Let’s take a look at 7 options for clarifying your hair:
Clarifying shampoos – these types of shampoos have gained popularity, as they claim to clarify your hair without stripping the natural oils. Instead of using surfactants like Sodium laurel sulphate (SLS), like regular shampoo does, they utilize natural/milder ingredients to get your hair clean.
Some examples are : Kinky Curly Come Clean, Giovanni’s 50/50 Clarifying shampoo, Shea Moisture’s African Black Soap Shampoo.
Raw African Black Soap– this is great for removing oils, dirt and buildup from your hair, but it can also be drying. Again, pre-pooing before use may be helpful, as well as diluting the soap with water although. Black soap lathers very well and you only need a tiny bit.
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) – this is a great all natural clarifier. If you use all natural products, applying a mix of warm water and ACV to your dirty hair, massaging it in and allowing it to sit for a few minutes makes for clean, clarified hair. The ratio of ACV to water varies and you’ll have to play around with the measurements, but 1 part ACV to 3 parts water is a popular recipe.
Ayurvedic powders – Aritha powder and Shikakai powder are popular Ayurvedic herbs used for cleansing and clarifying the hair. These are usually mixed with water and can be very drying to the hair.
Clays – these are also a very popular option (and my favorite) for clarifying hair. The two most popular clays used to detox/clarify natural hair are Bentonite clay and Rhassoul clay. These get your hair clean while leaving it soft and increasing the elasticity and overall health over time.
Bentonite Clay is a naturally occurring clay that has been used since Ancient Times. It has been used medicinally and as an internal cleanser. When I use Bentonite clay, I mix it with ACV, Aloe vera juice and warm water to a pudding consistency. I apply it to dry hair (lightly misted with water) and cover with a plastic cap for 30 mins and then rinse.
Rhassoul clay is a reddish brown clay from Morocco that is similar to Bentonite Clay. However, as Rhassoul contains higher percentages of silica and magnesium along with potassium and calciu, than other clays, the ph of rhassoul is slightly lower(source). Because of this, I find rhassoul clay to be more moisturizing than Bentonite Clay (which is by no means harsh) and I mix mine with warm water and/or Almond milk and oil.
Shampoo Bars – shampoo bars are now a very popular alternative to regular shampoo. They are basically shampoo in the form of a bar of soap. My favorite brand of shampoo bars come from Bobeam Natural Hair Care, but there are tons of other available on the market.
After clarifying, you will need to follow up with a good moisturizing deep conditioner (I’ve found that this may not be necessary if Bentonite/Rhassoul clay is used. As usual, pay attention to your hair’s needs) to revive, and rejuvenate and condition the hair.
I normally use a sulfate free shampoo once a month, and sometimes I do the ACV wash. The shampoo bar and clay sound pretty interesting, I’ll have to try those out, too.
Ok cool, that works. I love shampoo bars. If you get a chance to try them you should.
I just can’t get enough of your hair! Ugh. You know I am still transitioning but I am a huge fan of ACV for my hair. My scalp is very dry and it helps. I’ll have to mix it with some things to make for a nice clarifying conditioner if there is such a thing.
lol..soon and very soon you’ll be there too boo. ACV is awesome, it has so many uses. I’m happy it’s working for you.
Girl, let’s talk about your curls though….gorgeous!!!! This post was right on time as I’ll be taking my hair out tomorrow, so thank you for sharing! I’ve heard lots of great things about bentonite clay so I’ll have to try it out with your recipe. I do love how easy ACV is to use and how clean my hair actually is afterwards. Question though: do you do any type of co-wash after an ACV or just a leave-in?
lol..thanks Christine, happy to help 🙂 I usually do a Deep condition and then add my leave in etc.
Great info, I didn’t know the Shea Moisture JBCO shampoo was clarifying. I’m not natural but I do try to clarify at least every 4-6 weeks. Glad to see so many other options for doing so.
Thanks Kara. Yes the Shea Moisture JBCO is a great clarifier. It;s also very moisturizing..which is odd but it works really well to cleanse without stripping.
I used to be on Ayurvedic regimen and my hair really thrived. I’m yet to try apple cidar vinegar for clarifying but I’ve only heard good things. Right now, I don’t use sulphate shampoos and I always try to pre-poo with coconut oil.
Same here Adanna. Ayurvedic treatments are time consuming but the results are well worth it.
I’ve used raw black soap, sulfate shampoos and both clays mentioned above to cleanse my hair and I think the black soap might be the most drying of all. My current staple for clarifying is Ori Essentials Clarifying cleanser. I find that it gives a gentle but thorough clean.
http://www.curlkitshop.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=306
Black soap can definitely be drying. I happy you found something that works well for you