What does a clarifying shampoo do, per the Science-y Hair Blog Definition? Just this: They clean hair thoroughly. They remove excess oils, product residue, dust, pollen and allergens, bad vibes and what-not. They hit the restart button. They don't mess around with fancy stuff.
What are we NOT talking about: Hard water residue. You can find products for that here (scroll down to the bottom of the page). apples bridle
Requirement #1: The detergents must be good at removing both oily residues and product residues (more information in the linked post).
Requirement #2 (Because I know this matters to a lot of you): No ingredients that deposit conditioning on hair.
Quick Economics Notions:
1) You want fewer ingredients here if you want the proverbial clean slate. You want certain specific ingredients here that remove residue. What we're doing is so simple, no need to spend more unless you like a certain brand or fragrance.
2) Lots of brands sell a clarifying shampoo. If you get great results from one not listed here - and it leaves your hair as clean as you like - don't bother with this list. Leave a comment and share your favorite with others! You may not be able to comment if you have third party cookies blocked. Sorry, that's not up to me. Those are some of the only cookies I turn down too.
Clarifying can mean a lot of things. If you know this blog, you know that I have a lot of information on product build-up, because the low-porosity and hard-water crowd can have a very hard time with that. applapples bridle
The KEY:
Hard water:💧 May work better in hard water.
Hydrating/Moisturizing:🪴 Less stripping, may contain an oil or water-soluble emollient for very dry or tangle-prone hair. For those who want less "squeaky" in their clean.
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Suave Essentials Clarifying Shampoo apples bridle
Suave Essentials Strawberry Shampoo
Suave Essentials Ocean Breeze Shampoo
Suave Essentials Wild Cherry Blossom Shampoo
Herbal Essences Clarifying Tea Tree Shampoo
Raw Sugar 'The Deep Cleanse" 💧🪴
DHS Sal Shampoo 💧 (Contains Salicylic acid for exfoliating itchy or flaky scalps - Fragrance Free!)
Ion Purifying Solutions Clarifying Shampoo
L'Oreal Ever Pure Clarifying Shampoo
Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo 💧
V05 "Normal Hair" Balancing shampoo
Freewill Clarifying Detox Shampoo 💧
Yes To Tea Tree Scalp Relief Shampoo 💧🪴
Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo
Hi Wendy, I just came across your blog today and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I do have a question about clarifying and/or chelating ingredients in shampoos. I have read in different places online that disodium and tetrasodium edta is a chelating agent. I've found in the past that shampoos with this ingredient work well at making my hair feel clean, but not stripped at the same time. I was wondering if this anecdote is backed up by the science?
ReplyDeleteHello Shathi, Disodium and Tetrasodium EDTA are indeed chelating ingredients. In lower concentrations, their job is to improve the effectiveness of a preservative and performance of a product, by preventing minerals from interfering with the product. In slightly greater concentrations, EDTA may help prevent minerals from depositing in and on hair, or possibly dislodge them from hair. So yes, that is true about those ingredients - but - their action in a product depends on the concentration and the formula. Best wishes - W
DeleteHi Wendy! I have 2% ketoconazole shampoo prescribed for AGA, and I find it to be quite stripping. I was wondering if it may work as a clarifying shampoo, or if it may have too many ingredients/not the right ones for removing residue. What are your thoughts? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHere's the inactive ingredient list:
- Coconut fatty acid diethanolamide
- Disodium laureth sulfosuccinate
- FD&C Red No. 40
- Hydrochloric acid
- Imidurea
- Laurdimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed collagen (note: this ingredient is not in the next bottle I have from a different generic)
- PEG-120 methyl glucose dioleate
- Purified water
- Sodium chloride
- Sodium hydroxide
- Sodium lauryl ether sulfate
Hello cxi! I think this could be a clarifying shampoo for oily residues (oils, butters, silicones etc.) and for most product residue. Maybe not *all* product residues.
DeleteThe detergents here are not considered dehydrating, but they might feel stripping if they leave that rough, tacky feeling in your hair. Or if they're very concentrated. I've had the same experience with Rx ketoconazole shampoo! It feels worse than I expect, based on the ingredients.
I also have a post about how to use oils or pre-wash products to prevent that stripped feeling. Copy and paste: https://science-yhairblog.blogspot.com/2025/04/protect-hair-when-using-dandruff.html
Thanks Wendy! Let me separate out my responses/questions here:
Delete1. Good to know this ketoconazole shampoo can help with oily and some product residues! Which product residues do you think it would not be good for? Now that I'm finally starting my wavy hair after years of thinking it was straight, I've gone from using no styling products at all to experimenting with using different ones, so I know I need to pay attention to clarifying product residue!
2. I recently purchased DHS salicylic acid shampoo as a recommendation from your oily hair/scalp post and itchy scalp product list. I have also seen people in hair loss subreddits share studies about excessive sebum converting to DHT (a major culprit for AGA-based hair loss), citing salicylic acid as one ingredient to potentially add to our arsenals to curtail the production of DHT. I also recently learned East Asian scalps tend to have high sebum production and are comparatively oilier, so I'm hoping adding DHS Sal to my rotation can help with clarifying, reducing oil, and slowing hair loss all at once. Do you think the sal shampoo would help remove the product residues that keto shampoo can't? I'm trying to use a mix of beneficial ingredients (I wash about 2-3x/week) but worry if I may be drying out my hair with two clarifying/medicated products in one week. I know it's probably possible to get shampoo compounded with both, but I likely cannot afford that, especially since the keto shampoo comes free with my health insurance.
3. Lastly, thank you for sharing your post! I constantly reference your older posts about using pre-wash oils and have been experimenting with using sunflower oil for about a year now, given how vellus-fine and low-density my hair is from the AGA. I've been using gentle heat on top of shower caps and in shorter durations, since I fear irritating my scalp for being on there too long (definitely not overnight), even if I only try to oil the outer layers and ends on my chin-length hair. I notice the newer post you linked doesn't mention sunflower oil. Does that mean you wouldn't recommend it for protecting hair from medicated shampoos specifically?
Hi Cxu! 1. I don't think ketoconazole shampoo is great for product residue - by that I mean the kind of product residue that leaves hair dry/tacky/coated and is *always* hard to remove. Otherwise, it should be good for normal things - oils, dust, pollen, not-too-obnoxious hair products.
Delete2) Sebum cannot turn into DHT. DHT is a hormone and cannot be "built" from sebum. Completely different chemicals! That being said, DHS Sal shampoo is excellent for removing *product residue.* The salicylic acid will also help remove oily build-up around follicles as well as remove oil from the scalp and exfoliate. Removing oily build-up and dead skin cells from around hair follicles isn't a pillar of hair loss treatment - but it makes sense if oiliness can provoke some inflammation!
Here's an idea: Are you getting 2% Ketoconazole shampoo? Because 1% can be effective and if you mixed some DHS Sal with the ketoconazole shampoo - you would get the benefits of both at the same time.
3. How could I forget sunflower oil in that post!? I blame allergy season. It's a good option. If you're just protecting from a drying shampoo - a short treatment time is enough. Definitely you don't want to irritate your skin.
Thank you Wendy!
Delete1. Good to know about the keto and sal. Hopefully that means the DHS Sal can remove the dry/tacky/coated product residue that the keto can't?
2. Sorry for the imprecision and thank you for the clarification! Yes, I'm hoping that staying on top of oily build-up (since I do experience inflammation) will help supplement my hair loss routine. I am indeed using keto 2%; it is free with my insurance, while 1% is not. Since I already have so many bottles of the 2%, would it be overkill to apply it with the DHS Sal at the same time?
3. Oh! Yay for continuing to use sunflower oil, then :) thanks for encouraging the short treatment time, too; I was feeling pressure to keep it on for longer because I felt like it wouldn't be effective enough. Wishing you relief this allergy season!