The Long Hair Community

GlebeGirl · July 24th, 2006, 01:18 PM

I described in my journal how I recently had a bit of a breakdown in my hair care ideals. For over two years now I've been cone and sulfate free, and I'm just no longer convinced that it's made an appreciable difference in my hair overall. In fact, some things just make it look worse. I had a friend gently point out to me that my hair was looking especially strange and dull after a week or so of using a new CO conditioner, when I'd actually thought it was looking all right. On closer inspection, I decided she was right and I'd been going more by how my hair felt than how it looked. It felt great; all soft and slippery, but it looked puffy and dull.

So, I bought a sulfate shampoo and cone conditioner last week and have been using them. I'm actually really happy with how my hair has been looking and behaving since, and I've been getting a lot of unsolicited hair compliments, too.

What I want to know is how many others are here that are doing the same thing (no matter the brand) and don't have any problems as a result?

FWIW, I've been using the Zeller's store brand knockoff of the Dove Moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. So far I love it!

starfire · July 24th, 2006, 01:51 PM

Up until 3 weeks ago, I used regular shampoo/conditioner. Now I CO, but my conditioner still has cones. Maybe my hair would be alright with cone-free conditioner for CO... but I know I've tried VO5, Suave, etc before and found that they didn't moisturize my hair enough when used after shampooing. Wow, did that make sense to anyone besides me?
Anyways, I'm happy CO'ing with my cone conditioner so far....

nsanders · July 24th, 2006, 02:01 PM

Yes, yes, yes!

When I found "hair sites," my hair was in terrific shape. I was only looking for new styles. But, I started reading the recommendations and thought what the heck.

I followed many bits of advice here for about a year. Tried C/O. Tried no sulfates. Tried no cones. I thought I was doing all of these wonderful things for my hair. Like you said ... it "felt" fine. But, then I was at a party with my hairdresser, and she commented that my hair didn't look so great. I started taking a closer look, and my hair was dull, dry, and full of splits!

I have since returned to most of my old practices. Mainly, I refuse to look at the ingredients of a hair care product. I only buy products that are "moisturizing" for "dry, brittle hair." And, I sniff it to see if I like the smell (this is really important).

That was about a year ago. My hair is still on the mend, but it looks better now ... much shinier. I rotate products. As soon as I run out of something, I buy a different product. I have used Dove's Moisturizing S & C, Suave's Humectant S & C, and Pantene's new moisturizing line S & C. I just bought the new Sunsilk moisturizing line S & C, but I haven't used it yet. I have had no adverse effects from using any of these products. My hair seems very happy.

I do continue to use one product that I adore. I used it in the days before the "hair sites," and I continue to use it now ... Biolage Conditioning Balm.

I have been rotating S/C and C/O every other day, but I am still not convinced that C/O works. I may be going back to a straight S/C soon.

I am so glad to hear that someone else has had issues with advice given. My hair doesn't think that sulfates and cones are the devil. Does that make me a freak?

joyinc · July 24th, 2006, 03:55 PM

i have problems with going that route as well... i always wind up alternating back and forth!

ShanaMaidela · July 24th, 2006, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nsanders

Does that make me a freak?

If it does, then I am a freak too!

I went cone/sulfate free earlier this year for about three months. It was also at the time when I stretched my washings from everyday to every other. I don't know if it made it easier or not. My hair was ok on the no cone thing but as it grew, it was getting harder to detangle without it being a major project. It was also expensive. So I went back to Garnier Fructis. The first time I used it after the few months of not, I couldn't believe the difference in my hair. It was so soft, shiny and easy to comb!

I still have the cone free stuff and I might use it again once in awhile but I don't think I'll be giving up cones again. My hair seems to like them!
That being said, I do find it necessary to clarify with vinegar once in awhile to get rid of buildup.

annarose · July 24th, 2006, 04:40 PM

I was a regular co'er but have since went back to shampooing, sometimes with sulfates sometimes with Jessicurl and my hair is much better now. I have my shine and swing back, and I look so much fuller too, and I don't see any more damage than with coing.
Now I wonder why I put myself through looking so flat and greasy everyday thinking it was helping my hair but I was really disliking it more each day. I got to the point of wondering why I was growing it if I had to look bad everyday, when was I ever going to look good? That was when I went back.

Polgara · July 24th, 2006, 05:03 PM

Just wondering if you also used oils when you were cone and sulphate free? I have been COing (cone free) for about three months and didn't see an appreciable improvement until i started adding oils into the routine.

It has taken some tweaking but am at a point where i do an olive oil and honey treatment every two weeks, heavilly coconut oil before a wash (x2/wk) and use jojoba oil as a leave in. I also add honey (lots of) when i put my conditioner in which (i think) also helps keep in moisture.

I imagine this will be further refined over time and am already finding that i need to use less oil.

My hair is very happy these days and is the most moisturised its ever been and much shinier than i ever thought possible. In my case hair improvement has been a cumulation of lots of little changes, rather than just the CO or cone free.

...anyways, didn't want to hijack your thread but was wondering what your overall routine was back when you were cone and sulphate free...?

Medievalhair · July 24th, 2006, 05:44 PM

I do use cone and sulfate products, My loves cones. But my hair is very picky about what kind of cone. It's in a much better state now.

GlebeGirl · July 24th, 2006, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nsanders

I am so glad to hear that someone else has had issues with advice given. My hair doesn't think that sulfates and cones are the devil. Does that make me a freak?

I don't want it to sound like I'm against the idea of cone-free and sulfate-free! I'm not at all. What I'm getting at is that I suspect I should be much less anti-cones and sulfates.

Going cone-free and sulfate-free didn't damage my hair. I have no problems with certain conditioners for CO. White Rain has always worked reliably for me, it's just not reliably found in stores, so I get frustrated with the effort involved in having it on hand.

In looking back at old pictures of my hair pre-LHC, however, I see that my hair looked great. I think that any splits I had then weren't so much the result of products used, but practices like blowdrying and using combs with seams. So, I'm looking forward to seeing the results of using this shampoo and conditioner for an extended period!

ShanaMaidela · July 24th, 2006, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlebeGirl

In looking back at old pictures of my hair pre-LHC, however, I see that my hair looked great. I think that any splits I had then weren't so much the result of products used, but practices like blowdrying and using combs with seams. So, I'm looking forward to seeing the results of using this shampoo and conditioner for an extended period!

I think that's why my hair wasn't looking so great. I was blowdrying it almost everyday, using velcro rollers and a nasty round brush on my hair. It looks much better now that I am not blowdrying it and treating it unkindly.

DMARTINEZ · July 24th, 2006, 07:29 PM

I do a varied routine. Sometimes I CO, sometimes, I S&C with sulphates and
use a light cone leave in after a no-cone conditioner. Sometimes I use sulphate
free shampoo and use the matching conditioner which has cones....its a very
diverse routine right now. I see nothing wrong with cones, CO,shampoos with
sulphates, and no sulphate shampoos. Variety is the spice of life sometimes!

Deb

Sapphire'sWings · July 24th, 2006, 09:58 PM

I like my cones and my sulfates.I tried no cones once,but my hair tangled really bad,even if it was still nice and healthy.My tangle prone hair needs the cones.I have not seen any bad side effects from cones and sulfates,and my hair looks really nice and has very defined waves.I like to CWC and use shampoo with sodium laureth sulfate.As long as I'm not shampooing the length often,my hair doesn't suffer.

Lola19 · July 24th, 2006, 10:10 PM

It's kind of funny, but I also think I may be going back to cones. I've been cone free since early april and I think my hair likes cones better. I've also noticed that I've had a hard time with my hair getting tangled alot more.
Does this happen to anyone? If I wear my hair down too long, the bottom hairs that lay on my back end up getting tangled. I hate it! I suspect cones in conditioners and going back to serums with cones will help this problem....

Antares · July 25th, 2006, 12:44 AM

Count me in as another who uses cones. I tried going cone-free when I first found this site, and my hair didn't seem to like it at all. Going back to using cones helped it a lot - it tangles a lot less when I use cones, and the damage I was causing by trying to detangle without the assistance of cones was negating all the possible good effects of going cone-free.

I guess it all just depends on the individual - some people can benefit from going cone-free, while for some of us cones aren't a bad thing.

lillielil · July 25th, 2006, 02:34 AM

I sort of went cone-free CO when I found this site, but now I'm mixing things up a bit.

Looking back, I've used all kinds of products to clean my hair, and they've never really caused a problem. Like some others said, what did the most damage was heat styling and aggressive brushing/combing. In my case there was also a lot of bleach involved.

My hair was the nicest and longest in high school, when I used either Suave Coconut S/C or Suave Citrus S/C (before they reformulated it). I used to get compliments on how it looked and how it felt all the time. That was cone-free (not because I was reading ingredients, but because I was cheap), but not special in any other way.