



You might think that clarifying shampoos are mainly useful for people with oily or fine hair (which, for the record, they absolutely are), but Dr. Who might benefit from using a clarifying shampoo? Manning and Emily Guo, MD, recommend looking for products that contain activated charcoal or apple cider vinegar, as these will stand in as gentler cleaning agents. If you have colored hair or dry, brittle hair, a sulfate-free clarifying shampoo will be better suited to your needs. This combination of ingredients is extremely effective when it comes to deep cleaning hair, but it can strip natural oils that keep hair healthy, and even fade newly dyed hair. The surfactant you'll find in a clarifying shampoo will likely be a sulfate (which is what makes most shampoos lather and generate suds), and they help attract and rinse away oil, Dr. Chelating agents help cleanse the hair of minerals and built-up residue, as they “latch onto metal ions and draw them out of the hair,” Jamie Rosen Manning, MD, FAAD, tells SELF. Your average clarifying shampoo will contain two key ingredients: a chelating agent and a surfactant, or cleaning agent. The best clarifying shampoos will thoroughly cleanse your hair and scalp, remove excess oil and residue, and leave your hair looking (and feeling) shinier and much, much cleaner. Product buildup or a greasy scalp can sabotage an otherwise happy hair day, but adding a clarifying shampoo to your hair care routine can help.
