Clarifying

A few weeks ago, I mentioned not being entirely happy with my hair. Apparently there was a lot of gunk built-up on my hair, so after clarifying it, suddenly I had great hair (again)! My "moral" of the story? If you find yourself putting more and more stuff on your hair with the aim of improving its condition because it's dull... it might just need to be freed of the residue.

A few unrelated tidbits:

Sometimes the simple things make a big difference...

Take the time to appreciate and enjoy your hair... you don't want to find yourself one day wondering "why exactly did I grow my hair long?"

Just airing out a few thoughts that have been rattling around in this brain lately.

Clarifying can have fabulous results, and it's something I often forget about when I'm unhappy with my hair. Lush has this "revolutionary" shampoo called Big, which everyone is raving about, because it supposedly takes years off your hair.

It's just a clarifying/stripping shampoo.

Hi Dave,
The same phenomenom (gunk build-up in my hair) did happen to me recently while I was on vacation on the East coast. I cannot understand why seeing that it never happenned to me before. Any ideas why? What did you do to get rid of all that gunk?
While I was in Nova Scotia and Quebec provinces, I was surprised not to see any guys with very long hair. Instead, they are having very short hair cuts back there. Things are much different here on the West coast. Personally, I find that there is nothing more beautiful than seeing a guy or a gal whith extremely long hair!!
When I got home, I visited the HairBoutique website (the long hair support group), a site which I visit on a regular basis. I was shocked to read in one of the messages that someone wrote that he didn't like you. That was really a cheap shot. Don't worry Dave, we like you very much and you are doing a great job as a moderator.
Gilles

Yes Dave, I have been using leave-in conditioner at leat once a week. Would it be one of the reasons for all that buildup in my hair? Is leave-in conditioner good for anybody's hair? Or should we stay away from it?
Thanks for your advice Dave
Gilles

Hi Dave,

Great topic.

Besides using a cheap clarifying shampoo from the grocery store which can work if used sparingly and not more than once a month, there are other things you can do to give hair new life.

Note: Many pros use Prell diluted with warm water and applied to the hair for a few minutes to remove buildup. Unfortunately it will also remove color.

One thing that many people don't seem to consider is to dilute the shampoo. I used to have a problem with build up until I started diluting the shampoo and conditioners. It made all the difference. Also, you can do an old fashioned baking soda mix on the sticky parts of your hair. Specifically, you take 1/4 to 1/2 of baking soda....depending on how long your hair is.....and then mix with 2-4 tablespoons of warm water until you have a pastelike mix. Pat on dry hair from about 1-2 inches from the roots down to the ends. Leave on for 15 minutes and then rinse and shampoo. The baking soda will dissolve any gunky buildup.

Contrary to popular opinion the baking soda does not damage your hair, unless of course you use it every day.

Also, a good apple cider vinegar rinse will remove any buildup of new shampoo or conditioners in the shower.

Best wishes,
Karen