Couldn't handle it and cut my hair off to apl...

[pinchbeck]

My long hair journey has been a rough one that has consisted of frustration due to having so many knots mid shaft. It amazes me how folks with hair longer than just below elbow who have tangle issues can handle detangling and the mechanical damage that follows. I cut my hair to apl and felt the freedom of no longer having to fight with snarls.

Although the above is one of my 'cutting my hair all off' dreams, I continually have them and know the root cause (no pun intended) is due to damaging my hair when I don't want to.

So, after ll these years I've finally caved in to using products with silicones. A couple of years ago it was suggested I use them, but as many are in the 'no cone club' I too wanted to be a part of it and stubbornness got the best of me. Now, I've opened my mind and am learning to weigh pros and cons to using products with silicones. It is: cut my hair off to a manageable length vs. keeping my length and managing it with silicone laden products which causes buildup that can be combated by clarifying.

How many of you have decided after being in the no cone club that using them is the only way to keep your long hair?

[Panth]

I really don't understand why so many people are so dogmatic about 'cones. Really, they're not going to ruin your hair. It's not the end of the world if you use them. It's ok...

[Arete]

If cones work for your hair, GREAT! My scalp/hair really don't like cones They make my hair feel limp and gross and I get oily hair, which I never have a problem otherwise. Other folks find that cones give them the slip they need. You may just need to clarify more often as cones will build up on your hair.

[Kina]

Everyone's hair is different, so different things work for them. I went no cones for a bit and my hair HATED IT. I need to use cones or I have a bush on my head that needs a machete to get through.

I think it's whatever works for you. Sure some people are adamant about it, but you know what? They can't come through the screen and get you so....

[MINAKO]

cones ftw!!! i would have never gotten past waist without them.

[meteor]

Yep, I'm a huge fan of cones, too! :D
Great for slip and shine if your hair needs them.
Not to mention that there are lots of silicones that are volatile (evaporate on their own), water-soluble, and even the non-soluble ones can be removed with gentle shampoos and many SLS-free shampoos.

I actually have serious trouble finding ANY research to support the idea that silicones are in any way bad for hair or skin. It's much easier to find research showing that some natural oils can be problematic (potentially irritating, pore-clogging, SD-triggering, etc), rather than cones. :hmm:

Does anybody have any links to "cone-disparaging" scientific research? I'd love to figure out the real causes for the bad rep.

[jeanniet]

The only reason I don't use cones is because they just don't get on with my hair. Otherwise, I'd have no problem with them. I think they're a godsend to a lot of people.

[Chromis]

The only reason I don't use cones is because they just don't get on with my hair. Otherwise, I'd have no problem with them. I think they're a godsend to a lot of people.

Ditto!

Use whatever works for you. There are probably just as many cone-users as not-cone-users here anyhow.

[MINAKO]

i dont think there is any major evidence to back up that myth meteor.
i always though that the reason why women like to jump on that train and put a gap between themselves and the apparently BD silicones has more to do with breast than haircare, its a very superficial approach to prove that natural is better.
no offense, of course its each to their own as in everything, but certain problems cannot be targeted with natural haircare. people who grow perfect hair to begin with are genetically belessed enough to get away with it, but thats not the case for everyone.

[spidermom]

I tried no-cones just to be in the "in" crowd, but I didn't like it. Cones make my hair so much easier to untangle.

[Halliday]

I would love to use cones and get good results, but unfortunately they make my hair dry, rough, tangly and clumpy. I have been no cones for a year and not going back. :run:

[Nadine <3]

I'm cone free but only because they make my hair stringy and lifeless. They're great for untangling though, I would use them if my hair liked them!

[FallingDarkness]

My hair likes both cones and no cones. But I think that it appreciates no cones a little bit more. Vo5 ftw :)

[Beborani]

Cones don't even have to be water soluble. Oil isn't and gets out of hair easily. I use cones both in conditoners and as serum and cowash. I have not shampooed my hair in over a year and have had no problems at all, so I don't get the fuss. I will say this--hennaing and indigoing have reduced the need for serum except occasionally--I did not expect that but am in general 100% pro anything that helps whether it is made in a lab or grown in nature.

[pittsburgpam]

My hair is fine and it tangles easily so I use something like silk drops (can't remember exactly what it is right now) when I need it. Yesterday my hair was behaving badly and rather than get damage from combing it out I rubbed the liquid on my hands and ran it through the last couple of feet of hair. SOOOOOO much better, silky smooth and no tangles.

Use whatever works for you no matter what someone else says.

[JellyBene]

The idea that gives cones a bad rep is that they hide damage, making people with really unhealthy hair think its not so bad and keep doing terrible things to it (ie straightening, curling irons, bleaching). But on normal healthy hair and certainly LHC hair they can just add a little bit of slip and protection and shine! nothing wrong with that at all! My favorite coney condish is Tresseme silky smooth :)

[meteor]

Cones don't even have to be water soluble. Oil isn't and gets out of hair easily. I use cones both in conditoners and as serum and cowash. I have not shampooed my hair in over a year and have had no problems at all, so I don't get the fuss. I will say this--hennaing and indigoing have reduced the need for serum except occasionally--I did not expect that but am in general 100% pro anything that helps whether it is made in a lab or grown in nature.

That's exactly my philosophy, too! :hifive: Plus, it's nice to know that some useful stuff can come from labs to help us with hair. :D

Oh, silicone use in skin care and hair care goes back to the 1950s! That's almost as old and tried and tested as panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), which was at the very foundation of the then new Pantene (http://www.pg.com/en_US/brands/global_beauty/pantene.shtml). I have never heard any attacks on panthenol, despite the fact that it is a compound produced in a lab. Actually, all natural oils, extracts, etc have to go through a lab in order to end up in "natural" hair care products.
Here's more on history of silicones in personal care applications: http://www.dowcorning.com/content/publishedlit/chapter16.pdf

[maborosi]

I tried cone-free, too, but I prefer cones when I want my hair in a ponytail or down because no oil comes close (except maybe grapeseed for me) to giving me the detangling and smoothing benefits of cones.
The only problem with them for me is that they make my hair so smooth and slippery that it's sometimes hard to keep it in a braid or updo.

[sarahthegemini]

I don't understand why you would rather sacrifice your 'long hair dream' just to avoid silicones :-/ They're really not the devil...

[vega]

I was cone free for 5 years swell as sulfate free , I've gone back to em and I'm reaping the rewards I didn't re use what my hair was missing , it's going o much longer and softer , it really depends what's best for you x

[pinchbeck]

I don't understand why you would rather sacrifice your 'long hair dream' just to avoid silicones :-/ They're really not the devil...

Well thankfully I opened my eyes to the fact I need cones. I'd prefer to find a serum that contains water soluble cones, but doubt any exist. Now that I know cones aren't the devil I will let my hair continue past it's pathetic 29" length (it's pathetic because I continually cut too much off the ends and had one big 9" chop three years ago which left me with 20" long hair). I am at the beginning stages of being called a longhair.

It is nice to know that other members are having success with cones. Now I am in the "say yes to cones" club. :applause

ETA: I find it interesting that this post has received so many views within its first couple of hours. Do that many people find "I cut my hair off" threads that intriguing? If so, why? This is off topic and if it has been discussed, please redirect, if not maybe it would be interesting to create a post about this.

[sourgrl]

I am at that point in my hair journey. I have been cone free for the most part for 2 years, only using cones during the winter and on the rare occasion I use heat. I like my hair better without the cones. But I have fine, swavy strands that have started to get fairy knots since I passed waist. The only thing I have discovered that helps with the fairy knots is the cones.

So my options are to 1: go cone free, never wear it down to help prevent fairy knots, and cut out the knots when they appear or 2: work cones into my routine, lose some of the wave (cones weigh down my waves) and enjoy my new length without having to worry about fairy knots.

Seems like a no brainer.

[Nique1202]

I used to use 'cones when I was using plain drug store products, and they weighed my hair down and made it limp and waxy and boring. I thought I just had flat, straight, plain hair until I got it washed at a salon with a clarifying shampoo, and it sprung to life. So, I went cone-free for several years, until I started growing my hair out and it hit about APL-BSL and I realized that it was going to tangle and be dry as the desert even with oiling between washes.

Then I started alternating a cheap coney rinse-out conditioner and a no-cone leave-in conditioner at each wash, which is what I do now. Since I'm now stretching washes to 6-7 days, I have to use a "once a week deep cleaning" shampoo at every wash, but it seems to be a really good balance for my very-prone-to-buildup hair.

[swearnsue]

I can't grow past 23 inches without cones. I started using Pantene products with cones and my hair has grown over 2 inches in the last few months, where before it just kept breaking back to 23 inches.

[DreamSheep]

The only time I tried a conditioner I didn't like (ie - detangling was painful) was with a biodegradable coneless conditioner.
So I know for myself cones is what has enabled me to grow longer hair that is virtually tangle free.
I am also curious to know why some people state cones have a bad reputation. I know they can hide damage that is already there, but that isn't a bad thing to me :p

[chen bao jun]

I tried no cones for two weeks and went right back to them. I also use tresemme smooth and silky as a leave in.
I think people are silly about cones. If your hair likes them they are a blessing of modern technology. I for one would not go back to out door toilets and no antibiotics, even if I don't want to eat hormone fed cickens. As Minato said, silicone in your boobs is not the same as silicone in your hsir. And heck, silicone in your boobs can be great too. My friend had breast cancer, double mastectomy, with silicone, she looks just the same.

[Chromis]

ETA: I find it interesting that this post has received so many views within its first couple of hours. Do that many people find "I cut my hair off" threads that intriguing? If so, why? This is off topic and if it has been discussed, please redirect, if not maybe it would be interesting to create a post about this.

I would assume at least some of these views are from one-handed surfers or people who stop to rubberneck and gawk. The Mane Forum is public although I am not sure if views from "guests" are counted. We do have a lot of members who prefer to lurk as well. (Not that lurking is necessarily nefarious! Just that the number of people looking versus commenting can be vastly different)

[pinchbeck]

I would assume at least some of these views are from one-handed surfers or people who stop to rubberneck and gawk. The Mane Forum is public although I am not sure if views from "guests" are counted. We do have a lot of members who prefer to lurk as well. (Not that lurking is necessarily nefarious! Just that the number of people looking versus commenting can be vastly different)

In my whole history of posting never have any received over 500 views in less than four hours; it took weeks to get to that point. I was more referring to people taking more of an interest in 'cutting hair off ' posts rather than how many comments the post receives.

I looked up rubbernecking and it is defined as: turn one's head to stare at something in a foolish manner. Really? Some are looking at this 'cut my hair off' post in a foolish manner or does rubbernecking mean something else?


I can't grow past 23 inches without cones. I started using Pantene products with cones and my hair has grown over 2 inches in the last few months, where before it just kept breaking back to 23 inches. Interesting and something for me to ponder. :)

[Chromis]

There are people with a haircutting f*tsh out there...

Rubbernecking usually refers to when people slow down to gawk at an accident as they go by. Some people seem to get a kick out of these cutting threads for whatever reason.

[pearlsandpinups]

I love cones! They give my hair shine and slip and I can't imagine my hair without them. :)

[Islandgrrl]

It may also be that since we are all about long hair here that when we see a thread about cutting hair off we are curious and want to know what happened!

Ultimately, OP, it's all about you being happy with your hair. Long or short, cones or no cones, I hope you're happy with your hair!

[pinchbeck]

Oops...double post.

[pinchbeck]

It may also be that since we are all about long hair here that when we see a thread about cutting hair off we are curious and want to know what happened!

Ultimately, OP, it's all about you being happy with your hair. Long or short, cones or no cones, I hope you're happy with your hair!

I am happy with it long when it is manageable and now that I'm being a little more open I will take advantage of what different hair products have to offer.

Can anyone suggest water soluble coney hair serums or is it best not to place too much emphasis on that? Furthermore, if cones coat the hair how do oils in some hair serums penetrate the hair? Is there any benefit to having them as an added ingredient?

[LauraLongLocks]

Dimethicone is water permeable.

http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2011/01/ingredients-dictionary-dimethicone.html

I use cones liberally. You might say I'm a cone abuser. I haven't tried to go no-cones, because, well, I'm perfectly happy with cones. So why fix what isn't broken? I am fine with clarifying my hair once a month to prevent build-up. It's really not a deal-breaker for me to have to clarify. They hide damage, right? And this is bad because...? If cones can keep my hair from looking ratty and damaged, then I get to keep more length. Yay! If they help to temporarily seal split ends so they don't look horrible, yay! Less S&D and microtrimming! Cones make hair slippery, yay! That means I can detangle easier and have fewer tangles to begin with, which means less mechanical damage, which means more length. Yay! I can't see how this is a bad thing.

[Halliday]

^^ I agree with you LLL. Very pleased to hear dimethicone is water permeable :Star:

[pinchbeck]

^^ I agree with you LLL. Very pleased to hear dimethicone is water permeable :Star:

Through further reading on soluble cones vs. non soluble cones it turns out that dimethicone on its own isn't soluble but is when the word copolyol follows. See below taken from the link below. This list has probably been copied & pasted hundreds of times on LHC!:

https://www.nenonatural.com/hair-blog/-water-soluble-vs-non-soluble-silicones-found-in-hair-products

Water-soluble (will not buildup on hair; can be washed out with just water)
Dimethicone copolyol
Hydrolyzed wheat protein (hydroxypropyl polysiloxane)
Lauryl methicone copolyol
Silicones with PEG listed before it

Slightly soluble / evaporate from hair (may buildup in hair; can usually be co-washed out)
Amodimethicone
Behenoxy dimethicone
Cyclohexasiloxane
Cyclomethicone
Cyclotetrasiloxane
Stearoxy dimethicone

Not water-soluble (will buildup in hair and need a sulfate shampoo to be washed out)
Cetearyl methicone
Cetyl dimethicone
Cyclopentasiloxane
Dimethicone
Dimethiconol
Phenyl Trimethicone
Stearyl dimethicone
Trimethylsilylamodimethicone

[Panth]

Hydrolysed wheat protein isn't a 'cone. Other than that, that list is pretty accurate.

[pinchbeck]

Hydrolysed wheat protein isn't a 'cone. Other than that, that list is pretty accurate.

No it is not by itself but added to but added to hydroxypropyl polysiloxane apparently it is. It can get confusing. :rolleyes:

[lapushka]

I really don't understand why so many people are so dogmatic about 'cones. Really, they're not going to ruin your hair. It's not the end of the world if you use them. It's ok...

Yes. This. ^^ It's just another hair product, which will make long hair more manageable. So why *not* use it?