Getting to the root of product build-up

As much as we'd love to say we woke up like this, we all need a little help getting our hair looking its best day after day. Whether you’re caring for blonde hair, using specific products to help prevent summer hair damage or experimenting with Tiktok hair trends, you’re going to be using various haircare products to help you achieve the looks you’re after and maintain your hair health. 

But, like downing an entire block of chocolate in one go, binging an entire season of trashy reality TV or ordering that one last bottle of bubbles at your long lunch, there can be too much of a good thing. When you use a lot of hair products, you can experience something called product build-up. 

What is product build-up?

Product build-up is when haircare products slowly – you guessed it – build up on your hair and scalp over time. This build-up can leave your hair looking dull and limp instead of its healthy and shiny best.

So the very products sworn to serve and protect our 'dos can actually cause this annoying build-up? That's enough to make you wanna just pull your hair out and swear off all products, isn't it? But who wants to sacrifice the amazing protective and styling benefits of the products we use and love? Not us. Luckily, there are ways to prevent and treat product build-up.

First, you need to know how to identify when your hair is suffering from product build-up. 

What are the signs of product build-up?

There are a few ways you can tell you've fallen headfirst into a real build-up bummer. 

Your curls are M.I.A. Moisture is one of the key components of avoiding a curl crisis, as it helps your curls hold their shape. Product build-up on your hair prevents it from soaking in that all-important moisture. So, misbehaving curly hair could be a sign of blockage.

You can see the problem. Sometimes it's as simple as seeing the build-up on your hair and scalp. Whether it's product that hasn't been fully absorbed into your hair or scalp or the minor residue some leave behind, over time it can pile up to form tiny deposits that look a bit like flakes.

You can't shake that limp dullness. Two of the main reasons we use haircare products are to leave the limpness and ditch the dullness. If your usually dependable hair helpers aren't working their usual magic, build-up could be to blame.

How to treat product build-up

OK, so you think you've got some icky product build-up action going on atop your head. While it might be a bit annoying, there's no need to get all tangled up in knots over it. Investing in some product build-up products can have you sorted out right quick. 

We know how that sounds. Isn't using products how I got into this situation in the first place? Yes, in part it is. But they are also the way out. It's kind of like the personal trainer you pay to yell at you in the gym – you have to break down the build-up to build yourself back up bigger, better and stronger than ever before. 

What is a clarifying shampoo?

As with many things in life, when you have issues, the first thing you want to try to do is get a bit of clarity. In the case of product build-up, this means you want to clarify your hair via a clarifying shampoo (also often called deep cleansing shampoo). These are kind of like supercharged shampoos. Clarifying shampoo is so good at its job that you need to be careful with how often you use it, as it can destroy your hair's natural, nourishing oils and nutrients if you go overboard. Reach for something like Joico K-Pak Clarifying Shampoo once a month at most to get your hair back to basics in the best way possible.

Go deep.

A good deep rinse can help wash away a bad day – and also a bad case of build-up. Evo Springsclean Deep Clean Rinse manages to target gunky build-up blockages without stripping your hair of its great colour and natural shine. 

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Try something new.

Keep your aggression and anger from building up with the help of some unique haircare products to target your product build-up issues. Micellar shampoo, like Schwarzkopf BC BONACURE Deep Cleansing Micellar Shampoo, delivers a deeper clean without shredding your strands. Unlike the charcoal you may be used to roasting marshmallows over, charcoal hair treatments and scrubs won't roast your hair – instead, they'll absorb excess product. Try Not Your Mother’s Naturals Restore Reclaim Scalp Scrub, containing activated bamboo charcoal to revitalise your hair and scalp. You can even look to the cupboard for some help. Mix one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and one cup of water and apply the mixture to your hair after a normal shampoo and conditioner session for some natural clarifying goodness.

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And don't forget…

While those build-up busters are specially developed to do the hard yards without doing hardcore damage to your hair, you still want to make sure your leave your locks in a healthy place. That's why, after using some of those aforementioned products, consider hitting your hair with a specially formulated hydrating hair treatment to deliver a dose of nourishing hydration now that your hair is squeaky clean. 

Checking yourself in for a hair detox doesn't have to be hard with the help of clarifying shampoos and other product build-up remedies. Head to Oz Hair & Beauty today and find the helpful tools you need to clean up your scalp and hair and get it ready to accept the help it needs and deserves.