Ask Dethroner: What Shampoo(s) Should I Use?

From Jonathan F.

Alright, I had a hair-related Ask Dethroner thing, so I figured you would be the guy to ask. My question is, is it better to use the same kind of shampoo all the time every day that’s sort of an all-in-one, i.e. a volumizing shampoo designed for oily hair that also fights dandruff, or should you switch between a few different ones with different purposes each day or every few days, so you have one for volume, another for oily hair, and another for dandruff? Or does it just depend on your particular head of hair?

Interesting question, Jonathan (who, may I presume, is AKA JoFlow). I ran this one past Xtine who works for an internationally published beauty magazine; she deals with this kind of information constantly and is one of the best resources on immediate hand.

She offered that at least once a week it’s worth using a clarifying shampoo, and one of the most common and worthwhile is Prell. A clarifying shampoo is one of those clear jobs that doesn’t moisturize or condition or add volume or body or whatnot; it simply cleans the hair and scalp of any and all buildup of oils and product, which many if not most volume-building or moisturizing shampoos do not. The idea is that nothing will help keep hair and scalp healthy as much as having the occasional break from all that junk we put on/in it.

I would take that advice one step further and proscribe letting your hair air dry pretty often. When I don’t immediately hit mine with the blow drier and all that styling goop and just let it do what it does it invariably feels nicer and I rarely see any signs of flaky scalp afterwards.

However, if you’re dealing with both oily hair and flakes from time to time, it is certainly worth using a Selson Blue-type at least once per week. I would also advise not shampooing your hair quite as often, because nothing dries out your scalp more than overshampooing. And what do dry scalps do to compensate? It emits oil to protect itself. which, in turn forces us to wash the hair again. Vicious cycle, that.

One last tip: bring a nice hoppy beer into the shower once a week. Drink half, pour the other over your head. Let it sit in there for a bit. It’s surprisingly great for your hair and scalp. Rinse it without shampooing (don’t over-rinse, just enough to not smell like a drunk) and let it air dry.

SEE ALSO: Ask Dethroner: Why Isn’t Shampoo Soap?