The 10 Best Shampoos For Mixed Curly Hair

Inside: The best shampoos for mixed curly hair along with how often you should be shampooing.

A common question I’m asked is what is the best shampoo to use for mixed curly hair?

I used to always tell people they shouldn’t use shampoo for their mixed kids because biracial hair is dry by nature.

Everyone has natural oil in their hair, which is good because it protects hair from becoming too dry. However, with curly hair the natural oils from the scalp can’t make it all the way down the hair shaft because of all the twists and turns from the curl shape. That means typically the ends are very dry and prone to splitting or breaking.

Shampoo is really harsh on curly hair and dries it out even more, which increases breakage and damage.

When my kids were little, there wasn’t a need for shampoo because I wasn’t putting that much product in their hair. So instead of shampoo I used co-wash, which worked great.

However, as my daughter gets older, I’m using more products because her hair needs have changed a bit since she was little, and because of the hairstyles we do.

I’ve since discovered that a clarifying shampoo can be beneficial to add into a mixed hair care routine.

Why use shampoo on mixed hair?

The formula in a clarifying shampoo delivers a deeper clean and it can remove stubborn residue in your child’s hair and scalp from the products you use that a co-wash can’t remove.

Other things like minerals from hard water and chlorine can also stay on your child’s hair if you aren’t using a clarifying shampoo.

Co-washes can help remove some residue plus they help keep naturally curly hair moisturized. But the problem is when you’re continually layering product on over the stubborn residue that co-washes can’t remove, it’ll turn into build up.

Build up can cause dandruff, dull looking hair, weighed down curls, and/or your hair products won’t work as well as they used to.

Because clarifying shampoos aren’t as moisturizing as mixed hair, you shouldn’t shampoo too often! If you do, you’ll dry out your child’s hair and again, dry, brittle hair is prone to damage.

How often should you use a clarifying shampoo on naturally curly hair?

How often you’ll need to use a clarifying shampoo on your child is dependent on their hair type and texture, but I would suggest starting off using it once a month.

Be sure to watch how their hair responds, if their hair is still showing signs of build up, try washing two or three times a month. If their hair seems too dry, push off the clarifying shampoo to every 6 weeks.

I’d recommend using co-washes in between clarifying washes to gently cleanse and put moisture back in their hair.

Because clarifying shampoos are drying, you’ll want to make sure you moisturize really well afterwards.

You could either let their conditioner sit on their hair for a longer amount of time, or do a deep conditioning treatment.

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The 10 Best Shampoos For Mixed Curly Hair

Kinky Curly Come Clean Shampoo

Ouidad Water Works Clarifying Shampoo

Deva Curl Build Up Buster Hair Cleanser

Curls Pure Curls Clarifying Shampoo

Shea Moisture African Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo

Elucence Volume Clarifying Shampoo

ACURE Curiously Clarifying Lemongrass Shampoo

Curlfriends Purify Clarifying Shampoo

Moroccan Oil Clarifying Shampoo

Cantu Sulfate-Free Cleansing Cream Shampoo

Final thoughts

After realizing how drying shampoo could be, I didn’t think I would use it on my kids hair anymore. However, since introducing it again, I’m seeing the benefits of using a clarifying shampoo once a month. Once I started using it, my daughter’s curls were bouncier instead of being weighed down.

I know it can be kind of scary to use something that can dry your kids hair out, but a clarifying shampoo will get rid of residue co-washes alone can’t. This also means you’re getting rid of build up on your child’s hair and scalp, which is necessary for optimal hair health!

If you’ve been wondering if you should use a clarifying shampoo on your mixed kids, start with this list of the best shampoos for mixed curly hair!

The 10 Best Shampoos For Mixed Curly Hair

Because naturally curly hair is dry, you may hesitate to use shampoo because it can dry the hair out more. However, a clarifying shampoo can be a great addition to your biracial hair care routine.

They get rid of residue that co-washes can't, and refreshes the hair. This means the products you're using for biracial curly hair will work better!

These shampoos for mixed curly hair are gentle and great at deep cleaning the scalp and hair to remove build up and residue from products, chlorine, and the environment.