We collect hair products, from leave-in conditioners to hair oils and heat protectants. But when you're caught up in all of these luxurious offerings, it's easy to forget about the bread and butter of haircare: a simple wash. While we have a myriad of go-to shampoos and conditioners stocked in our bathrooms, sometimes we need something a little stronger to wash away the buildup from all those other products. That's where the best clarifying shampoos come in.
"Clarifying shampoo is formulated to cleanse the hair and scalp of buildup and impurities," explains Gretchen Friese, a certified BosleyMD trichologist. The expert notes that clarifying shampoos are "often used by people who are infrequent washers, swimmers, have problems with oily hair, or simply want to refresh their scalp."
Celebrity hairstylist Cynthia Alvarez agrees, noting that clarifying shampoo is especially helpful for those who use many styling products. "Clarifying shampoos use a unique formula that works like a magnet to attract dirt, dissolve it, and flush it away with water," she says. "They're specifically formulated to clear buildup and remove any residue from styling products. It prevents bacterial buildup on the scalp, creates volume, thoroughly removes buildup, restores your hair’s PH, and prepares hair for coloring services."
Ahead, our expert picks for the best clarifying shampoos on the market—plus how to take proper care of your hair while using them.
The Best Clarifying Shampoos
- The Best Clarifying Shampoo Overall: Living Proof Clarifying Detox Shampoo
- The Best Drugstore Clarifying Shampoo: Kristin Ess Hair Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo
- The Best Strengthening Clarifying Shampoo: Ouai Detox Shampoo
- The Best Volume-Enhancing Clarifying Shampoo: Bumble and bumble Sunday Clarifying Shampoo
- The Best Clarifying Shampoo for Hard Water: Moroccanoil Clarifying Shampoo
Ready for some fun science? Living Proof's Clarifying Detox Shampoo features activated charcoal and magnetic polymers to draw impurities (such as product and pollution buildup, excess oil, and heavy metals deposited from hard water) out of your hair and scalp. Anyone with any hair type or curl pattern can use this option, as well as those with colored or bleached hair.
Pros: Prevents color fading; Combats pollution and the effects of hard water; Hair and scalp feel oh-so clean after use
Cons: Some customers wish there was more of a lather
There's something to be said about a super sudsy shampoo, isn't there? This one impressively works itself up into a nice lather as it removes the mineral deposits, product buildup, excess oils, and silicones that have made their home on your strands. Hair is left shiny and soft—just don't forget to throw on your leave-in conditioner (the brand boasts Marie Claire's favorite drugstore leave-in for shine) when you're out of the shower.
Pros: Affordable; Tackles buildup; Nice smell
Cons: Some customers report their hair feels dry after use (remember to use a leave-in!)
Jen Atkin, queen of dry shampoos and style maintenance products, knows the importance of cleansing the hair of buildup. This product proves it—just ask the thousands of happy customers who’ve made it go viral on social media. Several reviewers comment on how helpful this formula is with combatting bleach damage and highlight-destroying buildup, while another calls this shampoo "the perfect 'reset' when you use the product throughout the week.” Its keratin-infused formula supports strong, shiny strands from top to bottom.
Pros: Fights buildup; Color-safe; Cruelty-free; Great for oily scalps
Cons: Some customers find the scent a bit too strong
Bumble and bumble's shampoos and conditioners have long had a cult following. This luxurious-feeling, cleansing formula works quickly to get rid of buildup, leaving you with voluminous strands (starting at the root!) once dry. The vegan formula promises to cleanse excess oil from the scalp, eradicating issues like dandruff and acne. It also includes rosemary leaf extract, a popular natural ingredient that promotes healthy hair growth and smells absolutely fabulous.
Pros: Volumizing; Effective cleansing; Vegan; Made for all hair types
Cons: Contains sulfates; Not suited for color-treated hair
This is one of my favorite products from my favorite hair brand. Not only does this shampoo smell incredible (I always liken the scent of Moroccanoil’s products to that of baby powder), but reviewers also write that it's a life-saver for those who have hard water (which can be harsh on hair) running through their faucets. It’s guaranteed to work on all hair types and curl patterns, and it’s color-safe.
Pros: Combats the effects of hard water; Makes the hair feel refreshed
Cons: High price for a relatively small bottle
Also Recommended
This gentle, vegan, cruelty-free shampoo is infused with natural ingredients like lemongrass and Argan oil, which effectively cleanse the scalp without ridding it of the natural oils that protect your skin and strands. Several reviews note that this option was more effective in removing product buildup than other comparable clarifying shampoos, and one person wrote that it gave them volume that "lasted for days." Plus, at under 10 dollars, it comes at a price that truly can’t be beat.
Pros: Affordable; Includes natural ingredients like Argan oil; Cruelty-free; Sulfate-free; Paraben-free
Cons: Works better in soft water than in hard water
While the Goldie Locks Clarifying Detox Shampoo had Marie Claire's freelance beauty writer Sophia Vilensky hooked thanks to its soft pineapple and lily scent, the real draw here is its pH-balancing prowess. The 5.0-6.0 pH shampoo was designed to restore a healthy pH balance to the scalp, adding a boost of hydration along the way (and, of course, getting rid of all that buildup—we know that's the reason you're here in the first place).
Pros: Lovely scent; pH balancing; Removes buildup
Cons: Some customers find the scent too strong
If you're dealing with dandruff or a similarly flaky/dry scalp, you're going to love what's inside this jar. Formulated for all hair types and textures, Briogeo's Scalp Revival is an exfoliating, sulfate-free scrub made to lift away buildup while soothing your itchy, irritated, oily or dry head. And when we say soothing, we mean it: it features a peppermint, spearmint, and tea tree oil complex that has a real-life cooling effect. Unlike some of its counterparts, it's also super moisturizing—it was clinically shown to increase scalp hydration up to 120 percent.
Pros: Cooling; Exfoliating; Made with 95 percent naturally derived ingredients; Works with both oily and dry hair
Cons: Doesn't lather much
"My top choice for a clarifying shampoo is Urban Alchemy Salt Scrub Cleansing Shampoo," says Alvarez. "It has a sea salt exfoliator, which deep cleanses the scalp as well as the hair. It also nourishes your hair while preparing it to receive the full benefits of a deep conditioning treatment and/or a conditioner. Another huge plus is that it's gentle yet effective and promotes hair growth!" According to the brand’s instructions, customers should use the scrub once a week for best results.
Pros: Exfoliating; Gentle; Made from natural ingredients
Cons: Exfoliating salt crystals can irritate especially dry or cracked skin on the scalp—proceed with caution
Tracee Ellis Ross's popular natural haircare brand, Pattern, designed this shampoo specifically for low-porosity, hydration-craving hair so that it can deep clean without stripping the scalp of essential nutrients or healthy natural oils. Several reviews say that the formula doesn't smell too strongly and that it leaves hair feeling soft and moisturized even as it deeply cleanses. It’s perfect for washing hair after taking it out of a protective style, too, with soothing ingredients like matcha green tea, panthenol, and aloe vera.
Pros: Great for natural hair; Moisturizing
Cons: Not as well-suited for straight or greasy hair
It's A 10 knows there are so many reasons your scalp might be irritated and itchy: excess oils, residues, environmental contaminants, heat styling. This shampoo is enriched with kaolin clay to gently lift these irritants and exfoliate the scalp. After all that's taken care of, it adds some moisture back in to soothe and moisturize.
Pros: Thoroughly cleanses without drying; Color-safe
Cons: Some customers report itchiness, meanwhile, others say it's the only thing that stops their itching—every scalp is unique!
If you’re struggling with frizz as a result of hard water, pollution, and product buildup, consider this shampoo from Virtue. It contains a number of healing ingredients like coconut fatty acids, hops extract, and charcoal powder, but its all star component is alpha Keratin 60ku, a healing protein identical to the keratin that makes up 90 percent of human hair. The influx of protein provided by this shampoo restores damaged strands with every use.
Pros: Suited for all hair types; Clinically tested; Free of sulfates and phthalates; Well-suited for thin hair
Cons: Not as suited for thick hair
Curly girls, Act+Acre has you covered. Founded on the idea that your scalp deserves skincare-level care, the trichologist-owned brand crafted this particular shampoo to gently cleanse your scalp and hydrate your hair. In the end, with all that dirt, oil, and buildup gone, it helps define the natural pattern of your curls. One reviewer said it makes them feel the most "me" after use—the best compliment to ever receive.
Pros: Gently cleanses (while still removing buildup); Helps define your curl pattern; Supports overall scalp health
Cons: None found
Just because you're going to town on your scalp doesn't mean your ends should suffer. This product is a cult favorite in France for both its delightful lemon-cream scent and its effectiveness. One reviewer writes that it "easily" cleanses her greasy hair and scalp. Plus, it’s color-safe and cruelty-free, with its formula free of harsh, harmful ingredients like tar, sulfates, phthalates, parabens, petrochemicals, mineral oil, silicone, and talc. Just be sure that when you’re using it, you scrub thoroughly and spend enough time so that it lathers properly.
Pros: Cruelty-free; Color-safe
Cons: More expensive than other options; Contains sulfates
Made to be used once every two weeks as an additional step before your favorite shampoo, Kerasilk's Exfoliating Scalp Pre-Wash features an intensely cleansing formula that removes excessive sebum and dead skin cells from your hair and scalp. Once you rinse it out, you're left with an ideal foundation for the rest of your products—and long-lasting scalp revitalization.
Pros: Made for all scalp types; Helps fight odor; Leaves your scalp feeling energized
Cons: Exfoliating jojoba beads can be hard to rinse out
If you love the lightweight feeling your hair has after a blowout appointment at Drybar, you'll adore this charcoal infused shampoo that the brand released for at-home use. Customer after customer writes that this vegetable protein-infused product cleanses strands from root to tip, so you can feel like you’ve just left the hair salon without ever budging from the comfort of your home. Plus, its impurity-banishing formula is free of any parabens, sulfates, phthalates, or gluten.
Pros: Free of gluten, parabens, sulfates, and phthalates
Cons: Can be very drying for curly and low-porosity hair
This product is particularly helpful for those dealing with hard water, along with those who use hair products (particularly dry shampoo, mousse, and leave-in conditioner) often and consequently deal with a lot of buildup at their roots. In one review, a woman with natural hair noted that this shampoo heals her "over processed" hair without damaging her extensions or drying out her moisture-loving coils. It’s also developed using 100 percent clean energy with packaging that's completely recyclable.
Pros: Works well on all hair types and textures; Works on extensions; Works well with hard water
Cons: High price point for a relatively small bottle
What to Look For in Clarifying Shampoo
- Ingredients
Friese breaks down three common ingredients in clarifying shampoos and what makes them advantageous. The first compound she names is ammonium-sodium lauryl sulfate, which provides the deepest cleanse. "This may be best for extreme hair care product buildup or very oily hair," she notes. However, if you have any kind of keratin treatment in your hair—including at-home keratin treatments—"you should stay away from this ingredient as it will strip the treatment from the hair."
For those in need of milder ingredients, she recommends looking for cetyl-fatty alcohols as well as chlorides and bromides. The latter "can help make your hair soft," but isn't great for fine hair.
"You should look for moisturizing ingredients like aloe, seaweed and wheat proteins," Alvarez also adds.
- Labels
While labels like "color safe" and "sulfate free" float around on clarifying shampoo bottles, master stylist Yvey Valcin notes that you still need to be wary of how your hair will be influenced.
"There’s still often sodium and alcohol in the product, which will look for any moisture in the hair and drain it off," he says.
How Often to Use a Clarifying Shampoo
For swimmers, people with oily scalps, and those who don't wash their hair often, Alzarez recommends using a clarifying shampoo regularly. Friese agrees, advising people who merely have oily hair to use it about every third wash. If you have naturally dry hair, use it only as needed.
Clarifying Shampoo Aftercare
A good clarifying shampoo treatment should be followed up with a good conditioner. Think of it this way: Your hair has been weakened and it needs some sustenance.
"Imagine you're thirsty and someone makes you run," Valcin explains. "You need to drink water and then take a little time before you start moving again. Let the hair soak in that moisture for a good five minutes and then rinse it out like 90 percent of the way—especially for high-density hair. The best thing to do is a deep conditioning treatment. Soak the hair in some deep conditioner and let the hair drink it up."
Is Clarifying Shampoo Bad For Hair?
While clarifying shampoo isn't necessarily bad for your hair, it's important to use it only when a deep clean is necessary—and to make sure you rehydrate your locks afterward.
“You have to have a reason to use clarifying shampoo," explains Valcin. "Let’s say you’re doing a keratin treatment. It’s important to [preemptively] remove dirt and product buildup, so that would be a good reason to use clarifying shampoo. But let’s say you have virgin hair, you don't use a lot of product, you've never done anything to it. It might strip out the moisture and the nutrients that your scalp produces."
Meet the Experts
Yvey Valcin is a celebrated Master Stylist and Founder of Yvey Salon. Known for his superior cutting technique and unique gift for uncovering the individual beauty within his clients, Yvey has styled top editorial and fashion events such as New York and Paris Fashion Week and was one the highest rated stylist at the flagship Gene Juarez salon in Seattle. His passion for hair extended his training to the most respected names in the beauty industry including: Jacques Dessange Paris, Raffel Pages Barcelona, La Biosthetique Canada, and Bumble and Bumble New York. The combination of his passion and technical skills enables him to bring out the best version of each individual sitting in his chair.
Bosley MD’s Certified Trichologist and go-to education authority on all things hair loss and hair thinning, Gretchen always had a genuine passion for hair care and developed her expertise specifically in hair loss and hair thinning, making it her continued mission to help women and men find solutions to their hair loss concerns.
Gretchen has over 20 years of experience in the beauty industry, from being hands-on behind the chair in salons, to educating consumers on hair loss solutions and stylists about haircutting techniques. In 2016 she received a certification in Trichology/Hair Loss through the United States Trichology Institute.
Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Cynthia Alvarez is a celebrity hairstylist who has worked with clients of all hair types, including Shakira, Alicia Keys, Dascha Polanco, and more.
