Clarifying shampoos are generally a no-go for curly girls. Best for fine, pin-straight hair types, they’re designed to remove product build-up and often give a volume boost to those with limp locks. But for curls and kinks, they can strip hair of must-needed moisture.
Ouidad, a line designed for textured hair (from waves to kinks), has just this month debuted a new product Superfruit Renewal Clarifying Cream Shampoo that’s supposed to be gentle enough for curls and kinks. I gave it a try.
Full disclosure: I kind of owe my curls to Ouidad. Back in 2008, I was fresh out of graduate school at NYU, a beauty assistant at Redbook magazine—and completely unaware that my hair was curly. I had been flat ironing or pressing it straight for over a decade. My strands had been so damaged that when left to their own devices they were frizzy-wavy at best. It wasn’t until I went to a press event at Ouidad that I got a glimpse of my true texture. She scrunched and twisted my hair into a loose curl—I cut it into a short curly bob six months later.
I’m bit of a product junkie. I love to layer up oils, styling creams, and leave-ins. The result is curls that fall just so—and, lots of product build-up on my scalp. Ouidad’s Superfruit did a great job of removing stubborn residue; my scalp felt airy and clean after two washes. The sulfate-free the shampoo didn’t seem to strip my hair of its moisture. I didn’t get that aggressively clean squeak once I rinsed. I conditioned as usual and left my hair to air dry—my curls were boing-y and soft, not at all parched. I’ve used the banana extract-infused shampoo three times now. I give it a thumbs up for my super fine, ramen-noodle tight curls. And I’ll definitely be incorporating it into my routine as a twice-a-month clarifier.
