Weighed down hair, oiliness, and perpetually limp hair are three of the tell-tale signs your hair may have excessive product build-up. Before you reconstruct and renew with targeted (dosha-based) & nourishing hair care solutions, it’s important to remove build up that’s blocking their use by preventing product penetration.
Build-up on your hair can be one of two types – ‘Natural Build-up’ and ‘Product Build-up’. While product build up is due to use of products with heavy or waxy ingredients (silicone we’re looking at you!) and chemicals; natural build-up is the result of accumulation of natural oils, sebum, and dirt at the roots.
Our Clarifying Treatment works on both to remove build up and restore hair back to its lighter, fuller, healthier self.
Elements That Cause Product Build-up
While there are hundreds of toxic chemical compounds and environmental pollutants that can cause product build-up, here are the top five culprits:
- Silicones
Silicones or Dimethicones (a plasticizer!) and/or waxy substances are used to add a film on your hair for smoothing, detangling, and adding shine. While your hair may actually look healthy at first, the molecular composition of these ingredients is such that it prevents moisture from penetrating into the hair shaft. Most importantly, it can accumulate on your hair and make your hair look flat and limp.
- Hard Water
The water in some regions (cities/towns/or even entire counties) have higher levels of minerals like non-absorbable Calcium, Iron, and Magnesium – which makes the water ‘Hard’. (Note that if your sprinkler leaves rust colored residue on your foundation or patio you have hard water) When washing with hard water, your hair comes in contact with mineral residue to form a visible/invisible film. This is especially pronounced when using soap vs. harsh detergent base shampoos. Hard water leaves your hair flat, tangled, matted, frizzy, and difficult to manage, and even sometimes small white silicone residue particles in your hair.
The minerals in hard water can also mix with some types of hair care products to form a chemical reaction, preventing lathering.
- Anti-Static Agents, Polymers, Sulfates & Petrolatum
Petrolatums like mineral oils, polymers, sulfates, and anti-static chemicals (which form replacements for silicones in sulfate-free shampoos) in products – cause residue build-up, which over the time forms a dandruff-like residue on the scalp.
Understanding the Cycle of Damage
Product build-up is primarily caused by those substances which are not water-soluble. On repeated use of such products, they are difficult to rinse off and form a film. The film tends to block the moisturizers in your conditioners and leave-in treatments from absorbing – leaving your hair vulnerable to damage.
Signs of Product Build-up
The appearance of your hair is a direct reflection of your overall hair health. The four basic signs of product build-up, signalling that your hair is in need of a Clarifying Regimen are:
- Your hair and scalp feels dry and/or greasy.
- Your hair won’t hold its soft, shiny, or natural texture.
- Hair becomes prone to breakage, split ends, and issues like dandruff.
- Loss of volume.
- Hair appears limp.
- Scalp irritation.
- Hair Loss.
Clarifying Build-up with Puraveda Organics
Before you start with the Clarifying Regimen, it is important to check the hard water levels in your area. Hard water is accumulated mineral salts in water as a result of natural/man-made processes and are not generally harmful for your health, however, they can be tough on your hair and skin. High levels of hard water may lead to a low-lathering effect. While using our formulas, rinse off only with clean, unpolluted, mineral-balanced water to get the most optimum results.
Using only the finest natural ingredients, such as Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) – , cleansing botanical extracts, and essential oils, our Organic Color Safe Clarifying Shampoo clears your hair fibers and scalp of silicone, oil and pollution build-up, and mineral deposits leaving your hair clean, healthy, and beautiful.
To use our concentrated botanical hair cleanser, take a quarter-sized amount and work into wet hair from scalp to ends. Massage gently for a couple of minutes to activate microcirculation. Rinse thoroughly with clean water and repeat if necessary.
Depending on severity, it may take 2-3 wash cycles to get all the build-up off your hair, but in general used twice in one session is sufficient. Use 1-2X per week thereafter for maintenance.
Clarifying Shampoo is a 100% plant-based formula that works microscopically to repair cuticles and eliminate split ends, resulting in healthy, clean, exfoliated hair and scalp. Cold-pressed oils of Jojoba, Coconut, and other nourishing ingredients repair damaged hair fibers, improve natural sheen, prevent premature color loss, and protect from damaging UV rays.
Follow with any of our dosha-based conditioners.
To learn more about our other hair care regimens, read the blog: Different Hair Types and How to Care For Them.
