If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it one thousand times. The hair on your head—as well as your scalp—need to be purged of all the oil, dead skin and product buildup that live there. If not, those good hair days you wish for will be few and far between.
There are probably more detoxifying and clarifying hair products on the market than you could ever possibly imagine. And don’t get us wrong, a lot of them work—and well. But none of them implement the power of micellar water like the new DevaCurl Buildup Buster ($28) does, which works like a deep clarifying hair cleanser minus the harsh sulfates and surfactants that can strip color and leave hair looking and feeling dry.
You May Also Like: 16 Things You Don’t Know Are Fading Your Hair Color
You may know of micellar water from your beauty products, specifically your cleansers. Comprising small molecules in a water base, micellar waters contain cleansers that gently break down dirt, oil and all that other nasty stuff living on your skin. When applied to skin with a cotton ball in a sweeping motion, the water traps debris and lifts it off. Cleansing abilities aside, micellar waters don’t necessitate any rinsing at all (a plus for those who are serious about conserving water). And now they’ve made their way into the hair care arena.
As Bari Strohmenger, senior product development manager of DevaCurl explains, “Buildup Buster uses the same micellar technology as cleansers to help remove buildup in the hair (especially curly hair, which is the brand’s primary focus). “We looked to skin care for inspiration for how to deeply, yet gently cleanse, and micellar waters kept popping up,” she says. “It was the perfect solve because we knew we needed to create a strong cleansing product that truly got rid of buildup, but it needed to be gentle enough so that it wouldn’t deplete moisture and would keep curls looking their best. Micellar is gentle for skin and we couldn’t wait to see how it worked on hair.”
Swap out your regular shampoo for it and use it on those days when your hair won’t do much of anything or when it starts to feel weighed down due to too much product buildup. The cleansing serum, which is a first in the hair care market, is a no-to-low lather cleanser that literally removes everything that’s dulling your strands without stripping away hair’s much-needed moisture. In addition to boasting the purifying power of micellar water, Buildup Buster also counts Abyssinian seed oil, jojoba esters and pea protein as key ingredients, which provide mega moisture. “It allows curls to look and feel their best once all the buildup is removed. Moisture is maintained so that all you’re left with is defined, frizz-free bouncy curls.”