We’re going to take it right back to basics today!
The most important part of your whole hair journey is clarifying and I always tell people that I do consultations with, if they don’t listen to anything else I say, to please listen to this! So many of our issues with our curls is down to not clarifying often enough or not doing it with the correct shampoo. Unfortunately the Curly Girl Method gave clarifying shampoos a bad name and I’ve met with women who have avoided all shampoos for months or even years and are dealing with severe consequences such as hair thinning and loss.
Simply put, clarifying is ensuring that you are removing all product build up and any hard water mineral deposits from both your hair and scalp to keep them both healthy. Remember that your healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp!
Most curly girls will use a low poo shampoo, which is a shampoo without sulphates. As these are so gentle they can be used as often as you like with no drying effects on your hair. Now I adore low poo’s and they firmly have their place in the curly world, however they don’t remove all of the build up which is where a clarifying shampoo comes into play!
It can get confusing as we have clarifying shampoo and chelating shampoos but I’m going to break it down for you to make it so simple!
A chelating shampoo is pretty much a clarifying shampoo on steroids. It just has added ingredients that will bind to hard water mineral deposits and remove them. Hard water can quickly lead to dull lifeless hair that is very weighed down so it’s important to remove these minerals effectively.
So if you live in an area with hard water, opt for a chelating shampoo! If you swim regularly then also choose a chelating shampoo even if you don’t have hard water at home.
Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo – Chelating
Ingredients to look for in a chelating shampoo –
- Tetrasodium EDTA
- Disodium EDTA
- Pentasodium Penetate
- Sodium Gluconate
If you live in an area with soft water you can use a clarifying shampoo and you don’t need to worry about having any of these extra ingredients! If you see the ingredient – C14-C16 Olefin Sulfonate, then you’re good to go!
JSL Essentials – Clarifying Shampoo
So how often should you be using a clarifying or chelating shampoo?
Typically the finer your hair texture the quicker it will become weighed down with this build up but a good rule of thumb is to clarify once a month and you can adjust this according to your own hair and lifestyle. For example, if you live with hard water you may wish to increase this to twice a month. If you have a coarser hair texture or live in a soft water area you may be able to go 5 weeks in-between clarifying washes. Always be guided by your scalp though. It is the barometer of your hair health.
Here are some signs that you need to bust out the stronger shampoos!
- Hair feels weighed down
- Curls are not holding
- Your hair feels dirty even after washing
- Your colour does not last
- You experience an excessive amounts of frizz
- Excessive amounts of tangles
- Your hair looks dull
- Your scalp is itchy or sore
- You are experiencing hair loss
- Your hair feels dry even though you are deep conditioning
And now the important part! What are some of the best clarifying & chelating shampoos on the market! I’ve linked some below for you!
Chelating – Click on the name to take you to the website!
Bumble & Bumble Sunday Shampoo
K18 Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo
Noughty Detox Dynamo – Currently on offer in Boots for £3.99!
Clarifying –
JSL Essentials Clarifying Shampoo – Discount code CURLYCAST15
Bouncecurl Gentle Clarifying Shampoo – Discount code CURLYCAST10
Curl Keeper Energizing Shampoo – Discount code CURLYCAST15
Even if you made no other changes to your current hair care routine and just incorporated regular clarifying washes you would still notice a difference in the health of your hair and scalp. Please don’t be put off by the horror stories of these stronger shampoo’s “drying out your curls” or them causing “mountains of frizz” – I assure you that as long as you condition well afterwards, you’ll be golden!