FYI: Curly Hair 100% Can (and Should!) Use Clarifying Shampoo

Listen, if you’ve got hair, it needs to be clarified from time to time—and yes, that even includes curly hair types. As someone with curly hair, I actually spent most of my adult life anxiously avoiding clarifying shampoos out of fear that they would completely and irreversibly damage my curls (false). I was terrified of that “squeaky-clean” feel, and I refused to use anything even remotely “deep-cleansing.”

And you know what happened? My thin, fine curls grew flatter and drier, and my scalp grew itchier and flakier. I had bad hair day after bad hair day, no matter how many masks, dry shampoos, and scalp treatments I tried, and it was all because—as I later found out—my curls just needed to be “reset” and clarified. Lemme break it all down for you.

Is clarifying shampoo good for curly hair?

Technically, no; clarifying shampoo isn’t “good” for any hair type, but yes, it is necessary for curly hair from time to time. Clarifying shampoos are usually filled with harsh detergents called sulfates, which break down and strip the grease, oil, and residue from your strands, leaving them “reset” and refreshed—and also incredibly dry. It’s kinda like taking antibiotics: They’ll thankfully kill off the bad bacteria in your body…but also some of the good bacteria too. Very necessary at times, but not something you want to do daily.

Why do I have to clarify my curls then?

Most styling products (think: leave-in conditioners, butters, hair gels, etc.) contain ingredients that can only be removed from your hair strand with harsh, sulfate-filled shampoos. So even if you’re diligently co-washing your hair every single day, you won’t be doing much to remove the product buildup on your hair, which will eventually leave your curls lank, dried-out, and/or greasy over time.

How often should you use a clarifying shampoo on curly hair?

There’s no set rule on this—how often you clarify your hair depends on how your hair feels and which products you’re using, but in general, you can use a clarifying shampoo once a month on curly or natural hair (think: 3a curls to 4c hair).

That said, there are exceptions: If you’re following the Curly Girl Method (CGM), which has you avoiding any products that contain silicones, waxes, and mineral oils—aka all the ingredients that lead to buildup—you shouldn’t really need to clarify monthly, unless your hair is ultra-fine and prone to oil. Instead, the Curly Girl Method says you should clarify just once at the very beginning of your CGM journey to “reset” your hair and create a clean, stripped-down foundation (need a reset-wash shampoo? Check out #6 on this list).

How do you clarify curly hair?

Just use a clarifying shampoo in place of your regular shampoo! Very simple. Just know that regardless of which clarifying shampoo you use and how often you use it, your hair is going to feel a little (or a lot) dry afterward. To help offset the dryness, I like to load up the ends of my hair with conditioner before clarifying, then rinse it all out and condition again.

Cool, now that you’ve got the basics on clarifying, check out the 21 best clarifying shampoos for curly hair below!