Hard water and styling products such as wax and gel sometimes gang up on hair to leave Build Up. Suddenly, curls aren’t so soft, the texture feels a bit waxy, the hair’s misbehaving and someone’s turned your shine factor way down. Time for an intervention: clarifying shampoo.
We haven’t heard much about clarifying shampoos over the last few years, probably not since the 1980s when hairspray held up the sky. But clarifying shampoos are still around: Neutrogena makes Anti-Residue Shampoo and Conditioner; Herbal Essences has Degunkify, the name of which makes me grin because inside I’m just 12 years old; and Lush offers Rehab, which also has a fun name — it’s so pop-culturally relevant at the moment (poor Lindsey Lohan and Brit Spears).
My thick, medium-coarse, frizzy hair needs a hefty amount of curl-enhancing cream or mousse each day to reduce the resemblance to a Beefeater topper. Throw in occasional curl-refreshing spray touch-ups, or spray wax in a pinch, and after a couple of weeks, despite regular use of my usual shampoo and conditioner, my ’do’s dialing a hotline for help. Lush Rehab answers the call with a zippy, rosemary-mint accent.
Hit the bottle once a week: that’s rehab anyone can live with, yes? That said, I don’t need to use Rehab quite so regularly, only after a stretch of time in which I use more product than usual in my hair. Once in a while I’ll hit Rehab just because I like the tingly freshness, especially on extra-groggy mornings. I always follow up with my usual conditioner, and after each use my hair looks and feels super clean and shiny, plus I get better results from my styling products.
Really, I like to think of Rehab as an invigorating clean slate without all the public judging. Unless you count compliments about your bright, bouncy hair.
Lush Rehab Shampoo, $11.95 CAN, $12.45 US, at Lush Boutiques or www.lush.com.
23 June 08 at 10:28 pm
Weird. I was JUST thinking about clarifying shampoos over the weekend. I was wondering “What ever happened to clarifying shampoos? I guess we don’t need them anymore.” Seriously! I was really thinking this THIS weekend. BG, you’re so on it!! Maybe I’ll try one again. My thick, heavy hair needs a boost….
23 June 08 at 10:32 pm
Okay, no, seriously?? Talk about a wavelength.
Get it? Wavelength? Wave length?
16 August 08 at 2:53 pm
This is just the kind of thing I’m looking for. At our house we have a cistern and when it’s catching the rainwater like it should the water is naturally soft. If we ever have to have it hauled from the local village the water is super hard and leaves my hair dry and hard to manage. The difference was very discernible after a weekend spent at my parent’s house where they use a water softener. My hair was soft, easy to manage and very shiny. When I got home and tried using the same products on my just washed hair, it took twice as long to dry, the texture was puffy and frizzy and simply would not cooperate. I’m going to see if I can find this Rehab shampoo and give it a try. Given the hardness of the water we are using I might have to use it every day for a while until we get some much needed rain. :-) Thanks for the post.
16 August 08 at 4:27 pm
Thanks for your comment, Sharon. Let me know how it works out — I don’t know how hard water will affect things, you see. My experience with it is limited, and I have to tell you I was quite weirded out! *grin*
08 September 08 at 12:52 pm
Hey BG, are you familiar with the Kiehl’s Amino Acid Shampoo? It seems like it’s a clarifying shampoo, but I’m not sure. It says “contains amino acid cleansers that gently and effectively cleanse the hair.” I’m not even sure if I can/should use it each time I wash.
09 September 08 at 10:01 am
Hi D,
I’m not familiar with the Kiehl’s Amino Acid Shampoo, but I’ll rectify that. I will say that amino acids are not new to shampoo nor are they exclusive to Kiehl’s. I would go on how it makes your hair look and feel post use. If you get shiny, soft, healthy looking hair when you use it like regular shampoo, then you have nothing to worry about. If you find your hair is starting to look and feel dry, bust out a deep conditioner right away and switch to a more hydrating shampoo.
I’ll alert you when I’ve had time to research and find an answer for you, okay? Thanks for the great question!