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You probably already know that limiting the number of shampoo sessions you partake in each week offers a slew of hair-enhancing benefits, including helping to extend the life of your hair color, preventing breakage, reversing split ends and reducing frizz. Then, there’s the so-called “No Poo,” method, in which anti-shampoo advocates take this approach to the next level and avoid the stuff altogether. While we’re impressed by such an extreme commitment, for the majority of people, forgoing shampoo for all eternity isn’t exactly a desirable way of life. Fortunately, if you’re merely looking to cut back on shampooing and switch to a once-a-week washing routine, using a clarifying shampoo can make the transition go much more seamlessly. Clarifying shampoos will help your hair stay grease-free for much longer compared the results you’d reap from a normal or hydrating option, and they’ll also keep your scalp healthy, fostering accelerated hair growth to boot.
I personally only wash my hair once a week (unless I’ve been working out, that is), with the hopes of delaying the fading process of my pricey blonde highlights, and to be honest, because I’m also just lazy. With that being said, because my tresses only get washed each Friday, I make sure my shampoo sesh is aggressive enough to keep my hair looking and smelling clean for the entire week. This means using a “harsher” shampoo that’s capable of going to town on a week’s worth of product buildup, oil, and sebum my locks and scalp have accumulated over the workweek is paramount. In fact, I even give my hair a “double cleanse,” if you will, using a clarifying shampoo to target grime and grease, followed with a second wash using my beloved violet shampoo to combat brass. Clarifying shampoos can be drying on your hair and they can fade color-treated hair faster than your average formula, but we’ve found a few options that won’t destroy your colorist’s work or leave your feeling brittle.
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1. Acure Curiously Clarifying Shampoo
Amazon.
This organic, sulfate and paraben-free shampoo gives your scalp and strands a serious deep clean, without leaving your hair looking like straight-up straw. It’s infused with argan oil to replenish moisture to your strands stripped away by natural clarifying ingredients, including lemon grass and aloe leaf juice.
2. Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo
Amazon.
This classic, no-frills anti-residue shampoo blasts away the buildup from your favorite dry shampoo and the grease left over from last night’s sweaty spin class. It instantly banishes this buildup and restores shine and volume to your strands with just one use. This super-effective shampoo can be a bit drying however, so use with caution if you have compromised or brittle hair.
3. Kenra Clarifying Shampoo
Amazon.
This shampoo effectively removes buildup, grime, and even removes dulling deposits from hard water. It’s safe for color-treated hair and even helps to enhance blonde, silver, and ash-brown locks.