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Side by side

Kristin Ess Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo vs Kristin Ess Strengthening Shampoo

65% function match · 7 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 28%. Kristin Ess Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo and Kristin Ess Strengthening Shampoo share 4 ingredients among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo — fast-oiling scalps
  • Strengthening Shampoo — colour-treated hair

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
Kristin Ess Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo — container, alternate view Kristin Ess

Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Masstige
  • Silicone-free
  • Lightweight
Kristin Ess Strengthening Shampoo — 10 oz container Kristin Ess

Strengthening Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Curly-method
Price, size & price per ounce
$24 33.81 oz · $0.71/oz
$12–13 10 oz · $1.24/oz

Compared at different sizes — 33.81 oz against 10 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most shampoos $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 80% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 57% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Cleansing strength Same
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Weight on hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. Your hair
Fragrance
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Protein Same
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Low The silicones here are the water-soluble kind. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Expected lather Same
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
Scalp active Same
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
Hard-water defence Same
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a strong scent
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Shampoo
Shampoo
Where to buy
Brand website · Ulta
Brand website · Ulta
Free of
  • silicone-free
  • sulfate-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Vegan · label states
Vegan · label states
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · label states
Cruelty-free · label states
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.

The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientDeep Clean Clarifying ShampooStrengthening Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#3Leading
#3Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#6Below the 1% line
#4Below the 1% line
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#7Below the 1% line
#27Below the 1% line
Cetearamidoethyldiethonium Succinoyl Hydrolyzed Pea Protein
Protein
#15Below the 1% line
#45Below the 1% line
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
Softens
#25Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo

Strengthening Shampoo

Full ingredient list — Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo (39)
Full ingredient list — Strengthening Shampoo (54)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsDeep Clean Clarifying ShampooStrengthening Shampoo
Supported
4
3
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
0
Potential conflict
2
0
cruelty-free
SupportedMatches our researched record.
SupportedMatches our researched record.
vegan
SupportedMatches our researched record.
SupportedMatches our researched record.

Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo

  • sulfate-free-claim-absent-note-see-notesPotential conflictThe label says otherwise.
  • color-safePotential conflictLikely to pull colour faster.
  • clarifyingSupportedResets a coated scalp.
  • high-latheringStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • shine-enhancingSupportedReflects light for visible shine.

Strengthening Shampoo

  • color + keratin safeSupportedThe named ingredient is really there.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo

Many customers praised the shampoo for thoroughly removing product buildup and leaving hair feeling deeply clean and lighter.

A number of reviewers reported the shampoo left their hair feeling unusually dry, brittle, or straw-like after use.

A recurring and serious complaint across many reviewers describes noticeable hair shedding or clumps of hair coming out after repeated use.

Several reviewers mentioned a strong, long-lasting fragrance, which some found pleasant and others found overpowering.

Strengthening Shampoo

A number of reviewers did not notice any added strength, thickness, or reduced breakage despite the product's name.

Many reviewers say the shampoo lathers well and leaves hair feeling clean without heavy residue.

Several reviewers find the thick, gel-like texture difficult to squeeze out of the bottle.

Reviewers consistently praise the fragrance as pleasant and long-lasting after washing.

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$0.71/oz vs $1.24/oz — Kristin Ess Strengthening Shampoo costs about 1.7× more per ounce than Kristin Ess Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.47/oz $17.29/oz $0.71/oz Deep Clean Clarifying Sham $1.24/oz Strengthening Shampoo

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readDeep Clean Clarifying ShampooStrengthening Shampoo
Label
Lower cost than most shampoosCosts less per ounce than most shampoos we have researched.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo vs Gentle Clarifying ShampooMixed Chicks · 98% function matchStrengthening Shampoo vs Kristin Ess The One Signature ShampooKristin Ess · 93% function matchDeep Clean Clarifying Shampoo vs His Mix Shine-Starter Clarifying ShampooMixed Chicks · 98% function matchStrengthening Shampoo vs Extra Love ShampooIGK Hair · 91% function matchDeep Clean Clarifying Shampoo vs Dove Beauty Volume + Fullness Hair Shampoo Pump with Biotin & Bio-Protein CareDove · 98% function matchStrengthening Shampoo vs Olive Oil Sulfate-Free Hydrating ShampooORS · 89% function matchDeep Clean Clarifying Shampoo vs Rosemary Mint + HBCO Scalp Care ShampooKreyòl Essence · 96% function matchStrengthening Shampoo vs Extra Strength Damage Remedy + Coconut Miracle Oil ShampooOGX · 87% function match

Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo · Strengthening Shampoo · All shampoos in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 10 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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