What are clarifying shampoos?

Regular shampoos contain surfactants (cleaning ingredients) and common conditioning agents such as silicones, hydrolyzed peptides, and cationic ingredients.

Clarifying shampoos are promoted as deep cleansers that can remove residue and built-up in the hair. Consumers think that after using clarifying shampoos, the hair is not coated with any ingredients or built-up.

How will your hair feel after using Clarifying Shampoos?

It will feel rough/dry/brittle/rigid/stiff and not pleasant. It will also not feel soft and smooth.

This is because conditioning agents are present in clarifying shampoos. If your hair feels soft after using clarifying shampoos, it is because of the conditioning agents on your hair.

Do Clarifying shampoos clean better?

Most clarifying shampoos contain the same surfactants in more or less the same concentrations as regular shampoos. Regular shampoos already contain an excess of cleansing agents that are capable of removing all product and sebum built-up.

Sometimes conditioning agents can also cause built-up, but this really depends on the formulation and regular shampoos consist of formulations that minimize build up as well.

Do you need a Clarifying Shampoo?

You don’t really need a clarifying shampoo to remove build-up because regular shampoos with anionic surfactants can remove build-up as well. Regular shampoos clean good enough and I would recommend using a clarifying shampoo before applying a K18 treatment because conditioning agents can hinder the penetration of the peptide into he hairshaft.