How to Clarify Hair at Home and Get Rid of Product Build-Up (2020)

In today's social distancing climate, hair care falls entirely on each of us. It's much harder to see a hair care specialist these days and much safer to simply care for our hair in the safety of home. But just how should we do that? Well, everyone's hair needs a good deep cleaning every once in a while, and as it turns out, there are plenty of ways to clarify your hair all by yourself!

So, what is clarifying hair? We mentioned a deep clean above, and that's exactly what it is. Shampoo and conditioner are obviously essentials for everyday hair care, but even they can cause a buildup of product in your hair after a while. Clarifying is the process of stripping all that away, and it's extremely doable for anyone.

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Check out our handy guide for how to clarify hair, from home remedies to the best clarifying shampoo out there.

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There's the traditional baking soda method.

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First up, there's the classic, tried-and-true clarifying process. You'll need a quarter cup of Castile soap, enough baking soda to create a paste, and 5-6 drops of tea tree oil. Combine the ingredients, work the mixture into your hair, and let it sit for about a minute. Voila! Your hair will be wonderfully clarified.

Most of these methods require Castile soap.

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You can pick up really good Castile soap easily on Amazon for a low price, like this pure unscented soap courtesy of Quinn's. It'll work perfectly for your clarifying process!

Here's some great tea tree oil.

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Maple Holistic's tea tree oil is Amazon's choice in that category, and it's 100% pure. Just a few drops of this, and your hair clarifying mixture will be ready to go.

Then, there's the sea salt method.

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This method requires (as its name would suggest) 4 tablespoons of coarse sea salt. Combine that with a quarter cup of Castile soap and 1 tablespoon of aloe vera gel to create your sea salt clarifying scrub.

Coarse sea salt isn't hard to come by.

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This 16 oz bag of pure, premium coarse sea salt comes with a super convenient 1-day Prime delivery, and it's naturally filtered salt straight from the Atlantic Ocean. Nice, right?

And here's some aloe vera gel.

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You can't finish your sea salt scrub without some aloe vera, so pick up a bottle of gel on Amazon for just $6. Your hair's deep-cleaning ought to be affordable, after all!

The last homemade method is the bentonite clay scrub.

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You'll need to mix bentonite clay with water until you've created a paste that's a little less thick. Rub that into your hair, and let it sit for three minutes before rinsing clean. To finish off the process, dilute a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar with water and pour it over your scalp.

You'll need some good bentonite clay.

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Aztec Secret bentonite clay is some of the most powerful out there, and it's totally affordable to pick up for your clarifying hair cleaning. Plus, you can use this on more than just your hair; it's actually perfect for facials, and it'll deep-clean your pores.

Or, you could always pick up some clarifying shampoo.

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Thankfully, for those of you who don't want to prep a home remedy, there are clarifying shampoos out there just for you! First up is this Neutrogena anti-residue clarifying shampoo; it's Amazon's choice, and it's less than $6 for the bottle. How's that for convenient?

This clarifying shampoo is professional-grade!

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If you're willing to spend a little more on your clarifying shampoo treatment, then consider this Moroccanoil shampoo! It's a professional beauty product, meaning it's the stuff you'll find in salons. Since going to the salon isn't always an option these days, you can bring the salon to you!