The Real History of Nexxus Aloe Rid
More than 15 years after Nexxus Aloe Rid disappeared from the market, most people only know the myths surrounding it. The product was never designed to help someone pass a drug test—it was simply a commercial clarifying shampoo and chelation treatment used to remove product buildup before chemical hair services.
The HISTORY of the 2 part product that you never knew of and how it was
used to create the propylene glycol Aloe Rid myth
(And how others are still selling commercial aloe shampoo )
This is a educational informative, historical article / opinion piece.
Protected by Fair Use
What Aloe Rid Actually Was
Originally, Aloe Rid was a two-part salon product system sold by Nexxus.
The system included:
1. Clarifying Shampoo
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Contained about 0.5% EDTA
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Included Sodium Thiosulfate, often used to remove mineral buildup such as chlorine-related discoloration in swimmers
2. Chelation Treatment Gel
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Contained roughly 1% EDTA
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Designed to remove minerals and product buildup before chemical treatments like hair coloring or perming
The key ingredient, EDTA, is a chelating agent used to bind minerals, not drug metabolites.
This system was intended to prepare hair for salon chemical services, not detox hair for drug tests.
Just a Normal Commercial Shampoo
Despite the myths that developed later, Aloe Rid was simply a standard salon product.
It was sold in places like salons and beauty retailers, much like other clarifying shampoos. Its formulation was not dramatically different from many commercial products.
Many clarifying shampoos—including basic brands—contain EDTA or similar chelating agents to remove mineral buildup from hair.
There was nothing about Aloe Rid that gave it any special ability to remove drug metabolites.
How Aloe Rid Became a “Drug Detox” Legend
Around the early 2000s, some companies began repackaging Aloe Rid and marketing it as a hair detox solution.
Early sellers promoted the shampoo through drug test forums and websites, claiming it could help people pass hair drug tests.
Companies such as TestClear, which later marketed products like Toxin Rid, helped spread claims that the shampoo contained special detoxifying ingredients.
One of the biggest myths they promoted involved Propylene Glycol, claiming it was the secret ingredient responsible for removing drug metabolites.
In reality, propylene glycol is simply a common wetting agent used in countless cosmetic products.
The “Old Formula” Marketing Story
When Nexxus eventually discontinued Aloe Rid in the mid-2000s, marketers used the opportunity to push a new narrative.
They claimed:
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Only the “old formula” worked
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The new formula was ineffective
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The old bottles supposedly had higher propylene glycol levels
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Some even claimed special barcodes identified the real product
These stories had no scientific basis but created a powerful marketing tool.
Sellers began charging extremely high prices for remaining stock, sometimes repackaging or reselling bottles at many times the original retail price.
The Truth About the Ingredients
The primary functional ingredient in Aloe Rid was EDTA, a mineral chelator used in many shampoos.
Meanwhile, propylene glycol—often promoted as the “secret detox chemical”—was simply a wetting agent used in thousands of cosmetic products.
It was never the active ingredient, and it has no known ability to remove drug metabolites from hair.
Key Takeaway
The reputation of Aloe Rid as a “hair detox shampoo” was created by marketing and internet myths, not chemistry.
In reality, it was just a standard clarifying salon product designed to remove mineral buildup before hair treatments, not a miracle solution for passing drug tests.
Remember This mass of product was in gallons so they claimed they had to PUMP IT FROM GALLONS to fill plain bottles. The pumped from gallons was born . They even had a video showing them supposedly pumping aloe rid shampoo from gallons, only it was a half gallon jug of the TREATMENT not the shampoo !! They even put the video link on the bottle encase anyone questioned the reason the website posted an image of nexxus aloe rid only to received a plain bottle with plain label ( aside from this small print mention it would be considered a bait and switch scheme ) .This is where the pumped from gallons tag line that is still used today by them comes from.
but then the gallons ran out around 2009.
Not to let a small thing like honesty get in the way the con artist started filling bottles with god knows what, It was not even the same color as aloe rid and now the brazen con artist put a label on it using the aloe rid trademark . this is called counterfeiting in most courts.
Next they devised a scheme claiming they had obtained a boat load of the original product, claiming they found 55 gallon barrels of the special barcode stuff.( do BARRELS have bar codes? ) they also later claimed to had obtained 5 gallon containers neither have i ever seen .
The excuse for this is still online claiming . " The reason for this, is that we
bought in bulk for our supply. We have large 1 and 5 gallon containers
of the Nexxus Aloe Rid which we use to to pump out the 5 ounces of
shampoo into our own generic bottles. "
Aloe Rid does not have a guarantee........ What does that mean? It means that the Old Style Aloe Rid
(which is the only version we carry, ( notice read BETWEEN the lines they didnt say we carry NEXXUS ) although we do send you the shampoo
in generic 5 ounce bottles, so please be aware of this) is not covered
by the manufacturer as it is out of production with Nexxus.... it's not covered under guarantee
of refund for failure. "
IS IT ME OR DOES IT SEEM THEY PURPOSELY CONFUSE THE CUSTOMERS
seems like allot of shenanigans to sell a 5 oz bottle of commercial shampoo for over 200.00
What do you call it when a website post a image like this
Show you a video like this
But then sends you this ?.... what would you call that?
Bait and Switch
Some courts have likened initial interest confusion to “bait and switch” tactics, long condemned as a deceptive advertising practice. See Dorr-Oliver, Inc. v. Fluid-Quip, Inc., 94 F.3d 376, 382 (7th Cir. 1996). But the classic bait and switch tactic differs somewhat from trademark infringement.
In the classic initial interest confusion case, the defendant adopts a
mark that is similar to plaintiff’s mark. The defendant’s similar
mark is used to attract potential customers. Although eventually the
customers realize with whom they are dealing, the use of the mark to
create an initial attraction to the defendant through the mistaken
belief that the defendant is in fact the plaintiff constitutes trademark
infringement.
trademark infringement
ILL JUST LEAVE THIS HERE FOR YOU TO READ
15 U.S. Code § 1114.
I(1) Any person who shall, without the consent of the registrant—
Finally sometime in 2018 we noticed they suddenly changed their name and removed
all
aloe rid pictures and the pumped from gallons video
disappeared....anyone want to guess why they would suddenly drop what some may call a
bait n switch trademark infringement counterfeit scheme ?
At the same time they suddenly changed their name from aloe rid they used a modified version of a different product name of theirs that matched a URL we obtained in anticipation of new products. At first I got triggered as i though they were doing me as they did nexxus. I now know they changed label from aloe rid to T**** just weeks before so its seems to be coincidence both using aloe rid key word.
As of Today
So
the new label no longer carries the trademark infringing ALOE RID
mark. But a program of years of confusion alluding to it as synonymous
with original formula nexxus aloe rid and its propylene glycol myth continues.
many people seeking nexxus aloe rid due to ignorance and being sold on the aloe rid / propalyne glycol MYTH that it works for destroying drugs in hair could be confused and purchase NON NEXXUS Aloe Rid and may even feel cheated wanting a refund.
This would be the fault of the seller marketing a lie ( ITS CALLED CONTRIBUTORY NEGLIGENCE ) / promoter of the confusion not the one who is exposing it, especially when a product still
conducts a purposeful wordage like ........... " pumped from gallons" and "old style ".
old style WHAT ? pumped from gallons of WHAT ? go ahead and ask them .
new label using a tag line "old style " ( not original formula and their is no "new style" ) and
" pumped from gallons " ? alluding to it was pumped from gallons of NEXXUS aloe rid which most could call deceptive trade practices .
MACUJO WHO USES THE TIRED OLD PROPLYNE GLYCOL MYTH
promoting the special barcode nonsense
AGAIN, Propylene Glycol IS NOT A ACTIVE INGREDIENT,( its also at bottom of list because its very weak ) EDTA is the active ingredient and its in all commercial clarifying shampoos.
Propylene Glycol is a wetting agent only. Both EDTA and propylene glycol are in many commercial shampoos. Their IS NO provable effect or difference in these or say SUAVE clarifying shampoo for 5.00. other than .25 worth of PG
As for PG being so "special " you can get a whole bottle of Propylene glycol from a vap shop supply store for a few bucks. So dump some PG in a big ass bottle of suave and you have same clarifyer (15 x's of it) with propylene glycol for 10.00 bucks if you actually believed in the PG nonsense.
All "METHODS" are used to sell Schampoos
These aloe rid and the knockoff shampoos that are sold in METHOD promotions which exist solely to sell shcampoo that admittedly do NOTHING. As you need to use another 100.00 worth of household items to TRY and create any reduction makes these an even bigger deception than this propylene glycol nonsense but that's for another article .
