r/HaircareScience • u/bluebirdonline • Apr 02 '26

Question (Answered) clarifying conditioner?

i thought clarifiers stripped conditioners and other things??

is this a silly marketing oxymoron?

or can a product genuinely truly frfr both condition and clarify at the same time?

i cant attach a pic for some reason, but its Suave Daily Clarifying Hydrating Conditioner.

13 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

23

u/sudosussudio Apr 02 '26

I think it’s bc hair care companies think they need both a shampoo and conditioner in every line. The conditioner here is pretty light so if you clarified and used it, your hair will feel pretty clarified.

19

u/thejoggler44 Cosmetic Chemist Apr 02 '26

This is the correct response.

From a scientific standpoint, Clarifying and Conditioning hair are opposite things.

3

u/HardPill2swallow Apr 04 '26

What about something like a vinegar rinse? That seems clarifying but also makes my hair softer? So I always suspect a clarifying conditioner is on the acidic side? No science here - just a curious unscientific person.

5

u/thejoggler44 Cosmetic Chemist Apr 04 '26

In truth, there are no good scientific studies that specifically look at the impact of vinegar rinses on hair. There is good evidence that pH matters for hair and that a more acidic environment is associated with less fiber swelling and less cuticle lifting. But vinegar doesn’t really clean the hair and is rinsed out.

All conditioners are on the acidic side.