As far as we’re concerned, the only desirable place for grease is the kind you find on your napkin after you bite into a hot slice of pizza. On our hair? Not so much. But after a few days of styling, sweating, and packing on dry shampoo, our strands go from feeling like silk to more like a Sicilian slice. That’s where a good clarifying shampoo comes in handy.
Deep-cleansing shampoos might get a bad rap for being drying, but experts still preach the importance of washing with them regularly to keep your hair and scalp healthy. "Clarifying shampoos are important because over time, oils and ingredients from products sit on your hair and — worse — on your scalp, and can make your hair extremely greasy and hard to manage," says Koni Bennett, stylist and owner of Vanity Salon . " To keep your styles looking fresh, and to avoid irritating your scalp, it’s important to regularly remove buildup."
The clarifying formulas ahead are packed with ingredients that sop up oil without leaving your hair high and dry. The choice between greasy buildup or a flaky scalp is one less thing you have to worry about — so you can get back to eating that slice of pizza.
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After you’ve spent a long weekend on a tropical getaway (we know, we saw it on Instagram), you’ll want to whip this bottle out when you hit the shower back home. Ideal for curly hair types, the citrusy formula is packed with ingredients that sound good enough to eat (lemon, grapefruit, orange, and sugarcane extract) and work together to gently cleanse the scalp of chlorine, saltwater, and product buildup.
Ouidad Water Works Clarifying Shampoo, $18, available at Ulta Beauty
Green juice meets shampoo in this antioxidant-packed formula, which cleanses and protects the scalp, thanks to a blend of oils (including pumpkin seed, argan, and calendula) that puts moisture back into your hair as you clarify.
Acure Curiously Clarifying Shampoo, $6.49, available at Thrive Market
"Charcoal acts as a magnet that attracts and removes impurities," says Mana Kinoshita, Product Development Manager at HASK. This particular formula contains charcoal made from coconut shells to purge follicles of dirt and oil, while lemon and grapefruit oils energize and give your scalp that squeaky-clean feeling — but not too squeaky-clean.
Hask Charcoal Clarifying Shampoo, $5.99, available at Ulta Beauty
As the name suggests, this shampoo is basically a micellar cleanser… for your hair. The precise nozzle applicator makes it easy to target suds straight to your scalp, and the gentle formula lifts dirt without washing away all the natural oils that keep hair healthy.
Kristin Ess Kristin Ess Scalp Purifying Micellar Shampoo , $12, available at Target.com
Going multiple days in between washes can leave your hair greasy, dull, and itchy. If your scalp is feeling irritated, this tea tree-and-peppermint cleanser will work to revive and invigorate as it cleanses. Plus, it leaves behind a nice tingly feeling, even after you get out of the shower.
Paul Mitchell Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo, $12.99, available at Walmart
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Source: Refinery29