Clarifying treatments

Clarifying your hair is stripping the hair of any product build up, dirt or the mineral build up from hard water. Clarifying your curly hair can often be over looked but it is a great way to reset your curls if things are going a little off track.

Some people may need to clarify more often than others. Depending on where you live, the products you use, if you swim often, if you co-wash or use a low poo, Or if you recently started to follow the Curly girl method.

Some of the the tell tale signs that you may need to clarify your hair are:

Your hair feeling heavy and weighed down.

Your hair looking greasy even after you just washed it.

You may have dry, itchy, flaky scalp.

Your hair feels like it is coated in a thin film.

Tiny white flakes on your hair, even at the ends.

Products not working like they normally do.

These can all be signs you need to do a clarifying treatment.

There are a few different ways to clarify. You can use store bought clarifying shampoo containing sulfates or try a DIY treatment.

Since I try and avoid sulfates my personal favorite way to clarify is with a Lemonaid rinse. All you do is add half a squeezed lemon to your normal co-wash/low poo and cleanse as normal. Any left over mix just add to ends of the hair before rinsing it all out.

The second DIY clarifying treatment is an Apple cider vinegar rinse. For this you mix one part ACV to four parts water. Work into your scalp and leave for 5 minutes before rinsing. Cleanse and condition your hair as normal.

Store bought clarifying solutions are also available such as Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo or As I Am classic Curl Clarity Shampoo. However I would recommend trying out some of the DIY treatments first you might be surprised at how effective they can be.