Some hair actually does better with 'cones, right?

[DarleneH]

How can I know if mine is like that? Just buy some products and experiment? I've been off 'cones for a long long time because for years we've all been hearing that they're bad, but I swear I think my hair felt better with them (though I also remember it being straighter). Can I please get a breakdown of what kinds of hair types actually benefit from them? Or possibly better, is there a web page or site somewhere that some of you can recommend I get some in-depth info and details about that? But please discuss whatever you'd like about that, and I'll read your replies and try to get some more details elsewhere. Thanks!

[truepeacenik]

Yes.
For most folx, cones build up as weight or stickiness.
Plus there are several different types of cones, with varying degrees of ease for washing out.
I can use them in limited quantity, and I prefer it in the conditioner.

Search posts by LuxePiggy to get some good intel on various cones.

[C_Bookworm]

Everyone seems to react differently, both from different heads of hair, different methods of washing, and different climates. When it comes to experimentation, being patient and only changing one variable at a time makes a difference. It can also be fun staring point to look up the routines of people who have a similar hair type to you.

[hennalonghair]

Absolutely. I doubt silicones would have done so well if they didn’t work for most people.
There are many who can successfully use them. If I could use them I would. Unfortunately they damage my hair so I don’t.

[Dark40]

I remember back in the mid 1980's as I was also on a long hair journey. Because, at the time the longest I've always wanted my hair to be is BCL, and when I was shampooing and conditioning my hair back then I didn't know anything or had nor idea what "cones" until I discovered my all time favorite shampoo and conditioner Pantene Pro-V, and I saw that the ingredients in their conditioners had "cones" in them. Which was great for me! When I used all 4 versions of Pantene Pro-v for the first time it left my hair feeling soooo very happy! It also freed all of my tangles and left it feeling very nice, soft, and healthy! So, as of these days I do believe that my hair does a lot better with "cones" a hell of a lot better than without them!

[knobbly]

My hair does fine with cones, but I don’t like how my tub and my back feels when I use them. Lol. I’m fine with cones in body moisturizers though? Idk it’s just a sensory thing.

I occasionally use a cone-y serum in the winter but I am done experimenting with cone use in shampoos and conditioners.

Anyway we are all different and the only way to know how you’d react to it after a long break is to try! I’m giving away my cone-y conditioners this week on my local Buy Nothing group after a few months of trying and just disliking the experience.

[lapushka]

I can't "so much" use them on my scalp (some I can tolerate), but on my hair / lengths they are awesome. If you use thicker conditioners in the place of silicones, those will build up just as much as silicones will. And boy, do they lubricate and make the hair soft and manageable!

I also experimented when I first got here, banned all silicones from my hair care, and got the most tangly, knotty hair ever.

I generally use... whatever conditioner works for me, silicones or no. I clarify enough for it not to bother me. :shrug:

And yes, you just have to figure it out for yourself. There is no one that can tell you, this or that will work, and that won't. It's a big case of trial and error.

[DarleneH]

banned all silicones from my hair care, and got the most tangly, knotty hair ever.

This is kind of where i'm at; I think my hair is basically in good shape, but I have so much tangles and knots that I'm ruining it trying to manage those.


I clarify enough for it not to bother me.

I'm thinking I'll have to go back to washing more so I can get a regular infusion of 'cones to fight the tangling and then, like you, clarifying regularly.

Sigh. So much for simplifying and getting out of the bathroom fast. I guess if you gonna have pretty, long hair you gotta work for it. :-)

[C_Bookworm]

I remember back in the mid 1980's as I was also on a long hair journey. Because, at the time the longest I've always wanted my hair to be is BCL, and when I was shampooing and conditioning my hair back then I didn't know anything or had nor idea what "cones" until I discovered my all time favorite shampoo and conditioner Pantene Pro-V, and I saw that the ingredients in their conditioners had "cones" in them. Which was great for me! When I used all 4 versions of Pantene Pro-v for the first time it left my hair feeling soooo very happy! It also freed all of my tangles and left it feeling very nice, soft, and healthy! So, as of these days I do believe that my hair does a lot better with "cones" a hell of a lot better than without them!
I love Pantene! Such a good detangler in the shower.

[luluj]

My hair needs cones. Like lapushka, I tried going cone free when I found TLHC and it was not good. My fine curls are far too fragile, if not for cones I would have breakage for sure. I need the slip they provide.

[DarleneH]

Search posts by LuxePiggy to get some good intel on various cones.

Thank you for this suggestion! I found this gem of a thread: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=26254

I wonder if I should first try just a 'coney serum? I am going to go search for and maybe ask about favorite cone-filled products in the "Conventional Products" forum, but if any of you want chime in here too, please do and I'll keep tabs on both places.

[Dark40]

I love Pantene! Such a good detangler in the shower.

Me too! Oh yes, definitely a good detangler in the shower is right. I miss the old Pantene from the early 1990s up until the mid 1990s. :( I don't even like the way it smells now. I loved the way it smelled back then. My late best friend was the one that introduced me to the Pantene in the early 1990s. :)

[lapushka]

This is kind of where i'm at; I think my hair is basically in good shape, but I have so much tangles and knots that I'm ruining it trying to manage those.



I'm thinking I'll have to go back to washing more so I can get a regular infusion of 'cones to fight the tangling and then, like you, clarifying regularly.

Sigh. So much for simplifying and getting out of the bathroom fast. I guess if you gonna have pretty, long hair you gotta work for it. :-)

Yes, often the breakage is not worth omitting something from your haircare. I was so against silicones at one point, so I get where you're at. But trust me, try it! Baby steps.

[The Lizard Wife]

I can't provide a strictly "cones are great!" anecdote but I can provide one for "why cones don't work for me."

Technically when I say cones are no good for my hair, what I actually mean is that they're no good for my routine. I washed my hair every other day and used cones liberally for most of my life, and they didn't do anything bad to my hair. They gave me good slip and helped with tangles, which I sincerely miss these days when my hair is freshly washed and too clean to behave. They did cause my hair to take forever to dry, though, since it's already pretty thick.
But over a few years of experimenting I've learned my scalp needs to have greatly stretched washes in order to be healthy, flake-free, and not-itchy. So I had to cut out cones--because my sebum builds up over cones to make my hair very stringy and unpleasant feeling immediately, and because then I can go sulfate-free for my scalp and skin. (Also, it turns out my scalp needs to be actively conditioned with cone-free conditioner, the same way I scrub with shampoo.)
If your routine is more cone-compatible/cone-friendly, I'd say give them a try again and see how they do!

So with that in mind, I like C_Bookworm's advice of looking up routines of people who seem to have similar hair type/scalp needs to you. It might help you narrow down what you want to experiment with first, or why to experiment with such-and-such instead of so-and-so.