Question about Cones & Clarifying Hair

[Jamie Lynn 40]

Hi-
I was wondering if you have to use a clarifying shampoo every time you use products that contain any kind of cones? I have recently been trying to stay away from these kinds of hair products but there is one product ( Lanza Leave In Conditioner) that I sort of like even though it contains cones. I am trying to grow my hair hip level. I color it very light blonde ( bleach )and it tends to get dry & split. Also, does shea butter really work on dry split hair? I already have coconut oil, camellia oil, & jojoba oil. Thanks for any help you might have to offer.
JamieLynn40

[Carolyn]

No, I see no reason to clarify each time you use cones. Clarify when you think you have build up from the cones. I find that cones slowly build up depending on the coney products I am using. Products vary with the amount of cones. You will learn to diagnose your own hair. Do you feel that your hair is coated with something? There are so many variables. Your washing method may be enough to get out light cones, so you may not need to clarify all that often. When you do clarify remember that clarifying takes the moisture out of your hair, so do a nice heavy moisturizing treatment like SMT.

[Jamie Lynn 40]

Oh I didn't know that clarifying takes out moisture. I am sort of new at this whole thing even though I am 40 years old trying to grow my hair hip level. :-) So maybe just clarify once a month or longer? How do you really know your hair is coated? Thanks.
JamieLynn40

[plainjanegirl]

Oh you'll know when your hair reaches the coated feeling. Trust me. When I used a Loreal shampoo and conditioner in a yellow bottle. All it took was one wash and my hair did not feel right and every wash after it felt worse. Just a really yucky feel...it's hard to describe. Before that I've used cones and never had a problem so maybe that product had more cones or a cone that my hair just didn't like....I'm not sure.

[plainjanegirl]

Now yesterday I clarified with Suave clarifying shampoo and then put on some cheap cholesterol product and left that on my hair for an hour then rinsed out and then shampooed and conditioned (with a new kind not the Loreal) and I left my conditioner in for about 5 minutes and then rinsed again. Wow! Big difference in how my hair feels. It was still tangly combing it out bad, so I know I didn't find a shampoo and conditioner I will use for a long time.

[Honey39]

I usually CO wash, and add oils afterwards. I don't use cones, but I think there is a light one in one of my conditioners? Dunno. I tend to think that I will wash (shampoo) my hair on Saturdays, but often it doesn't seem to NEED it, so I don't. I shampooed my hair today after about three weeks, and my hair is curling a lot more, but very very frizzy, and that's down to the shampoo stripping the hair, I think.

I dunno, I wouldn't worry about it too much - if your hair feels a bit 'off', try clarifying shampoo, that usually does the trick. if it feels okay, then I wouldn't, lol.

Sorry, not much help! But trial and error seems to work for me, and I am constantly adjusting my routine according to what I want from my hair. For instance, I like to CO-wash my hair every day for the curl pattern and feel of wet hair, and I wear my hair down with oil. But if I wanted to grow very long hair I would probably wear it up most of the time and not get it wet as frequently. Also, I have found that oiling dry hair is a waste of time for me, just makes my hair crunchy.

Anyway, I suppose what I'm saying is to see what your hair 'likes'. Don't get too hung up on rights and wrongs. Having read this site a lot, what people with beautiful long hair seem to quote the most is 'benign neglect', and that makes sense too!

Happy growing....

[heidi w.]

There is no need to perform a CLARIFY hair wash on any regular basis. A CLARIFY hair wash -- whether using a store purchased product OR a home made recipe (either one) is intended to remove buildup off of hair ... off the surface of the hair, lying on top of the cuticle. If you do not have buildup, there's no need to perform such a hair wash. THUS, only CLARIFY hair wash on an AS-NEEDED basis. IF it turns out to be NEEDED once per month, then that's the way it is.

By way of example, I clarify hair wash, at most, perhaps around 3 times a year!

Moreover, a CLARIFY hair wash, as stated by others and added to here by me so you have consensus, removed buildup. Buildup is typically derived from a number of elements, not necessarily just one thing: dirt, sebum, applied oils, conditioner, shampoo, hard water minerals, leave ins of any kind, other styling products applied to hair (gels, serums, setting lotions, sprays, mists). In short, clarifying will remove any or all of these things. This means then that, yes, CONDITIONER is removed -- any and all applied moisture.

Essentially, the hair is then left BARE NAKED. Nothing whatsoever to help protect the hair, to moisturize the hair.

SO YOU MUST REPLACE WHAT'S BEEN REMOVED. Part of ANY method for conducting a clarify hair wash -- again, whether a purchased product OR a home made recipe (either one) -- one must CONDITION VERY WELL (not just a little bit) as part of the clarify hair wash. Do not wait til the next hair wash to condition well.

You mention that you bleach your hair and it is susceptible to splits and being dry. Clarifying does dry the hair out if it's left in that state; that is, if the hair is not properly and completely conditioned for one's hair type.

Since you bleach, I strongly recommend you do NOT use a home recipe. Instead, try to find a product that clarifies and says on the label CLARIFY AND ALSO states it's for use on colored or bleached hair!

All your chosen products should be for use on colored or bleached hair.

If you allow this processed hair to be improperly conditioned, this will aggravate the tendency for that damage and dryness that you report here.

One more thing: I strongly urge you to consult at some point, if you haven't already, with a professional colorist. That is a person that all they do in a given salon is ONLY color hair. (Not a general stylist.) You want to ensure your products are suitable for your hair type; that you are not coloring too frequently; and most importantly, you want to find out if you can achieve the results you are looking for with any other process than bleaching, especially without using ammonia in the coloring agent. This will go far to help improve the problem you have with dryness and splits. These days there are a lot more options in how to achieve a colored look than most of us realize.

I am sure you know that one should not color and also conduct another process (such as perm or straightening) in the same visit. These processes should not be conducted within 2 weeks of each other. The same can hold true for coloring overly frequently.

I hope this explains things better. Be very certain that each and every hair wash (I am speaking of a regular hair wash here, not necessarily a clarify hair wash; yet certainly perform a deep condition as a follow up to a clarify hair wash), given your bleached hair, that you condition every time you wash your hair. This will continue to help amend the dryness issue you report.

Allow me to recommend Biolage's CONDITIONING BALM. It's a very thick, rather viscous conditioner. I would leave it on in a humid shower environment, and then rinse extremely well. I think you may well like the results in terms of the difference it may make for your color treated hair. This conditioner is a high quality, general all around conditioner. It can be used on colored hair, but it is not intended solely for colored hair.

One more detail: I once added LANZA'S leave-in to my shampoo/conditioner. I use Biolage's humidfy (or very close to that name) shampoo, and then I have been using the BIOLAGE CONDITIONING BALM for over a decade, now. I once added the Lanza leave-in and suddenly and immediately my hair began to break off. This was because I had too much protein in my products. When hair suddenly begins to break off, in droves, this is commonly because one either has too much or too little (either end of the spectrum) protein amongst the suite of products used. I suspended the use of this leave-in, and no more breaking off. So be careful.

You may also want to read links on this board about water quality -- especially hard water. There was one such thread not that long ago -- I think within the week.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

How to know when you have buildup?

Your trusty conditioner seems to not be working -- and seemingly suddenly and inexplicably.

Your hair after a fresh hair wash seems to still have a greasy feel on top and a general film all over. Perhaps the hair still sections a bit (you know when you allow too long between hair washes how the hair kind of begins to clump together from the sebum being on a while....that kind of effect after a fresh hair wash, though)

Your hair is unusually tangly and it seems a bit new, not quite as suddenly as the conditioner not working.

The shine is somehow dulled.

There's perhaps a crunchy feel to the hair that isn't normal for your hair type.

There's a film or crud on the scalp skin. (I have had my hair look just fine and behave quite fine, but I have a scalp skin condition and every so often I get a bit of a cakey layer on my scalp skin and I need to get it off even though my hair looks just fine. For this situation, I then do NOT apply the clarifying hair wash method to my length YET I STILL condition very well!!)

REVIEW - things that can cause buildup (usually in combination not often just from one of these isolated)
Lack of a thorough rinsing out of products (shampoo/conditioner)

Minerals from hard water

Various styling products (gels, mousse, spray, flat iron serums, setting sprays and lotions)

Sebum, applied oils.

What happens in buildup?
Buildup simply means that you have a kind of layering effect that occurs over time where there's basically a film of sorts on the hair. This can potentially prevent the uptake of conditioner; it can mean that it gets harder to get a thorough rinse; it can mean the hair's texture feels crunchy somehow (that's because whatever is built up (again a combo of elements most often) has rather dried on the surface of the strands and is not in a wet condition; it can mean combing is harder and there's a bigger issues (again somewhat suddenly) with tangling.....

To acquire buildup, therefore, means that it arrives OVER TIME. This is why it's completely unnecessary to clarify hair wash on any schedule. Different hair wash methods may inspire a more frequent need to perform a clarify hair wash, such as some version of a condition only hair wash, but not necessarily. Typically we do not know when that buildup will occur, and for not too few, it sometimes just never occurs! I know some like to clarify hair wash in order to prevent something, but I prefer to wait until that something has arrived and then sort that problem out. (I conduct most of my life with this attitude -- I'll deal with it when it happens. I find this methodology so much easier.)

I think you now realize there's no need to perform a clarify hair wash on a schedule of any kind, and I do think you are now cautioned about doing this too frequently and worse, WITHOUT A THOROUGH CONDITIONING SESSION, especially on bleached hair.

A FEW TIPS FOR CONDITIONING:
You can always take a fave conditioner and just leave it on longer -- even wrapping the hair in plastic or a shower cap (plastic) to let it sit there on the hair longer, and step out of the shower, and get back in somewhere between 30-60 minutes later.

Make SURE that you use fairly warm, to perhaps slightly hot, water when you condition. Why? Because you need the cuticles to lift and be "open". Warmer water creates this response at the cuticle layer. Conditioner works because it's designed to, essentially, bond with the cortex. IF you use too tepid of a temperature, the cuticle won't lift/open, and you will not achieve full penetration to the cortex. (NOTE: Above I mention Biolage's Conditioning Balm. This conditioner does leave a kind of feeling behind on the hair. It's not a film, but those not used to this effect, it'll feel strange.) ETA: Too tepid of water can sometimes also be a culprit for having an issue with a thorough rinse in any kind of hair wash.

Hair, when wet, tends to clump together in what I label ropey sections of length. This means that those inner strands within such a clump are less wet. This also means that conditioner may not get to the inner strands in such a clump of hair. Therefore, one can very gently simply fan or expand such a clumped portion of hair to flatten (a way of saying it) the hair out, to widen the hair clump, and then wet with warm water and apply conditioner.

I think it's important to allow some warm water to dribble down the hair once the conditioner is applied. For those of us who live in climates with "real" weather (I am one who moved from Silicon Valley CA to northern Illinois nearer Wisconsin), this is more important in cold, snowy climates. Product stands in a bathroom and gets cold, whatever the temp is. If you apply it cold it's more likely to be harder to smooth onto hair (familiar with how dishwashing liquid spreads better once it's wet, and even yet better when wet with warm water -- without water it tends to be filmy -- same idea). PLUS the coldness can close the cuticle. Thus dribbling some warm water onto a clump of conditioner one gathers in the palm BEFORE applying to very wet and warm hair might be useful. AND if it's noted the conditioner became cooled while sitting on the hair once applied, then simply allow some warm shower water to dribble on the hair coated with conditioner, and you'll have great penetration.

I like conditioning in a humid (steamy) shower water environment. Be sure to run the vent fan afterwards, at least, to clear the steam out of the restroom so that the walls and so on won't build up with all that residual moisture. I run this even during a shower, rather often.

For those with a fair amount of body to the hair, wave or outright curl, using a very wide plastic comb (no seams!) that is also dipped or somehow coated with conditioner, and although not pristinely, but allow the conditioner to be ON the hair, coating the hair, in this warm water environment, and you can detangle a bit in the shower. Take care to avoid pulling hair. Wet hair is already stretched its full expanse of elasticity. (Hence I don't recommend aiming for pristinely detangled hair; rather for a sense of organization.) Many who possess body in their hair type need to detangle a bit while hair is damp still. I make a difference between damp and sopping wet. They're not the same thing.

Hope this helps,
heidi w.

[heidi w.]

One more point.

If you determine you need to clarify hair wash, I strongly recommend that this is also a good time to thoroughly clean your detangling tools.

I use a toothpick and go along the teeth of my comb to lift any debris (such as the oil and/or sebum my comb picks up when detangling). Then I wash using a shampoo OR you can use dishwashing liquid, and a little nail brush or similar scrub brush, and clean the comb thoroughly.

Even wooden combs can be so cleaned IF they are subsequently and immediately wiped VERY dry with a DRY towel.

If you wish to disinfect your comb, you can simply spritz on some rubbing alcohol that has been pre-mixed with water, and then swipe dry after a thorough scrubbing of the teeth (and especially at the u area where the teeth meet the bridge of the comb). Another method is you can stick a plastic (plastic only!) comb in the top tray of a dishwasher. IF you have access to Barbicide, you can let it stand in this stylist's disinfectant solution (we all have seen those colored water, super tall jars on a stylist's stand filled with combs) for at least 5 minutes, remove and rinse, and swipe dry and allow to stand and completely air dry.

Why clean your combs at this juncture?
Well, truth be told I actually clean my detangling combs each and every hair wash! I do it right in the shower after I'm done washing my hair, while the conditioner is sitting on my hair. I do this with any type of comb: horn, wood, plastic. (Horn and wood I immediately and thoroughly air dry). BUT cleaning your combs after a clarify hair wash is particularly important because it's more than likely some of that buildup is on your comb!! And you do not want to re-introduce it into the hair or back on scalp skin!

If you use a brush, you can wash your brush as well.

I'm so anal about this because of my scalp skin condition. In my case, it's VERY easy to re-introduce bacteria or gunk. This is how anal I am: I also change or wash my pillowcase after every hair wash!

Hope this helps,
heidi w.

[heidi w.]

BUMP SO THIS SHOWS ON PAGE 1 OF MANE FORUM SINCE THERE'S ANOTHER THREAD ABOUT CLARIFYING!

heidi w.

[Jamie Lynn 40]

Heidi W.-
Thank you so much for all of your advice. You have helped me tremendously. I am so glad you informed me on this stuff because I was under the impression that I needed to clarify everytime I used cone products. And I didn't know how important it was to deep condition afterwards. And also I may only use the Lanza once in a while in case I start having the same luck you did with it. I definately don't want my hair to break off anymore than it already does. And as soon as I can I am going to get the biolage conditioning balm. Do you know if the generic version is just as good?
Also, I have decided to only color my roots for a while now so that I can give the rest of my hair a break from color/bleach. Unfortunately, where I live, I don't think there is a color only stylist. Thanks again for all of your help. I really appreciate it.
JamieLynn40

[Dolly]

Heidi W.-
Thank you so much for all of your advice. You have helped me tremendously. I am so glad you informed me on this stuff because I was under the impression that I needed to clarify everytime I used cone products. And I didn't know how important it was to deep condition afterwards. And also I may only use the Lanza once in a while in case I start having the same luck you did with it. I definately don't want my hair to break off anymore than it already does. And as soon as I can I am going to get the biolage conditioning balm. Do you know if the generic version is just as good?
Also, I have decided to only color my roots for a while now so that I can give the rest of my hair a break from color/bleach. Unfortunately, where I live, I don't think there is a color only stylist. Thanks again for all of your help. I really appreciate it.
JamieLynn40


You will start to notice when your hair needs clarifying......listen to your hair.....it will tell you!

Also, if your hair is really dry, maybe you should try doing a deep oiling once in a while. Last week, I soaked my hair from the ears down with coconut oil and left it in overnight......my hair LOVED it!

[heidi w.]

Sally's does carry a 'generic' version of Biolage's Conditioning Balm, in the $5-ish zone, last I knew. I tried it and I do notice a difference, personally. I care about how my hair feels. BUT in a pinch, I would use this generic version if that's all I could afford. The generic version was less thick, a little more runny, comparatively. The real stuff is kind of like a thick pudding.

heidi w.

[plainjanegirl]

You will start to notice when your hair needs clarifying......listen to your hair.....it will tell you!

Also, if your hair is really dry, maybe you should try doing a deep oiling once in a while. Last week, I soaked my hair from the ears down with coconut oil and left it in overnight......my hair LOVED it!


When you soak your hair in oil like that overnight should it be done on wet or dry hair????

[Dolly]

When you soak your hair in oil like that overnight should it be done on wet or dry hair????


I wasn't sure, so I applied the coconut oil on my dry hair, and then braided it to keep it secure while I was asleep.....worked like a dream......

Oh, and I also slept on an old pillow covered with a towel.....

[heidi w.]

Dry hair is fine. YOu do a heavy oiling. Sleep on a towel or old pillowcase ... maybe 2 pillowcases.

Remove pillowcases once you wash your hair.

You can also heavy oil the length, from about the earlobes on down, braid and/or put up in a braided (or regular) ole bun during the day (I've done this on rare occasions and actually gone to work!). Achieves the same effect, just excludes scalp hair in this scenario.

heidi w.