PDA

View Full Version : coneheads: trouble finding a coney routine



bubastis
October 3rd, 2013, 02:06 PM
After being cone free for about eight months I've decided it isnt for me.My length is simply too damaged at the moment and while my previous cone free routine made my hair very soft,it was also frizzy,dry looking and I seemed to be getting more and more splits.So I started using a coney conditioner again (herbal essences,contains amodimethicone) and bought a coney serum as well.But I am having some trouble figuring out the rest of my routine...I used to do a lot of smts and other deep conditioning treatments,mixing honey through my conditioner etc. I also used mineral oil as a leave in.I am wondering if I can still use these things at the same time as coney products,or will they just sit on top of the silicones and do nothing? I quite like the results I get from cones but I do still have very dry hair and I miss my long deep treatments :) Somehow it makes me feel as if I am neglecting my hair lol.Sorry if this particular question has been answered before,but I could not find any recent threads adressing this specifically.

Cherry*Tree
October 3rd, 2013, 10:50 PM
Haha, I had no idea I was a conehead! (Oops)

I use Herbal Essences, and was to lazy to check for cones. :p

Well, I had some idea, but you know what I mean.

Panth
October 4th, 2013, 12:45 AM
A lot of those other treatments you mention are meant to sit on top of the hair. So, just be careful with the order of treatments with the few that are supposed to penetrate into the hair (e.g. overnight coconut heavy oiling).

biogirl87
October 4th, 2013, 01:22 AM
bubastis, I think it is generally recommended (I think I saw this on naturallycurly.com) to use oils before using cones in your routine. This was one of the reasons that made me want to try to make a cone-free routine work for me once I started exploring oiling my hair. Especially with coconut oil, I don't know how well it would penetrate your hair (using you in the general sense) if you use conditioners with cones. Hope this helps a bit.

bubastis
October 4th, 2013, 08:01 AM
Thank you for your replies! I already suspected that oiling over cones wouldn't work as well,but I was wondering about some other stuff such as honey,aloe etc. I know those are humectants,but I am not sure if they would still work when mixed in with a coney conditioner? Right now I am using smt to moisturize right after I clarify,but my hair needs a lot of moisture and clarifying weekly would kind of defeat the purpose :hmm:

nobeltonya
October 4th, 2013, 09:18 AM
I use Sunsilk Soft & Smooth shampoo, which has some cones. Aussie Miraculously Smooth conditioner works best with it. And Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Intensely Smooth leave-in (also some cones). You have to find the right combination of shampoo and conditioner, because they don't all work well together. I also have to have cones or my hair is more dry, tangly.. and I oil every other night, but I only use coconut oil (currently using some boiled with curry leaves, but pure CO is good by itself also). I cannot use mineral oil in my hair at all.. for some, it works really well. But not for my hair.. you just have to experiment and find what works for you. :) Also, I find my hair is less frizzy and a little more smooth if I.braid or bun wet for several hours vs letting it air dry loose.

I also tried (several weeks ago) a hair mask of several tbsp olive oil, 1-2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 egg. It was interesting, and I want to try to do it regularly every few weeks (I don't have he patience every week). It has to sit for several hours to soak and wash out like normal, but not with hot water (I tend to use relatively hot water). :disco:

nobeltonya
October 4th, 2013, 09:27 AM
bubastis, I think it is generally recommended (I think I saw this on naturallycurly.com) to use oils before using cones in your routine. This was one of the reasons that made me want to try to make a cone-free routine work for me once I started exploring oiling my hair. Especially with coconut oil, I don't know how well it would penetrate your hair (using you in the general sense) if you use conditioners with cones. Hope this helps a bit.

I don't seem to have a problem absorbing the coconut oil with cones, but I also apply it liberally and at night, so it has plenty of time to soak in by the time I wash in the morning. I've read that the oil will still penetrate, but you'd have to worry about build up. It also depends on the oil you use, because some penetrate better than others regardless of whether you use cones or not. :disco:

nobeltonya
October 4th, 2013, 09:28 AM
bubastis, I think it is generally recommended (I think I saw this on naturallycurly.com) to use oils before using cones in your routine. This was one of the reasons that made me want to try to make a cone-free routine work for me once I started exploring oiling my hair. Especially with coconut oil, I don't know how well it would penetrate your hair (using you in the general sense) if you use conditioners with cones. Hope this helps a bit.

I don't seem to have a problem absorbing the coconut oil with cones, but I also apply it liberally and at night, so it has plenty of time to soak in by the time I wash in the morning. I've read that the oil will still penetrate, but you'd have to worry about build up. It also depends on the oil you use, because some penetrate better than others regardless of whether you use cones or not. :disco:

Panth
October 4th, 2013, 12:46 PM
Thank you for your replies! I already suspected that oiling over cones wouldn't work as well,but I was wondering about some other stuff such as honey,aloe etc. I know those are humectants,but I am not sure if they would still work when mixed in with a coney conditioner? Right now I am using smt to moisturize right after I clarify,but my hair needs a lot of moisture and clarifying weekly would kind of defeat the purpose :hmm:

1) Humectants generally only sit on the surface of hair.
2) Cones do not completely seal the hair.

I.e. you should be fine.

bubastis
October 4th, 2013, 02:36 PM
great to know that I can drench my hair in all sorts of weird concoctions again then :D Thanks so much for clearing that up for me!

Panth
October 4th, 2013, 02:45 PM
great to know that I can drench my hair in all sorts of weird concoctions again then :D Thanks so much for clearing that up for me!

I think your main problem is just going to be keeping an eye out for build-up. That won't be a constant problem per se (i.e. I don't think you're going to get massive build-up really quickly) but it would have the potential to stop your other treatments from working properly. Just a regular, thin, everyday coating of cones is probably fine.

jacqueline101
October 4th, 2013, 03:09 PM
I use vo5 split ends set its got shine enhancers so I'm guessing cones and once a week tresseme shine spray. Monthly lustrasilk Shea butter and mango cholesterol treatment I'm not sure if it's cones followed by Aussie 3 min miracle. Monday Wednesday Friday vo5 keep me strong leave in I think is cone. As far as the groups go im not sure.

bubastis
October 4th, 2013, 03:13 PM
I do worry about the build up issue,so I'll probably clarify every two weeks or so to be sure.I find it hard to recognize build up on my hair though,since it is so damaged its natural state is often the dry,crunchy feeling often described as product build up.I'm relatively new to the forum and I've been reading the articles and stickies,but there is such a wealth of information on here that it is often quite overwhelming and somewhat confusing,so I'll probably be tweaking my routine for a while to come:) It's very nice that the people who've been on here for longer take the time to answer newbie questions,even if they've probably been asked hundreds of times before :)

biogirl87
October 4th, 2013, 03:25 PM
jacqueline101, I don't know if the VO5 Split Ends set you have has cones in it or not, but I just the ingredients for this set on the VO5 website and they don't list cones in the ingredients.

bubastis, the VO5 and the Suave lines are generally cone-free. The only VO5 and Suave lines in the US that have cones in them are the Professionals/Salon Series lines. I don't know if this is the same way in Belgium.

biogirl87
October 4th, 2013, 03:27 PM
I do worry about the build up issue,so I'll probably clarify every two weeks or so to be sure.I find it hard to recognize build up on my hair though,since it is so damaged its natural state is often the dry,crunchy feeling often described as product build up.I'm relatively new to the forum and I've been reading the articles and stickies,but there is such a wealth of information on here that it is often quite overwhelming and somewhat confusing,so I'll probably be tweaking my routine for a while to come:) It's very nice that the people who've been on here for longer take the time to answer newbie questions,even if they've probably been asked hundreds of times before :)bubastis, have you tried the L'oreal Total Repair lines? They are more for damaged hair and they might be helpful for your hair.

bubastis
October 4th, 2013, 03:37 PM
I've actually just bought the mask from the l'oreal professional absolut repair range,I will be trying it soon :-) I've used the repairing conditioners from gliss kur,but they made my hair freak out...they contain a lot of protein and I think my hair doesnt like that. Since the lengths have been bleached before I changed my evil ways I would think it would need protein,but it makes it even dryer even though I always do a moisturizing treatment after :rolleyes:

we don't have vo5 or suave in Belgium unfortunately!

makeminea99
October 4th, 2013, 03:38 PM
I too have been debating the cones V no cones business. I now tend to flit between them every so often, although one self imposed rule I stick to is not to use a shampoo with cones in - the way I see it, I tend to use a sulphate (but cone-free) shampoo, so if I'm using a cone-y conditioner every so often ( or styling product, eg heat protector spray for those occasions when I blow the dust off my straighteners ;-) ) it will be washed off the next time I wash my hair. Not only that, this gives me an excuse to indulge my product junkie tendencies without detriment to my hair! (I hope this makes sense, I have had a few glasses of wine this evening . . .

jacqueline101
October 4th, 2013, 03:44 PM
jacqueline101, I don't know if the VO5 Split Ends set you have has cones in it or not, but I just the ingredients for this set on the VO5 website and they don't list cones in the ingredients.

bubastis, the VO5 and the Suave lines are generally cone-free. The only VO5 and Suave lines in the US that have cones in them are the Professionals/Salon Series lines. I don't know if this is the same way in Belgium.

I didn't know the bottle said shine enhancers so I guessed cones but I do enjoy them. I'm pretty sure the tresseme shine spray is a cone. The Aussie 3 min miracle is. I'm glad you helped me on that.

bubastis
October 4th, 2013, 03:46 PM
It makes perfect sense to me,but dh and I have also been hitting the wine bottle this evening so maybe we're just on the same level :D
I second the cone free shampoo for the reasons you mentioned,and also because I have this irrational fear of putting silicones on my scalp...like they would clog my pores and suffocate my follicles and make me go bald :p Totally irrational of course since there are cones in most facial creams too :rolleyes:

PrincessIdril
October 4th, 2013, 03:55 PM
If you are using a sulphate poo you might not have to worry too much about build up.
I'm a curly and I've been using cones weekly for over a year now (prior to that it was just monthly uses of Aussie 3 min miracle, now I do that and use Aussie's curl serum once a week and their Luscious Long leave in quite frequently) and I've never clarified or noticed any build up and my curls still look pretty darn good. Hair masks and coconut oil still work and I think it is because I use sulphate poos every wash (twice a week). Specifically the Lush shampoo bars.

Good luck figuring out your routine :)