What is Clarifying Shampoo & How to Use It

Ever feel like your hair is weighing you down? Both literally and figuratively? Don’t worry. It’s not just the way your hair is. You may have a case of product buildup. 

While you may think that a regular shampoo and conditioner will wash away all of the products you use on your hair, alas, they’re not all designed to work that hard. 

What you need is a clarifying shampoo. 

“What is clarifying shampoo?” We hear you ask. It’s a deep-cleaning shampoo that can give your hair the fresh start it needs. 

Whether you’re a dry shampoo addict, a hair gel lover, or have particularly oily hair, clarifying shampoo is the one for you. 

Let’s dive into more about what does clarifying shampoo do, how to use clarifying shampoo, and why your hair will thank you for it. 

What is Clarifying Shampoo?

You can think of clarifying shampoo like a detox for your hair. Unlike your everyday shampoo, which is designed for more regular cleansing, clarifying shampoo goes deeper, removing stubborn product buildup, excess oil, minerals from hard water, and other impurities that can weigh your hair down. 

While regular shampoo is great for maintenance, clarifying shampoo lets you hit the reset button on your scalp and hair. It’s particularly useful after using lots of hairstyling products, spending a lot of time in chlorinated pools, or if your hair looks a bit dull and lifeless. 

If you’re still not sure of the difference between clarifying shampoo vs. regular shampoo, let us clarify it for you.

Clarifying Shampoo vs. Regular Shampoo

What Does Clarifying Shampoo Do?

Clarifying shampoo gives your hair and scalp a deep clean. Clarifying shampoo ingredients are designed to refresh the scalp by removing oil, product buildup, and any impurities that may be causing you itchiness or flakiness. 

Removing all of these nasties will make your hair feel much lighter, bouncier, and voluminous. Plus, clarifying shampoo can make hair masks, conditioners, and other styling products work even better on your luscious locks! 

How to Use Clarifying Shampoo

Using clarifying shampoo is simple, but there are a few tricks to getting the best results. Follow these steps for a thorough cleanse:

Step 1: Wet Your Hair

Just like with regular shampoo, your hair should be completely wet before applying clarifying shampoo. This will help you distribute the shampoo evenly.

Step 2: Lather Clarifying Shampoo Focusing on the Scalp

Apply the clarifying shampoo to your scalp and massage it in. Take a minute to enjoy your relaxing scalp massage while the shampoo lathers up! 

It’s best to focus on the scalp rather than the main body of the hair because this is where most oils, products, and other impurities will build up. 

Step 3: Let it Sit

With clarifying shampoo, it’s best to leave it for a minute to let it really work its magic.

The world is your oyster during this minute. You could give your best performance of your go-to karaoke song into your clarifying shampoo bottle, or you could use the time to lather up with body wash, shave — whatever you want! No one’s judging you…except maybe the people that can hear you singing. 

Step 4: Rinse Thoroughly

Now, it’s time to wash it all away. Make sure you rinse thoroughly — there’s nothing worse than accidentally forgetting to rinse out all of your shampoo. It can leave your hair feeling stiff and dry. 

Step 5: Follow with Hydration

Since clarifying shampoo is especially good at washing out oils and products, it can leave your hair a little dry. So, don’t skip this step!

Follow up with a moisturizing conditioner, or if you’re having a self-care day, why not treat yourself to a moisturizing hair mask? 

When to Use Clarifying Shampoo

Wondering how often to use clarifying shampoo? Overwashing isn’t good for your hair, even with regular shampoo. Because clarifying shampoo has a much deeper, stronger cleanse, you won’t want to overdo it. 

Here are some guidelines for when to use clarifying shampoo:

• After swimming in a chlorinated pool or seawater 

• After using lots of styling products

• After using lots of dry shampoo — we’ve all been there

• When your hair feels particularly greasy or heavy

• When your hair is feeling a bit limp and lifeless and needs a wake-up call

• Before a deep conditioning treatment to help the products absorb better 

Essentially, you want to use clarifying shampoo when your hair might need a little extra helping hand.

You should avoid using clarifying shampoo more than a couple of times a week because it can leave your hair feeling dry and dull — that’s the opposite of what we’re going for! 

If you have colored hair, you may want to avoid clarifying shampoo, because the heavy surfactants could damage your color. If you want to use a clarifying shampoo and have colored hair, only use one that specifically states it’s for colored hair. 

While clarifying shampoo can be great at getting rid of old flaky skin, you may want to avoid using it if you have skin conditions like dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, or psoriasis. Some clarifying shampoo products may be designed for use by people with these conditions, but make sure to do your research. Otherwise, the surfactants in the product may aggravate these conditions by drying your scalp.

DIY Clarifying Shampoo

No clarifying shampoo on hand? No problem! You can make your own deep-cleaning DIY clarifying shampoo with simple household ingredients. 

Baking soda + apple cider vinegar 

1. Mix together one tablespoon of baking soda with two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.

2. (Optional) add a few drops of essential oil like rosemary or lavender for extra cleansing power and a pleasant scent.

3. Wet your hair 

4. Applying the DIY clarifying shampoo mixture to your scalp and hair.

5. Gently massage it into your scalp for about a minute, making sure all areas are covered evenly

6. Thoroughly rinse out the mixture with warm water.

7. Finish with a moisturizing conditioner to replenish any lost moisture 

Just like store-bought clarifying shampoos, you should use your DIY formula less frequently than your regular shampoo — maybe once every few weeks. Again, using it too much can overstrip your hair oils and may lead to a dry scalp. When in doubt, only use it when you really think it’s necessary!

And again — if you have any skin conditions that affect your scalp, be cautious about what ingredients you’re using. You don’t want to invite any unnecessary flare-ups to the party. 

Clarifying Shampoo Benefits: Why You Need It

If you use a lot of hair products, then clarifying shampoo should, without a doubt, be in your hair care rotation. 

Here are the key clarifying shampoo benefits you can expect:

• Restores volume by removing buildup

• Improves shine by eliminating residues and impurities

• Deep cleans your scalp

• Promotes healthy hair growth by creating a clean foundation

• Helps your other products work more effectively

• Ideal for all hair types, especially if you’re prone to oily hair, product buildup, or you have hard water

If you’re still wondering, "Do I need clarifying shampoo?" then answer these questions:

• Do I want voluminous hair?

• Do I want to remove excess oils from my hair?

• Do I want shiny hair? 

• Do I want my hair treatments to be more effective? 

• Do I want to remove scalp buildup?

• Do I use a lot of products?

• Do I swim a lot in chlorine pools or salt water?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then you should probably give clarifying shampoo a shot! 

Post-Clarifying Care: Protect and Style Your Hair

After clarifying, your hair will be super clean but may feel more stripped than usual. This makes it super important to take care of those strands. Here are a few key tips to protect your hair after using a clarifying shampoo.

Tying up your hair can lead to breakage. So, choose a hair tie that’s gentle on hair. TELETIES hair ties are designed to never pull or tug on your hair, preventing breakage. 

When your hair is a little drier than usual, it can get staticky. Silk scrunchies are great for reducing friction and preventing static hair!

If you’d rather not tie up your hair at all, go for a hair clip to keep it out of your face. Or try a headband designed not to pull, and keep those clarified locks in good condition!

Common Myths About Clarifying Shampoo

Plenty of myths about shampoo simply aren’t true, and clarifying shampoo doesn’t escape the gossip. Let’s bust a couple of the most common myths about how to use clarifying shampoo. 

Myth 1: Clarifying shampoo damages hair

Nope! It’s designed to clean your hair, which can actually prevent damage in the long run. Just don’t overuse clarifying shampoo, and your hair will thrive. 

Myth 2: Clarifying shampoo is only for oily hair

While clarifying shampoo is great for oily hair and scalps, it’s not just for the oily girlies! It’s safe for all hair types and can be great for anyone who uses a lot of product, general scalp buildup, or may expose their hair to chlorine and salt water. 

Myth 3: Salon clarifying shampoos are better than store-bought

Wrong again! Most of them will contain the same or similar ingredients, whether they’re from the salon or the store. 

Add Clarifying Shampoo to Your Routine

Now you can confidently answer the question, “What is clarifying shampoo?” and you know how to use it. Clarifying shampoo is excellent for deep cleaning your scalp and hair, making your hair look healthier and giving it more volume!

Your hair may want a little extra TLC after a clarifying shampoo, so don’t forget to check out kind-to-hair products like TELETIES Hair Ties and Silk Scrunchies.

Support your freshly clarified hair with TELETIES hair accessories!