Product build-up / 'plastic' in hair... clarifying shampoo?

A_Phoenix_of_Tangerine

After a recent trip to the hairdressers to trim off my split ends, my hairdresser told me the products I am using are causing 'plastic' to build up on my hair, meaning that moisture won't reach the ends and that it will go all dry and broken...

She also stated that I should book myself in for a treatment to remove this coating from my hair. Hmmm... At £13, I figured it'd be more money saving to buy a clarifying shampoo than having to :

a) repeatedly have this treatment at the hairdressers whenever product build-up becomes noticeable

OR

b) chuck away my current hair products and spend a fortune replacing them with items which don't contain the offending plasticizers.

With this in mind, I bought a bottle of Osmo Effects Detoxify clarifying shampoo off Amazon, after reading lots of positive reviews. I shampooed with it today (rinse and repeat), but there is still visible plastic-looking residue clinging on to some of my hair strands, when I look closely.

Does anyone have any advice on the best course of action? Should I go for the treatment at the salon, knowing that it's actually unsustainable and that I'll just have to keep going back and paying more each month? Do I need to replace my shampoo / leave-in serum / hairspray with 'better' products (and if so, any recommendations)? Or, do I persevere with the Osmo clarifying shampoo in the hope that it eventually removes all of this build up?

I know that clarifiying shampoos are supposed to be quite harsh and drying, so you shouldn't use them too much...

Any tips?

esuhl

As a bloke who wouldn't know split ends from baldness, I'm probably not the best person to respond, buuut...

I remember having this plasticky-build-up in my hair years ago. I kept changing shampoos and eventually found one that cleans well without creating that weird-texture-build-up feeling.

The shampoo I use now is Aussie Mega Shampoo. I don't know if that would work for you, or whether it depends on your "type" of hair...

But personally, I'd just try a few normal shampoos rather than splash out on pricey "professional salon" shampoos or a fancy £13 treatment (that presumably, you'll need to have regularly if you don't fix the cause of the "build-up").

jenniewb

The general rule is to clarify once every few weeks/a month (depending on how often you wash your hair, how many products you use and what sort of products you use, eg this plastic-y coating you talk about is a build up of 'cones (silicon, dimethicon...etc) and though a salon can do a decent job and you don't have to worry about unwittingly causing damage to your hair (drying it out for example) or leaching colour, but it isn't cheap.


If you are worried about using a product which is too harsh (many use Fairy liquid as it's a good clarifier- but will leach just about everything else from your hair!) use a mild clarifier and use it once a week until you are happy.


I've used Redken and Kerastase, they are not cheap but if you get a chance to sample them or buy one from ebay with the last few uses left to trial it they are good. I've heard from friends that Bumble and Bumble Sunday shampoo is good (if they still make it) but there are many highstreet versions. Do your research first though if suggested a product to check it would work for you and use a decent conditioner or masque afterwards but not with too many 'cones or you'll end up back at square one!

mandragora_2

Sounds like a nice marketing wheeze to me. I have no idea about 'clarifying shampoos' but I do know that a few washes with 'Head and Shoulders' can be good for stripping out unwanted temporary dyes, so, while I wouldn't be wanting to do anything so harsh to my own hair, you might want to give this a try - or even Google it and see what others say.

notanewuser

If you do a lot of high heat styling, eg straightening, those silicones will be inside the hair shaft, and you'll never remove them.

A_Phoenix_of_Tangerine

esuhl wrote: »

As a bloke who wouldn't know split ends from baldness, I'm probably not the best person to respond, buuut...

I remember having this plasticky-build-up in my hair years ago. I kept changing shampoos and eventually found one that cleans well without creating that weird-texture-build-up feeling.

The shampoo I use now is Aussie Mega Shampoo. I don't know if that would work for you, or whether it depends on your "type" of hair...

But personally, I'd just try a few normal shampoos rather than splash out on pricey "professional salon" shampoos or a fancy £13 treatment (that presumably, you'll need to have regularly if you don't fix the cause of the "build-up").

Thanks for the recommendation, esuhl! I do actually use Aussie, but I also use hair serum and hairspray daily, which I guess might be the offending culprits...

A_Phoenix_of_Tangerine

jenniewb wrote: »

The general rule is to clarify once every few weeks/a month (depending on how often you wash your hair, how many products you use and what sort of products you use, eg this plastic-y coating you talk about is a build up of 'cones (silicon, dimethicon...etc) and though a salon can do a decent job and you don't have to worry about unwittingly causing damage to your hair (drying it out for example) or leaching colour, but it isn't cheap.


If you are worried about using a product which is too harsh (many use Fairy liquid as it's a good clarifier- but will leach just about everything else from your hair!) use a mild clarifier and use it once a week until you are happy.


I've used Redken and Kerastase, they are not cheap but if you get a chance to sample them or buy one from ebay with the last few uses left to trial it they are good. I've heard from friends that Bumble and Bumble Sunday shampoo is good (if they still make it) but there are many highstreet versions. Do your research first though if suggested a product to check it would work for you and use a decent conditioner or masque afterwards but not with too many 'cones or you'll end up back at square one!

Thanks jenniewb, I did look at Redken - they have a well-reviewed cream cleanser which apparently clarifies. I may give that a go if the Osmo stuff doesn't work out.

Talking of low 'cone conditioners, do you have any recommendations for ones which still do a great job of detangling and making hair silky and shiny? And also hairspray, for that matter, or do all hairsprays cause build-up?

notanewuser

A_Phoenix_of_Tangerine wrote: »

Thanks jenniewb, I did look at Redken - they have a well-reviewed cream cleanser which apparently clarifies. I may give that a go if the Osmo stuff doesn't work out.

Talking of low 'cone conditioners, do you have any recommendations for ones which still do a great job of detangling and making hair silky and shiny? And also hairspray, for that matter, or do all hairsprays cause build-up?

I love the matrix biolage shampoos and conditioners. No parabens, no silicones. The smoothing oil is fabulous.

A_Phoenix_of_Tangerine

mandragora wrote: »

Sounds like a nice marketing wheeze to me. I have no idea about 'clarifying shampoos' but I do know that a few washes with 'Head and Shoulders' can be good for stripping out unwanted temporary dyes, so, while I wouldn't be wanting to do anything so harsh to my own hair, you might want to give this a try - or even Google it and see what others say.

Thanks mandragora. I do have a feeling that the hairdresser is more interested in making some extra money than in helping empower me with the knowledge to sort out the issue and prevent it from reoccurring. I actually asked for product recommendations from her -I would have bought more suitable stuff then and there- but she said she would give me a consultation at the time of my treatment. I know they are running a business, but it still felt a wee bit sharky, and has put me off them a bit tbh.

Google has come up with all sorts, including applying baking soda, or citric acid; one is high pH and the other low though, so I'm not quite sure how they are meant to perform in the same way!

I do use Head & Shoulders occasionally, and have noticed the effects of it stripping colour!

A_Phoenix_of_Tangerine

Hi Anoneemoose, I'm always wary of sharing my details online, but thank you for your very kind offer. Did you have a similar problem with product build up, and did the Salon Services shampoo fix it? How long did it take to work properly?

I'm wondering if I let the Osmo clarifier sit longer on my hair, whether the extra time will make it more affective at removing the 'cones (or whether it will just overly dry my hair...) Hmmm.

A_Phoenix_of_Tangerine

notanewuser wrote: »

If you do a lot of high heat styling, eg straightening, those silicones will be inside the hair shaft, and you'll never remove them.

Oh gosh! That doesn't sound good... I actually only use a hairdryer for a few minutes, after letting the majority of my hair dry in the air, so it should just be on the shaft of my hair and not inside. Thanks for the tip though, notanewuser!
Do you have any recommendations for serum / hairspray / conditioner which doesn't contain these nasties, yet still performs well?