Product Build Up
Fine hair can easily be weighed down by product build up.
Product build up is real. It happens more often than we think and it can make being natural frustrating!
Signs You May Have Product Build Up!
Your hair doesn’t respond to products the way it use to.
You apply a ton of product but your hair seems to stay dry no matter what
Products take a long time to absorb into your hair
You get a lot of flaking and residue from products that you didn’t previously
Your hair takes a long time to get fully saturated when wet.
If you have fine strands, your hair may look flat or seem weighed down.
Hair behaves like low porosity hair although it isn’t
The Cause
Hair products all have the potential to build-up on your hair. Some of the ingredients in these products are water-soluble and will easily rinse out with water. However, there are 2 other categories of ingredients that are either oil-soluble and or have a charge and bind to the hair. Ingredients that will only be removed with a shampoo include conditioning polymers, fatty alcohols, emulsifiers, oils, butters, synthetic emollients, and hydrolyzed proteins. Most ingredients work on the surface of the hair with the exception of a few, like amino acids, peptides, and penetrating oils. So most of the product you use actually remains on the surface of your hair until you remove it. In the past build-up was something that was mostly attributed to the use of silicones and more so to polyquats as these are the ingredients that resist removal even with sulphate shampoos. However, with all the change in how much and how often people are using products, build-up is becoming more frequent.
If Shampoo can remove these ingredients, what is the probem?
First, people aren’t washing their hair as frequently as they may need to. Wash and go’s,twist-outs and braid out’s are probably the most popular styles in the natural hair community. These styles are often achieved using a lot of products and multiple products which contain oil and oil-soluble ingredients. To make matters worse, some may have mid-week moisturizing sessions using the “loc” or “lco” method requiring 3 products. By the end of the week, the average natural ends up having multiple layers of product sitting on the surface of her hair. Build up becomes an issue, when a person with so many layers of product on their hair decides that they only need a mild “moisturizing” shampoo to clean their hair.
Most of the moisturizing shampoos on the market are really what people use to call 2 in 1’s. They are considered moisturizing because they are sulfate-free and contain conditioning agents that deposit on your hair, so it feels soft and not stripped after washing. At this point, you may already be able to tell how problematic this is for the person who has several layers of products on the hair. The shampoo may or may not be able to remove some of the build-up but most likely there will be some left behind. There are some polyquats that resist removal even when using sulfates, so mild shampoos are definitely not going to cut it when it comes to removing them entirely. Imagine, if you only used a co-wash, how much you may be leaving behind on a regular basis. No offense to those who co-wash by the way. I co-wash; but, I am not a heavy product user and only apply products weekly.
What should You do?
If you know that you are heavy-handed with products, apply multiple products, and do so multiple times a week then you are a good candidate for an occasional clarifying shampoo. This doesn’t necessarily mean a sulfate shampoo. There are shampoos on the market like Kinky Curly Come Clean, for example, which is sulfate-free and does not contain conditioning agents that will deposit on your hair. The important thing is that it is not a moisturizing shampoo that contains conditioning agents. Using it once a month should be enough to remove product residue from your hair.
In addition to using a clarifying shampoo occasionally, try to avoid using a lot of product on your hair or constantly reapplying product if you can. If you use butters or creams, it may be better to use a light leave-in under these products rather than a thicker product as they usually contain more fatty alcohols. You may also consider using a water-based natural gel. Gels made with gums like guar, xanthan, flaxseed or pectin contain polymers that love to hold on to water and will keep your hair moisturized. You don’t have to use a lot of gel if it's not for styling.
Removing product build will help you achieve hair that looks better, behaves better and works better with products. Your hair doesn’t necessarily need a new regime or new products, it may just be time for a good shampoo!