10 Best Clarifying Shampoos For Relaxed Hair – 2023 Update
Save your relaxed hair from added stress and damage with these clarifying solutions.
Simon Constantinou is an accomplished hairstylist with over five decades of experience. He is the proprietor of an award-winning hair and beauty salon, renowned for its comfortable ambiance and a team of innovative hairdressers and beauticians who are both welcoming and supportive.
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Hair fall has us all worried, especially those with relaxed hair. Therefore, it is a good idea to invest in the best clarifying shampoos for relaxed hair to clear your scalp ever-so-gently. Hard water, residue from styling products, excess sebum secretion of the scalp, and pollution can all lead to scalp buildup. It causes a greasiness that further causes hair to fall flat and look limp and lifeless. The best way to handle such buildup and cleanse your scalp is to use a clarifying shampoo. Not only do they cleanse your scalp, but they also make your hair look healthier.
However, with the market full of different brands of clarifying shampoos, making a choice can get overwhelming. To help you out, we have compiled a list of the best clarifying shampoo for relaxed hair. Check them out now!
In This Article
10 Best Clarifying Shampoos For Relaxed Hair – 2023 Update
1. Best Scented: Moroccanoil Clarifying Shampoo
The Moroccanoil Clarifying Shampoo is a deep cleansing formula that eliminates scalp buildup and improves hair and scalp health. This sulfate-free clarifying shampoo for relaxed hair is enriched with Moroccan argan oil, keratin, lavender, rosemary, chamomile, and jojoba plant extracts. The Moroccan argan oil and avocado oil eradicate the everyday buildup and dirt to improve the scalp’s health. It also restores your hair’s elasticity, healthy balance, and smoothness, making it weightless, bouncy, and more manageable. Keratin is a structural protein that rebuilds the damaged or porous hair by strengthening it from the roots. The lavender, chamomile, rosemary, and jojoba plant extracts nourish the hair deeply and prevent it from becoming dull, greasy, or limpy. Simon Constantinou, a hairstylist, recommends this product saying, “I love the Moroccanoil Clarifying Shampoo! It is, in my opinion, one of the most gentlest yet effective clarifying shampoos to use at home, on the market.” It is safe for color-treated hair, permed hair, and chemically treated hair.
Key Ingredients: Moroccan argan oil, Avocado oil, Keratin, Lavender, Rosemary, Chamomile, and Jojoba plant extracts
- Pleasant fragrance
- Restorative formula
- Lathers richly
- Ideal for everyday use
- Sulfate-free
- Paraben-free
- Phosphate-free
- Dries out the hair
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
With 2,066 positive reviews on Amazon, this product has become a bestseller.
2. Best For Oily Hair: Paul Mitchell Shampoo Two
The Paul Mitchell Shampoo Two is a perfect pick for those with oily hair. This gentle formula deeply cleanses your scalp and removes buildups, dirt, and grime without drying out your hair. It is enriched with sodium chloride, cocamide MEA, activated botanical moisture blend, activated botanical shine blend, and wheat germ oil. The sodium chloride and cocamide MEA act as a potent cleansing blend that removes excess residual oil along with dirt and buildup from the cuticle layer. The awapuhi locks in the natural moisture of your strands. The activated botanical shine blend has highly beneficial ingredients like algae, chamomile, rosemary, aloe vera, and jojoba, which gently hydrate your hair and give it an intense shine. Wheat germ oil is a rich source of vitamin E that hydrates and conditions your hair. The reviewers on Amazon highly recommend this product for its ability to make your hair look and feel healthy without stripping it of its natural oils.
Key Ingredients: Sodium chloride, Cocamide MEA, Activated botanical moisture blend, Activated botanical shine blend, and Wheat germ oil
- Lightweight
- Lathers richly
- Safe for color treated hair
- Refreshing lemon fragrance
- Vegan
- Cruelty-free
- Paraben-free
None
Pro Tip3. Best Smoothening Effect: Ion Hard Water Shampoo
The Ion Hard Water Shampoo reduces the damage and dryness caused by hard water minerals and offers restorative care. This clarifying shampoo maintains your hair’s shine and moisture. It promotes hair manageability by softening and taming them. The formula is enriched with ascorbic acid, glycerin, and panthenol which works in sync to prevent discoloration and dullness. Ascorbic acid has antioxidant properties, glycerin softens and smoothens the hair, and panthenol soothes the scalp to boost healthy hair growth. If you want to find out more about this product and its usage through a tester’s experience, make sure to check out this review on YouTube.
Key Ingredients: Ascorbic Acid, Glycerin, and Panthenol
- Lathers richly
- Ideal for everyday use
- Suitable for color and chemically treated hair
- Suitable for damaged hair
- Suitable for softening hair
- Vegan
- Sulfate-free
- Surfactant-free
- May make hair frizzy
Moroccanoil Clarifying Shampoo Best Scented | Paul Mitchell Shampoo Two Best For Oily Hair | Ion Hard Water Shampoo Best Smoothening Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hair Type | Buildup Prone | Ideal for All Hair Types, especially Oily Hair | All, Dry, Chemically Treated, chemically-treated-hair |
| Dimensions | 2 x 2 x 6.5 inches | 1.92 x 1.92 x 8.5 inches | - |
| Weight | 8.82 Ounces | 11.84 Ounces | - |
| Rating | |||
| Reviews | 2,066 | 7,621 | 960 |
| Price | $75.0 | $13.0 | $21.49 |
4. Best For Natural And Dyed Hair: Hask Charcoal Purifying Shampoo
The Hask Charcoal Purifying Shampoo gives your scalp a deep cleanse and boost life into the dull ends. The formula of this clarifying shampoo is enriched with coconut shells. It is further combined with lemon oil and grapefruit oil, which are a rich source of vitamin C that rejuvenates and clarifies your hair and scalp. The formula is gentle enough to eradicate all impurities while ensuring that it cleans your hair without stripping away any moisture. If you need further convincing, check this YouTube review out detailing a tester’s experience with the product.
Key Ingredients: Coconut shells, Lemon oil, and Grapefruit oil
- Pleasant fragrance
- Moisture-balancing
- Non-staining
- Sulfate-free
- Paraben-free
- Phthalate-free
- Gluten-free
- Aluminum starch-free
- Drying alcohol-free
- Artificial color-free
- Suitable for natural and dyed hair
- May make hair a bit dry
Quick Tip5. Best For Extra Deep Cleansing: Bumble and Bumble BB Sunday Shampoo
The Bumble and Bumble BB Sunday Shampoo is a deep cleanser that refreshes your scalp to detoxify it and restore your hair’s fullness and shine. It lifts away product residue, dirt, and excess oil. It is ideal for those using hair products often and those who wash their hair less frequently. This clarifying shampoo is formulated with Panax ginseng root extract, rosemary leaf extract, and sage leaf extract. The Panax ginseng root extract is often used as a tonic that makes your hair and scalp healthy. The rosemary leaf extract and sage leaf extract deeply cleanse and support the scalp and hair shaft for a healthy environment for hair growth. Check out the review on YouTube detailing a tester’s experience with the product to know why it is one of the best out there.
Key Ingredients: Panax ginseng root extract, Rosemary leaf extract, and Sage leaf extract
- Lathers richly
- Ideal for everyday use
- Cruelty-free
- Ideal for all natural hair types
- Expensive
6. Best For Pre-Chemical Treatment: Zotos Quantum Clarifying Shampoo
The Zotos Quantum Clarifying Shampoo helps eliminate impurities and buildup of minerals, chlorine, and hard water deposits on your scalp. This scalp clarifying shampoo is formulated with an advanced EQL-3 Complex. This complex consists of vitamin E, polyquaternium-10, sweet almond extract, and vegetable protein. The potent blend also contains a dual chelating system that helps dissolve buildup, conditions, protects, and repairs your hair. Finally, the shampoo revitalizes dull hair and leaves it with more volume and shine, offering the best restorative care.
Key Ingredients: Vitamin E, Vegetable protein, Polyquaternium-10, and Sweet almond extract
- Lathers richly
- Protein-infused
- Non-drying
- Value for money
- Suitable for all hair types
None
7. Best Suited For Thin Hair: Neutrogena Anti-Residue Formula Shampoo
The Anti-Residue Formula Shampoo by Neutrogena, a dermatologist-recommended brand, is well-known for being non-irritating and mild on the scalp. This clarifying shampoo instantly removes the dulling residues from your hair caused by shampoos, conditioners, and other styling products. The formula contains propylene glycol, glycerin, and citric acid, which instantly breaks down the residue to revitalize and clarify your scalp. Propylene glycol and glycerin help to lock in moisture, while citric acid helps in reducing the frizziness and makes your hair more manageable. The shampoo boosts hair volume and leaves your hair refreshed.
Key Ingredients: Propylene glycol, Glycerin, and Citric acid
- Pleasant fragrance
- Non-irritating
- Lathers richly
- Safe for color treated hair
- Artificial dye-free
- Added colorant-free
- Dermatologist-recommended
- Not suitable for sensitive scalp
- May cause hair fall
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
The product has more than 24,488 reviews claiming its efficacy.
8. Best pH Balancing Formula: Suave Essentials Daily Clarifying Shampoo
The Suave Essentials Daily Clarifying Shampoo is a pH balancing formula that is specially designed for deep cleansing. This hypoallergenic everyday clarifying shampoo is gentle on the scalp, and it removes buildup and any residue from hair products to retain your hair’s natural moisture. The formula is enriched with citric acid and propylene glycol, which help in balancing pH levels, conditioning your hair, and reducing frizz. Another reason why reviewers love this shampoo is that it has never been tested on animals.
Key Ingredients: Citric acid and Propylene glycol
- Lathers richly
- pH-balanced
- Refreshing fragrance
- Suitable for normal to oily hair
- Dries out the hair ends
9. Best Plant-Based Ingredients: Avalon Organics Clarifying Lemon Shampoo
Try this citrus-based Avalon Organics Clarifying Lemon Shampoo to refresh and cleanse your hair thoroughly. It gently revitalizes your hair by removing excess oil and buildup that dulls and weighs down your hair. The formula is packed with nourishing ingredients like lemon essential oil, chamomile, aloe vera, and vitamin E that eradicate impurities and buildup. In addition, this shampoo does not strip the hair color or its shine and retains natural highlights. Reviews on Amazon report that this shampoo makes their hair feel refreshed and fragrant after every use.
Key Ingredients: Lemon essential oil, Chamomile, Aloe vera, and Vitamin E
- Plant-based ingredients
- Refreshing fragrance
- Vegan
- Cruelty-free
- Non-GMO
- Paraben-free
- Sulfate-free
- Phthalate-free
- Harsh preservative-free
- Synthetic color-free
- Artificial fragrance-free
- Does not lather richly
10. Best Sulfate-Free Formula: As I Am Curl Clarity Shampoo
Revive and give your curls a natural bounce and shine with the As I Am Curl Clarity Shampoo. This sulfate-free clarifying shampoo tames down your frizzy curls and gently eradicates product build-up and environmental impurities from the hair and scalp. The mild formula is packed with nourishing ingredients like coconut, amla, and tangerine, which leave behind a moisturizing effect. It locks in moisture to protect the hair against dehydration. This shampoo makes your hair soft and shiny. Multiple reviewers recommend this product for making the hair extremely soft and manageable.
Key Ingredients: Coconut, Amla, and Tangerine
- Pleasant fragrance
- Sulfate-free
- Suitable for color-treated hair
- No animal testing
- May make the hair slightly greasy
Why We Think It's Worth Buying
It has gained over 1,383 positive reviews on Amazon, making it an all-time best-seller.
When it comes to maintaining relaxed hair, it can take some work to pick the suitable formulations. Before investing in shampoo to keep your relaxed hair healthy, consider factors such as ingredients, hair needs, and many more. So, here is a quick buying guide that will help you figure out what exactly you need to refresh your hair effortlessly.
Things To Consider Before Buying The Best Clarifying Shampoos For Relaxed Hair
- Scalp Type
Before choosing a clarifying shampoo, consider the type of scalp you have. If you have an oily scalp, look for a shampoo that helps control excessive sebum production. Invest in pH-balancing shampoo for a combination scalp to soothe and neutralize pH. For dry scalp, look for hydrating shampoos that do not leave a residue.
- Ingredients
A clarifying shampoo should always have a variety of all-natural cleaning agents. These components combat the effects of heavy and harmful ingredients and provide nutrients that your hair and scalp may need.Jojoba oil, argan oil, almond oil, tea tree oil, and sunflower oil are among the natural oils to seek out, and any additional ingredients like avocado, grapefruit extract, and lemon extract are helpful.
Choose hair care products that are sulfate-, paraben-, silicone-, and alcohol-free. Over time, all of these toxins damage the health of your hair. Several brands add sodium chloride to their shampoos for increased volume. This substance should be avoided because it severely dries out your hair.
- Hair Needs
Clarifying shampoos are created to meet various hair demands. For example, choose an anti-dandruff clarifying shampoo if you have dandruff. Choose a clarifying shampoo with rosehip oil, argan oil, sunflower oil, keratin, tea tree, or chamomile extracts for an oily or greasy hair texture.
The Bottom Line
The best clarifying shampoos for relaxed hair eliminate buildup and clean impurities from your scalp with ease. These shampoos lock the natural moisture of your hair strands while making them feel smooth and rejuvenated. Clarifying shampoos provide shine and softness to your tresses and make them super manageable. The Moroccanoil Clarifying Shampoo can be a great choice as it delicately removes impurities and improves hair elasticity, while Bumble and Bumble BB Sunday Shampoo offers a deep cleanse to detoxify hair and restores hair’s fullness. If plant-based ingredients and a refreshing fragrance are what you are seeking then Avalon Organics Clarifying Lemon Shampoo is perfect for you. They nourish the hair deeply and ensure that your chemically treated hair strands do not become dull and damaged. However, you should steer clear of clarifying shampoos that have the tendency to dry the locks out.
Infographic: Dos And Don’ts Of Using A Clarifying Shampoo For Relaxed Hair
Maintaining relaxed hair requires special care, and using a clarifying shampoo can be a valuable addition to your hair care routine. However, it is essential to use it the right way and discover the right balance between deep cleansing and avoiding excessive dryness. Check out the infographic below for dos and don’ts while using a clarifying shampoo for a healthy scalp and nourished hair.
Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team
Why Trust StyleCraze?
Shiboli Chakraborti, who authored this article, is a haircare enthusiast who loves to help her readers purchase the right hair care products. To this end, she did thorough research and made a list of the best clarifying shampoos for relaxed hair. The products that are listed work wonders for clarifying your scalp and cleansing your hair to make your tresses look healthy and gorgeous.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often do you use a clarifying shampoo for relaxed hair?
Apply clarifying shampoo for relaxed hair once or twice a week, or use it as mentioned on the label. Let the shampoo sit on the hair for up to 30 minutes, then rinse it off.
Is clarifying shampoo the same as neutralizing shampoo?
No. Clarifying shampoos deep clean your hair and nourish the strands and scalp. On the other hand, neutralizing shampoos remove chemicals from the hair and maintain the pH level of the hair.
Can you use sulfate shampoo on relaxed hair?
No. Do not use sulfate shampoo on relaxed hair to prevent strands from drying. Sulfates turn your relaxed hair brittle and cause breakages.
What to do after using a clarifying shampoo?
Apply conditioner to the middle and lower locks after using a clarifying shampoo for added shine and smoothness. Then, rinse your hair thoroughly with clean water.
What products are good for relaxed hair?
Protein-rich masks and deep conditioners are good for maintaining the shine and health of relaxed hair. Argan, babassu, shea, and maracuja oils are great for strengthening relaxed hair.
How do I make my relaxed hair bouncy?
• Wash your hair and let it air dry.
• Apply a heat protectant.
• Twist sections of the hair around hot rollers.
• Let it sit for some time.
• Set the bouncy hairstyle with hairspray. Or, use a good quality conditioner and trim your hair often to make your relaxed hair naturally bouncy and voluminous.
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