How Often to Use Clarifying Shampoo
I’m a true believer in the importance of clarifying shampoo, but the phrase “too much of a good thing” absolutely rings true. While there’s nothing better than that squeaky-clean feeling after a good wash, using clarifying shampoo too often can actually damage your hair, causing breakage, dryness, split ends, and dullness. I’ve talked extensively about how to use clarifying shampoo, but today’s post is all about how often to use clarifying shampoo since the answer varies based on your lifestyle. Whether you have fine or coarse hair, workout daily, love to swim or be outside under UV rays, or travel a lot, how often you use clarifying shampoo is important.
how often to use clarifying shampoo
As a refresher, clarifying shampoo removes product build-up, excess oil, hard water minerals, and chlorine. It restores your scalp, adds shine, and gives your hair the “deep clean” it needs every now and then.
Just as you don’t deep clean your house every day, you don’t want to deep clean your hair every day, as it’ll cause damage and dryness. That said, like how a house of 8 people needs to be deep-cleaned more often than a house of one, your lifestyle and hair type indicates how often you want to use a clarifying shampoo.
fine or oily hair
It may seem a little strange to address fine and oily hair in the same breath, but trust me. If you have oily hair, you’re going to want to use a clarifying shampoo weekly. You may find that after a few months of consistency, your hair is less oily - this means the clarifying shampoo is working to balance out natural oils and restore your scalp to its healthiest state. Then, you can try scaling back to every 10ish washes if you want to, but sticking to a weekly wash won’t damage your hair.
For fine hair like me, I recommend weekly to every 10 washes. I don’t put a lot of product in my hair, but it’s easy for fine hair to be lifeless and “blah” - consistently using a clarifying shampoo has given me more volume, shine, bounce, and really brought my fine hair back to life. If your fine hair feels really fragile, you can always add a very light coat of conditioner to your ends prior to using clarifying shampoo as an extra layer of protection.
Because you are clarifying weekly, it’s important to use a shampoo that won’t dry out or damage my hair. I’ve curated a list of the Best Clarifying Shampoos for Fine Hair, including one under $20.
medium to thick hair
Medium to thick hair is a little more durable, so you can confidently use a clarifying shampoo every 2-3 weeks. If you use a ton of styling products or workout often, stick closer to 2 weeks. Thick hair can dry out quickly, so you don’t want to overdo it.
If you have oily hair that is also medium to thick, use a clarifying shampoo weekly. In this instance, oily is your primary indicator. Whether that’s because you workout a lot or your scalp is unbalanced, the oil is the primary factor; your hair type comes second.
curly or coily hair
I admittedly don’t have firsthand experience with curly or coily hair, but I’ve really made it a priority to educate myself. Working with stylists that have lots of experience, talking to friends - I am always learning and communicating and would not offer advice without education to back it up.
Focus more on the look and feel of your curls rather than sticking to a hard date on a calendar. You’ll notice your hair is ready for clarifying shampoo when curls start to appear dull, sag, or feel greasy. A good ballpark estimate is every 3-5 weeks, but focus more on the look and feel of your curls rather than sticking to a hard date on a calendar. The downside of clarifying shampoos is that they can dry out your hair, so let your hair communicate with you when it’s ready.
color-treated hair
No matter how conservatively your stylist does it, coloring your hair is at least a little damaging. As such, you want to avoid adding extra damage by using a clarifying shampoo every 3-4 weeks.
Truth be told, I have highlighted, fine hair and workout regularly, so I prefer to use a clarifying shampoo every 10ish washes (sometimes 2 weeks). My hair responds really well to that, but if you have all-over bleach or a dramatic change (ex: full head of color or a fantasy color), you’ll get better results (and preserve hair health) sticking closer to the 3-4 week mark. Rather than applying clarifying shampoo more often, you might find it helpful to instead use a scalp scrubber with your regular, nourishing shampoo to give your scalp a thorough scrub without drying out your hair.
Not all clarifying shampoos are created equally. Stick to sulfate-free formulas; these are my Best Clarifying Shampoos for Colored Hair.
if you swim or work out regularly
If you swim regularly (either chlorine pool or ocean/ natural water) but don’t use a cap for protection, you’ll want to use a clarifying shampoo weekly. This may seem counter-intuitive since both can dry out your hair, but remember that clarifying shampoo is also a key tool for balancing out and restoring scalp health. For added protection, I recommend adding a little bit of conditioner (or coconut oil, a cheap hack!) to the ends of your hair prior to shampooing. This will keep your ends from drying out, but still allowing the clarifying shampoo to work its magic.
The same frequency applies those who are heavily active or work out (sweat) on a regular basis. Using a clarifying shampoo weekly will remove product/ oil build-up, and help restore your scalp’s natural oil balance.
Because you’re using a clarifying shampoo, weekly, you want to stick with one that is effective but not stripping or drying. Stick to a clarifying shampoo that’s sulfate-free but still designed to address product build-up (these are the best).
travelers, renters, and those exposed to hard water
Hard water wreaks havoc on your hair. If you are able to, I highly recommend adding a filtered shower head, but for a simpler fix, clarifying shampoo will help eliminate those hard water minerals and restore your hair (and scalp) to a healthy state.
If you are renting or exposed to hard water on a regular basis, a good rule of thumb is to use a clarifying shampoo weekly. You may find that you can go a little longer (10ish days), which works, too! I really like this clarifying shampoo that is specifically designed to combat hard water minerals. The smell is not my favorite, but it does the trick without damaging your hair. However, you can also stick to a normal detox shampoo and get great results, too.
I also mention travelers here because hotel water is notoriously hard on hair. Whenever I get back from a trip, I immediately use clarifying shampoo and follow-up with a hair mask to remove all build-up that naturally occurs when you’re in a different climate/ exposed to different pollutants and water. I used to travel a TON and this routine saved my hair from breakage and duller color. Plus, it feels like a nice “back to home” reset.
FAQ and tips
signs you’re not clarifying enough
I totally understand erring not he side of caution to avoid damaging your hair by over-doing the clarifying shampoo. Here are the key, safe signs that you can increase the frequency without damaging your hair:
Limp roots - you can feel the weight of product or hard water build-up
Hair doesn’t really feel clean, even after washing
Your regular shampoo is not lathering as well as normal
Hair feels coated, greasy, or heavy
Styling products stop working
signs you’re clarifying too often
“Too much of a good thing” definitely rings true for clarifying shampoo. While I also love how refreshed my scalp feels like a deep clean, you’re likely clarifying too often if you notice:
Dryness or brittle hair
More Frizz
Faded color or dullness
Irritated scalp (itchy, dry, feels more sensitive, etc.)
I love a good clean as much as anyone, and what really helped me decrease my clarifying shampoo usage was instead incorporating a scalp scrubber. Use it with your regular/ hydrating shampoo to give your scalp a thorough scrub without drying out your hair. Scalp scrubbers boost circulation, help remove build-up in a gentler way, reduce damage and dandruff, and help balance scalp oil, making them a great maintenance tool for in-between clarifying washes.
can you clarify without damaging your hair?
Yes, absolutely. Here are my best tips to keep in mind:
Focus on your scalp. Get a good lather at your root of your hair, and allow those suds to fall down the rest of your hair. You don’t want to scrub the ends of your hair; it’s too harsh and you don’t need it.
Use a gentle or hydrating shampoo as your “regular” shampoo. Remember, clarifying shampoo is more of a maintenance product rather than the base of your haircare routine. Stick to a shampoo that is gentle or hydrating to use on a regular basis to keep your hair (and scalp) nourished.
Always follow with deep conditioner. To put moisture back into your hair after a deep clean, use a hydrating deep conditioner or hair mask. I like this one because it’s nourishing but doesn’t weigh down my fine hair. If I want a little more TLC, I’ll use favorite budget-friendly hair mask; it’s under $15 and makes my hair so soft.
clarifying vs detox shampoo: does frequency change?
While clarifying and detox shampoos are technically different, the caveat is this: there is no regulation in the beauty world that regarding the terminology, so you’ll see them both used interchangeably.
As such, many detox shampoos function similarly to clarifying shampoos; the difference is mostly branding and ingredient positioning. You’ll see both “clarifying” and “detox” used in the products I recommend, and I find that they both function similarly.
Therefore, frequency doesn’t really change. I alternate between a detox and clarifying shampoo; this one is gentler for post-salon visits, whereas I love to use this detox shampoo after heavy workouts. Rather than focus on the label on the shampoo, adjust your frequency based on your hair type and lifestyle, following my recommendations above.