The Her Campus National Editors write about products we love and think you’ll love too. Her Campus has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. All products are in stock and all prices are accurate as of publication.
If you’re also a victim of the dorm/apartment water crisis in State College, which strips all the life and beauty out of your hair little by little, welcome to the club.
It took me two years of experimenting with different products to finally see my hair bounce back to life. Hydrating shampoos, leave-in conditioners, hair masks, scalp oiling, you name it, I’ve put it in my hair in search of a cure.
It wasn’t until I went to a hair stylist downtown that I finally got some good advice on how to combat the immediate destruction of my hair the second I walk back onto campus: clarifying shampoo.
The unkept dorm showers with no filter in sight leached out every ounce of moisture in my hair, caused buildup and left me with a straw-like mess every time I tried to style it.
Clarifying shampoo was the cure. It helps remove buildup, excessive oils and mineral deposits from hard water left on the hair. Essentially, it’s a hard reset for your hair, and it was just what I needed.
Here are the best clarifying shampoos I have tried in my four years at Penn State to help my hair get its natural glow back.
1. Redken Hair Cleansing Cream Clarifying Shampoo– Ulta $29.00
The Redken clarifying shampoo is my immediate go-to and favorite product I’ve tried from this list. With salon-quality, this shampoo works best for my hair type and has dramatically helped to balance out the water’s effect on it. I always feel fresh out of the hair salon when I use this shampoo.
The only pitfall is that it can make my hair a little dry, so I always pair it with a deep conditioning mask, and that combination seems to work for me, but if you have naturally dry or thin hair, one of the other options might work better for you.
2. L’Oreal Paris EverPure Clarify Shampoo for Build Up– Target $9.99
The L’Oreal Paris clarifying shampoo is a close second since it is only 1/3 of the price of the Redken shampoo and is still great for removing build-up and hydration. It is great for dry and thin hair since it is a very light shampoo, and I’ve used it for multiple days in a row without any issues.
Coming in at a much lower price, I tend to alternate the EverPure shampoo out with my Redken one to help my bank account recover.
3. Odele Clarifying Shampoo– Ulta $11.99
I’ve always been a huge fan of Odele’s hair products, so while I was searching for my go-to product, I tried the Odele clarifying shampoo. It has all the great qualities of the other shampoos on the list, and it is color-safe. When I had pink highlights in my hair, this was a lifesaver.
While I’ve settled into a different clarifying shampoo (mainly because, for a while, I had a hard time finding this one in stores), it still remains one of the better clarifying shampoos I have tried, and I highly recommend it.
5. L’Oreal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Pure 72H Purifying Shampoo– CVS $5.29
Slightly different from a clarifying shampoo is the L’Oreal Paris purifying shampoo, which provides some of the same qualities of a clarifying shampoo. Purifying shampoo is a much lighter cleanser meant for regular use. It works to regularly remove light build-up and oils from the hair.
I found this shampoo worked great on my hair for showers in between using a clarifying shampoo to keep my hair healthy, moisturized, and still protecting my hair from hard water buildup.
This is only my personal experience with using clarifying shampoos, and I’m sure there are many more reviews out there. Especially because there are so many different hair types and textures out there.
Feel free to try out a couple of different shampoos designed to heal your hair from the harsh water at college and see what works for you.