A clarifying shampoo that's perfect for us hairspray addicts

By Giselle Wedemire

January is all about new beginnings and clean slates, and lately I've been taking that to the literal extreme with my haircare routine. One day not too long ago I came home to find a lovely package sticking out of my mailbox.* The return address indicated that the package was from Live Clean -- one of my absolute favourite vegan personal care brands -- and I was immediately as giddy as a schoolgirl. 

I ran inside and ripped open the package to find a single bottle of Live Clean Apple Cider Clarifying shampoo which, I learned, is a deep cleansing shampoo packed with Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, making it ideal for daily use on oily/greasy hair and perfect for weekly purges of product buildup. 

Once I read that last bit, I accepted the challenge that 350 mL bottle of shampoo had set before me: I was going to test this bad boy out after getting my hair as filthy as possible.

For an entire week, I avoided washing my hair. If that wasn't enough, I also did everything possible to ensure my hair was as dirty as possible (short of rolling around in mud or dunking my head into my cats’ litter box, that is). You name it, and it was in my hair that week: hair oil, olive oil, styling cream, and two to three days’ worth of hairspray. (And, I'm assuming, a fair amount of naturally occurring grease, sweat, dandruff, and dirt.)

My hair was a veritable trash heap by the end of the week with all of the products gunking up my tresses.

Behold: almost everything that was littering my hair for an entire week. Not pictured: grease, sweat, dandruff, etc.

By the seventh day, my hair resembled a suit of armour –- shiny to the human eye, but an impenetrable protective layer to the touch. Clearly, it was time to wash it.

In an attempt to soften the hard layers of hairspray, I slathered my strands with some extra virgin olive oil, twisted my hair into a messy bun, and went to sleep. The next morning, I hopped in the shower and took Live Clean’s apple cider shampoo for a spin.

Here's what I thought

First of all, this shampoo smells amazing -– like freshly sliced apples. Second, it is kind of thin in consistency, but is heavy duty! It cleanses hair and rids it of gunk (no matter how much) beautifully. I find that it doesn’t lather a whole lot (considerably less than other Live Clean shampoos I’ve tried), and I had to use nearly twice the amount of shampoo I normally use while lathering, rinsing, and repeating –- but that could be because I have ridiculously thick hair. Or because I had all of the things stuck in my hair. Who knows?

Note: Instead of following up with a conditioner, I find that this shampoo works best when paired with a homemade apple cider vinegar rinse that’s been left on the hair for a minute or two. I make my vinegar rinse by combining equal parts filtered water and apple cider vinegar in a clean shampoo bottle. It's cheap, easy to make, and it works.

The verdict

Every time I use this shampoo, the end result is always squeaky clean, healthy-feeling scalp, and de-gunkified hair that is completely free of product buildup (and boy is there usually buildup!). Considering my penchant for hairspray and Mad Men-inspired updos (courtesy of my trusty Bumpits), this shampoo has earned its status as a Holy Grail product and the Picky Bitchez seal of approval.

You can find Live Clean's Apple Cider Vinegar Clarifying shampoo at Rexall, Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart, and Target stores across Canada.
Have you tried Live Clean's Apple Cider Clarifying shampoo, or another great vegan clarifying shampoo? Let us know by commenting below, or by tweeting us at @PickyBitchez.

*Live Clean Apple Cider Clarifying Shampoo was sent to me to review