Okay, we will discuss something that you and I were all concerned about, that fiddle of clarifying shampoo in your shower. You know the one. It promises to remove all the traces of dry shampoo, chlorine in the pool, and product gunk. But when you colour-treated hair, you are likely to gaze at it with complete side eye. Is this going to wash away my $200 balayage?
It’s a legit fear. Clean hair means one thing, and a gorgeous colour you spent a lot of money on means the other. Then are the two really possible to live together? We shall take it apart, jargonless.
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Why should we be so Insistent on clearing up Shampoo?
Think of how your everyday shampoo would work as a daily face cleanser. A clarifying shampoo? A deep, pore-cleaning mask that is more like it. It is meant to deal with the tough ones: the white lie of your texturising spray, the mineral deposits of hard water, the never-ending layers of dry shampoo on those no-today days.
At other times, it works just a bit too well. It has higher cleaning agents, which lift off accumulation, and worse still, the cleaning agents do not discriminate. They are capable of stealing some of your beautiful dye molecules.
The Core of the Dilemma: Clean Hair vs. Damnable Colouring.
Here’s where it gets tricky. On the one hand, it is true that in fact overuse of a harsh clarifying shampoo would most certainly make your colour fade quicker, your hair feel drier, and even make your hair develop undesirable brassy undertones. It is like throwing a bright red shirt in heavy-duty detergent in hot water; it is not going to remain bright any longer.
But–and it is a great big but–buildup, also, is a colour-killer. You pretend to be what you are not because your hair is covered up. It looks dull, muddy, and flat. It is as though I was trying to see through a stained window. Meanwhile, keeping your hair colour concealed may be restraining yourself to make your hair look its very best.
How to use Clarifying Shampoo without the Panic Attack?
You have it your way, having a fresh scalp and bright colour. It has everything to do with being clever and tactical.
Select Your Product: The step is the most crucial one. Actually, do not pick up any clarifying shampoo. Find one that indicates either “treating colour hair specifically, or colour-safe. These are developed to be efficient but softer. Such brands as Biolage, Redken, and Kristen Ess produce such great ones that clean deep without brutalising the skin.
Timing is Everything: This is not your everyday car. Most of us who have colour would find it just right to use a clarifying shampoo after every 2-4 weeks. Lean toward every 2 weeks, provided that you are using the product daily or swimming. When your hair is apt to dry out, or has a colour change too rapid, twice a month will do. Listen to your hair.
The Right Technique:
Scalp-First: Add the shampoo to your hands and rub it mostly on your scalp and your roots. Oil and build up party there. Allow the suds to pour down through the strands of your hair when rinsing. Your ends are more sensitive and colour-treated; they need not be subjected to such deep scrubbing.
In and Out: It is no hair mask. Don’t let it sit and marinate. Rinse, massage for about one minute, and shower.
Make Your Hair Like You Have To! Because You Have to! And immediately after elucidating, the cuticle of your hair is porous and dry. This should be followed, always, always with a conditioner that is rich and hydrating. This action comes back to seal your cuticle and put back some moisture, as well as lock your colour in place. It is mandatory to keep your hair soft and shiny.
A Little Pro Trick: When you are nervous, dab some light conditioner or a drop or so of hair oil onto your colored lengths, and then before you clarify. It becomes your little blanket of security in your colour.
The Bottom Line
Consider clarifying shampoo as a thing you have no conflict with, but as a way of making a reset button now and then. It blots out the canvas so that your real colour can really show through. In making the appropriate selection of products and caring about them, you will have the best of both worlds; the hair feels fresh and silky and the fact that the colour stays true and rich. And then you may ease your breath, and perhaps close the door on that stifling, decadent sense forever. Your hair (and your colourist) will be glad.
Also Read: Inhealthfitness.com