed my hair using a baking soda and water solution and followed it up with an ACV rinse for a little over a year. During this time, I never used conditioner, although I did oil my hair at night if it felt dry. I was pretty happy with this routine, although there were a couple of points in time when my hair suddenly got (seemingly randomly) really, really oily or really, really dry.

My baking soda solution was pretty dilute (1 tsp to 1 tbsp of BS in 1.5 cups water--I adjusted the strength depending on how dry or oily my hair was being at the time). I only washed once or twice a week. It's always possible that the problems I had were due to following a clarifying routine without using conditioner, but I don't really know.

[manderly]

n3m3sis, sounds like you should clarify. For me (a poo bar user), the only indication I have that I may need to clarify is rough, dry, tangly ends.

[mellie]

OK, I think I have a better understanding now. The BBC article was very helpful. It led me to look up vinegar to see if it had any cationic properties, and I found this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabric_softener

Cationic softeners bind by electrostatic attraction to the negatively charged groups on the surface of the fibers and neutralizing their charge; the long aliphatic chains are then oriented towards the outside of the fiber, imparting lubricity. Vinegar works on some materials in a similar way, as the hydrogen ions bind to the anionic groups on the fibers.

So perhaps that is how people who do exclusively baking soda cleansing followed by vinegar rinses might be getting along OK without conditioners?

One more question: if you clarify, and then immediately follow up with conditioner, aren't you somewhat defeating the purpose of the clarifying? Wouldn't the conditioner be adding some amount of buildup again?

[mellie]

This is interesting as well:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...ogID=251573155

Lemons are the only food which are purely anionic. The catch is that
this is only true of fresh lemons. After about 30 minutes of exposure to air (oxygen), lemon juice becomes cationic.

[julya]

I tried clarifying my hair for the first time recently and it made a big difference in terms of tangles and generally rough feeling ends. I hadn't let shampoo touch the length of my hair in ages, at least 8 or 9 months. I don't use cones at all, but I do use oils and various herbs.

I just applied a nice gentle shampoo, diluted, to all of my hair from scalp to tips and rinsed throughly. I followed up with a big handful of conditioner and rinsed that out after a few minutes. I could tell that it had helped right away and I didn't feel like I needed any oil for slip for at least a week.

[Soniasonia]

I find that ACV is perfect for clarifying hair and removing build up, especially on scalp.