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When you have curly hair, clarifying your curls regularly is crucial to their overall health. When you clarify, you are removing the build up from product, dandruff and natural oils that can clog your scalp. When your scalp is clogged with gunk, it can make your curls dry and prevent healthy growth. If you use a lot of products that don’t contain natural ingredients, or tend to be heavy with the oils and butters you add to your curls, it’s essential to add a regular clarifier to your curl care regime.
However, clarifying doesn’t just mean removing all the yuckies from your curls. A clarifier will also help remove any hard water build up of minerals from your curls, which can weigh them down. If you have hard water, you might also want to consider investing in a filter for your shower to help protect your curls.
Why should you clarify your curls?
It can be hard to remove silicones and other products from your curls with just shampoo. A clarifier will do that for you. Even if you’re only using natural products, they can still leave behind residue.
If you only cowash your curls, odds are you’re building up layers of product that may not be getting completely removed. In order not to weigh your curls down and keep them healthy, you need to completely remove all of the product build up.
=When you clarify your hair, you’re also removing all excess gunk from your scalp, which is hugely important for growing long, strong and healthy curls. This will allow your scalp to breathe and for blood to flow which will encourage curl growth.
When should you clarify your curls?
Before any chemical treatment, clarify your curls. Your service will work better if all impurities are removed from your hair prior to sitting in your stylist’s chair.
If you’re thinking of switching up your routine or trying new products, you’ll want to start with a “clean slate”. Clarifying your curls will allow you to see them in their natural state so you can determine which products and styles are working best for you. You might also want to clarify if you notice your curls are getting flat or struggling to maintain volume; they might be weighed down with product build up.
When you notice your products are no longer working. If your deep conditioner isn’t resulting in the soft curls you like or your hair still feel brittle after a protein treatment, you might need to clarify.
How often should you clarify your curls?
This all depends on you and your curls’ needs. If you’re noticing a lot of the above symptoms, you might want to consider adding a clarifier to your washing routine 1-2 times per month. Once your problems rectify, you can consider cutting back. After your curls are more balanced, you could cut back to every six weeks or so. If you’re a swimmer or have hard water at home, you might want to clarify more regularly to remove any chemicals from your curls.