Have you had improvement from stopping cones SLS?

[janeytilllie]

Hello Everyone :)

Im not sure if someone has done a simular thread? im very sorry if there is one.

Im just wondering those who have stop using SLS/cones has your hair improved/scalp? Or did it make it worse?

I really do think that SLS is very suspicious :eek:

I have little yorkie mix Toby :D

A few months ago he was losing hair very badly his back end was becoming bald. We took him to the vets to have blood tests, flea, mites, tick test and many more tests. The vet said our toby was in very good health and to put it down the lose of hair to old age ( hes 12 now)

Anyway I thought to myself if humans have problems with SLS shampoos maybe dogs do?

So I got my toby a dog shampoo bar free from chemicals and his hair has grown! its lovely shiney and thick :cheese: and he doesnt lose hair. So I think very strongly that his shampoo which had SLS was the culprit.

Also My hair has become alot thicker and stronger. I use to have really bad itches when I used cones and SLS. I no longer suffer and my shredding has gone down big time :)

So has anyone had good improvement since stopping SLS shampoos and cones?

[akurah]

Nope. My hair got markedly worse. That said, I don't have chemical sensitivities or allergies, AND I have hard water (which is a nightmare when dealing with "alternative" products such as poo bars).

YMMV.

[burns_erin]

I had distinct improvements from both my scalp and my length from stopping both sulfates and cones. But I have rather severe sensitivities and I do not believe I was clarifying properly for all the cone use i was doing at the time.

[joyfulmom4]

No. I can't say I've noticed a difference. Some products I've tried were not compatible with my hair at all, such as baking soda or shampoo bars. Other products, such as the various SLS-free shampoos and conditioners free of parabens and cones, didn't seem to make much difference. They are OK. Some are better than others. Some smell atrocious. But I can't say that any of them have improved my hair at all. I keep trying to like these products, but honestly, the stuff I used for years seems at least as good and probably better. Cones make my hair so silky and tangle free!

[Auryn]

I have noticed that since I've stopped using sulfates that my hair doesn't have to be washed nearly as often as it used to. BUT, my hair really really really really likes 'cones.

For the past month I've been using Avalon Organics Tea Tree Oil shampoo (sulfate free) and conditioner (cone free). My hair looks pretty good, but slightly frizzy. Every other wash, I'll use Aussie 3MM to help moisturize my ends. I've got quite a bit of damage from the last time I colored my hair, but this has been helping. Probably gonna trim about an inch or two off here pretty soon, I know that will help with some of the frizzy.

When I'm finished with my current bottle I'm gonna try a different brand of sulfate free 'poo and see how my hair and scalp like it.

[Peregrine]

I didn't really notice a difference with cones but when I stopped using SLS shampoos I noticed that my hairline started filling in more. My reverse widows peak is a lot less noticeable now.

[Copasetic]

I noticed a big differene after I ditched cones and SLS. My hair is a lot easier to manage now and I can actually deal with it when it is curly. That might due to a combination of things though. When I was using cones and SLS I was washing my hair everyday, and heat-styling quite a bit.

[AmyJorgensen]

My hair is a lot shinier now that I made the switch...however...it becomes apparent that I do have some splits that were previously concealed.

[justpuggy]

sls free makes a big difference to me. My pony circ doesn't verify this, but I do think I shed less. Also, I think I might be able to start going longer between washes now - which I never have been able to do!

Cones - I think my hair likes them. I have noticed it lies a lot nicer and tangles less than with cone-free condish.

[janeytilllie]

No. I can't say I've noticed a difference. Some products I've tried were not compatible with my hair at all, such as baking soda or shampoo bars. Other products, such as the various SLS-free shampoos and conditioners free of parabens and cones, didn't seem to make much difference. They are OK. Some are better than others. Some smell atrocious. But I can't say that any of them have improved my hair at all. I keep trying to like these products, but honestly, the stuff I used for years seems at least as good and probably better. Cones make my hair so silky and tangle free!

I do sometimes miss the slip and no tangles cones gave me in the shower. I do use coconut oil but too much I end up with a greasy mop.

[Rebelkat]

I have definitely had improvement since I stopped using cones and SLS. My scalp doesn't itch as much and my hair is much softer and silkier. It's also more manageable, so it's less prone to damage and splits. :D

[Leisje]

I shed a hell of a lot less with sulfate-free, natural shampoos. I used to have so many hairs come out during each shower that is was really worrying. But now, only a few will come out unless my hair is going through a little shedding time.

Cones made my hair flat, even more slippery than it already is naturally and my scalp got greasy/gunky fairly quickly. Without cones my hair is looking and feeling a whole lot better. Also, the cones in the conditioners were breaking me out! All around my hair line, and wherever my hair touched me. Especially my back! I was so surprised and relieved so see all those blemishes go away when I stopped using cones. ^_^

[janeytilllie]

sls free makes a big difference to me. My pony circ doesn't verify this, but I do think I shed less. Also, I think I might be able to start going longer between washes now - which I never have been able to do!

Cones - I think my hair likes them. I have noticed it lies a lot nicer and tangles less than with cone-free condish.

Cones do make hair nicer and tangle free. I do miss that. I usually use coconut oil as a conditioner but too much it gets greasy. I bought some cone free conditioner today im trying it out tomorrow:cheese:

I too have noticed I can longer between washes I can get up 5 days :D

[AJoifulNoise]

Stopping SLS altogether didn't help. But, decreasing from 7 days a week to once a week made a marked difference. Cut down on frizz and dry hair. But, I'm still a silicone user.

[LHGypsyRose]

Yes it helped alot! My scalp feels better and itchess less, and my hair has way less splits and white dots.

[goodluckcharm]

I switched to sls free pretty recently, but my dandruff has gone away!

[princess]

I use cone free conditioner and I feel the difference in the hair.

But I use Johnsons baby shampoo and I do not think it is sls free. But cannot help it because even when I use shikakai and aritha still I need some shampoo when there is still oil left in the hair.

I must switch to sls free shampoo and see the difference. So far the Johnson's is only the last resort when I feel the scalp is still oily. But since I use very little I did not think it would affect to that extent.

[Honey39]

Yes, made a huge difference for me - my hair is shiny and gleaming for the first time ever. I think shampoo was making my hair a bit of a nightmare, and so CO-washing only has improved it. I don't use cones because I don't want to shampoo, and I found that cones built up on my hair very quickly. Using a cone-free conditioner, I can usually go about 3 or 4 weeks before I need to shampoo, sometimes longer (I wash my hair daily, so if I used a cone-y conditioner I would probably have to shampoo more often!).

I read on curly girl (I think) that shampoo really doesn't help curly hair, and in my case that DEFINITELY is true - maybe it depends on your hair type too???

[Helen Baq]

But I use Johnsons baby shampoo and I do not think it is sls free. But cannot help it because even when I use shikakai and aritha still I need some shampoo when there is still oil left in the hair.

Johnson's baby shampoo is SLS free, but it does still have one sulfate that is much milder than SLS. I switched to Johnson's because my scalp was itchy, painful, hot, gunky, flaky, and would burn. I was afraid my hair was going to start falling out! Using Johnson's made a big difference. My scalp didn't burn or get hot, gunky, or flaky, but it would still itch and hurt a bit after a few days. I wash twice a week and I wouldn't have a problem until wash day, or a little before, and the problem was mild.

I've now switched to Avalon Organic Lavender Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner and my scalp doesn't get painful at all and only a tad bit itchy on shampoo day. Also, my hair is much less oily and I'm shedding much less. I was washing twice a week with the SLS shampoo because the problem would get worse each time I shampooed, so I hated shampooing, but it would get worse as my hair got dirty, so I couldn't let it go too long. :( Now I think I can start going even longer between shampoos because my hair really isn't feeling so dirty on shampoo days now. :)

The conditioner is cone free and really surprised me. It was really thick, but it disappeared on my hair. I'm used to putting conditioner in, then leaving it on my hair while I shower, then rinsing until my hair doesn't feel 'slimy', but this stuff was just gone when I rinsed! At first it seemed like my hair was more tangly, but when I put a eensy bit of evoo on it, my hair magically detangled! It was crazy! I love this stuff! I'll never go back to cones and sulfates again! :cheese:

[Loviatar]

Huge improvement here.

With sulphates:
I shed much more
my scalp feels itchy sometimes and a bit 'tight'
I have to wash daily

With cones:
I get plasticky, flat hair really quickly, even when clarifying
amodimethicone makes my hair tangle like mad
my hair looks limp
my ends feel dry

I've since discovered one product with sulphates - Lush Jungle solid conditioner - which I can mix with my coconut conditioner and get a massive amount of body with no problems if I only use it on my length. I imagine putting it on my scalp would cause the old issues, so I don't.

[plainjanegirl]

Yes it helped alot! My scalp feels better and itchess less, and my hair has way less splits and white dots.

Less white dots.....how? I will not cut my white dots and I am trying to find ways to protect or reduce them.

[viking_quest]

I didn't notice any change from cones to cone-free but I'd rather not use them anyway, but SLS-free really made a difference. My scalp was flaking so much that everybody would notice it and say something along the lines of "eww, you have dandruff." I have a dry scalp in winter, not dandruff and now I don't have a flaky scalp anymore (only when I itch my head, but I can understand that, it isn't flaking on its own anymore).

[neon-dream]

No cones made my hair really tangly and I hated it :(

[hennaphile]

My hair quality has become enormously better since stopping sls, but cones it doesn't seem to make that much of a difference with or without. I had a ton of shedding hairloss while using completely natural hair care, and a big fat braid while using the conventional stuff.

I still use completely natural stuff :)

[OhioLisa]

Huge improvement here.

With sulphates:
I shed much more
my scalp feels itchy sometimes and a bit 'tight'
I have to wash daily

With cones:
I get plasticky, flat hair really quickly, even when clarifying
amodimethicone makes my hair tangle like mad
my hair looks limp
my ends feel dry


Ditto. My hair is MUCH happier without either. And when I stopped using cones, my waves came out to play, which was a nice surprise! :)

[Hypnotica]

Nah. Non-SLS 'poos make my scalp itch and get gunky in a flash. SLS 'poos makes me go 3-5 days without washing.

Cones - They are kind of "blah". Can live without them just fine.

[Katze]

My hair and scalp are much happier if I occasionally use SLS shampoos. If I go more than a month without a clarifying wash, my hair gets extremely dull, dry, stringy, and tangly at the ends. My scalp also gets itchier and gunkier. It took me a while to figure this out, because I also have a sensitive scalp and thought 'sulfates are bad' just like the OP.

With 'cones, my hair is smoother but less wavy, and more than occasional use of 'cones gives me scalp problems too.

It is important to distinguish between sulfates and 'cones - they are not the same thing, though they are often lumped together. Personally I think 'cones, since they are not water soluable, are more suspect than sulfates.

Also, what I think is most important for healthy hair is a balance - everything in moderation. While there may be people who are so sensitive that even a whiff of sulfates harm them, I think the point of healthier and more gentle hair care is to use sufates, if needed, in moderation. Washing your hair every day with a huge foam of sulfate shampoo, as shown on commercials, is definitely not good. Occasional washing with (diluted) sulfate shampoo once a week or twice a month, as I do, is a different story.

As in many things, the truth is probably not 'black' or 'white' but some shade of grey...

[jivete]

My hair is much imprved without sulfates & silicones. My itchies are down, my shedding is down and the waves came out without cones. I do occasionally use a SLS poo to clarify, about once a month or so. Sometimes I miss the sleekness of cones, but I have to want straight hair. If I do use them, I try to pick the water soluble ones.

[Tornerose]

I just recently started with other types of shampoos and conditioner... I have tried Shampoo Bars in th past, and was NOT happy with the result. My hair looked greasy, unwashed and uncombed no matter what I did to it. I've learned now that that may have to do with the fact that I didn't use vinegar rinses afterwards, but at the time noone told me about it. So I stopped and went back to SLS and cones. I've never gotten as many compliments as I did the week I switched back lol.
I'm currently testing out eggshampoos now (thanks, janey ;) ) and although I've only done it once, I liked it. I miss the slip of conditioner, but the hair is fine. Tangly, but fine. However it seems to have gotten greasier faster, I can usually go a week before people start to notice I didn't wash my hair that day.

[Heidi_234]

I was shedding lots of hair all the time for the most part of my life, I even thought that I had a hair loss problem that should be treated. When I ditched my SLS shampoo I discovered that my shed rate decrease tremendously. So yeah, it made all the difference in the world for me. :D

[BeatlesFanGirl]

I've got a LOT of benefit from leaving SLS, I shed the half, my hair is shinier and my scalp feels so much better.

[EtherealJane]

SLS just made my scalp itch like crazy. Same with body washes with SLS in them.

I personally don't like the feel of my hair with cone use. My hair felt thinner and flatter, and it was much harder to put up into an updo. My hair is just fine "slip" wise without cones--it feels soft and lovely, without feeling like there's something coating it.

[janeytilllie]

SLS just made my scalp itch like crazy. Same with body washes with SLS in them.

I personally don't like the feel of my hair with cone use. My hair felt thinner and flatter, and it was much harder to put up into an updo. My hair is just fine "slip" wise without cones--it feels soft and lovely, without feeling like there's something coating it.

I too had the itchies with SLS bodywashes. My skin was really dry and had little pimples. But my skin has improved so much :) I now use SLS free soap. I now have no pimples on my arms :cheese:

[Farina]

i stopped... at first my hair seemed kinda poofy but after a few weeks it looked fine. I started oiling though so that may have helped

[paper]

Yes, definitely! My hair was dry and frizzy, now it's soft and smooth.

[janeytilllie]

I just recently started with other types of shampoos and conditioner... I have tried Shampoo Bars in th past, and was NOT happy with the result. My hair looked greasy, unwashed and uncombed no matter what I did to it. I've learned now that that may have to do with the fact that I didn't use vinegar rinses afterwards, but at the time noone told me about it. So I stopped and went back to SLS and cones. I've never gotten as many compliments as I did the week I switched back lol.
I'm currently testing out eggshampoos now (thanks, janey ;) ) and although I've only done it once, I liked it. I miss the slip of conditioner, but the hair is fine. Tangly, but fine. However it seems to have gotten greasier faster, I can usually go a week before people start to notice I didn't wash my hair that day.

Shampoo bars are ideed a challenge lol. I sometimes I got the waxies BUT I think I have finally got the hang of them :cheese:

I did use eggs for a while, my hair was never tangly with them. Maybe your hair doesn't like protein? I would still clairy now and again and maybe have breaks between using eggs. Let us know your progress with them :D

[janeytilllie]

i stopped... at first my hair seemed kinda poofy but after a few weeks it looked fine. I started oiling though so that may have helped

I have heard that when stopping SLS shampoos hair goes through a transaction? I too had bad grease issues when I stopped.

[janeytilllie]

My hair and scalp are much happier if I occasionally use SLS shampoos. If I go more than a month without a clarifying wash, my hair gets extremely dull, dry, stringy, and tangly at the ends. My scalp also gets itchier and gunkier. It took me a while to figure this out, because I also have a sensitive scalp and thought 'sulfates are bad' just like the OP.

With 'cones, my hair is smoother but less wavy, and more than occasional use of 'cones gives me scalp problems too.

It is important to distinguish between sulfates and 'cones - they are not the same thing, though they are often lumped together. Personally I think 'cones, since they are not water soluable, are more suspect than sulfates.

Also, what I think is most important for healthy hair is a balance - everything in moderation. While there may be people who are so sensitive that even a whiff of sulfates harm them, I think the point of healthier and more gentle hair care is to use sufates, if needed, in moderation. Washing your hair every day with a huge foam of sulfate shampoo, as shown on commercials, is definitely not good. Occasional washing with (diluted) sulfate shampoo once a week or twice a month, as I do, is a different story.

As in many things, the truth is probably not 'black' or 'white' but some shade of grey...

You make a very good points :D

I do agree that for some people going SLS free and cone free isnt always best.

I think everyones hair prefers different things. I know my scalp hates SLS.

I also agree that doing a claify with sls shampoo every month is good for some to clean the scalp.

As the saying goes " A clean scalp is a healthy scalp" :D

I did try washing with sls once a month but it still affected my hair badly.

[Speckla]

Yes, the last two weeks I've been doing vinegar rinses and cowashing only and I have gotten more compliments on my hair being shiny, soft, and incredibly curly than usual.

[plainjanegirl]

I was considering trying Organix from walmart cause it has no sls, but it has Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate.....so is that basically the same as sls?

[LHGypsyRose]

I was considering trying Organix from walmart cause it has no sls, but it has Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate.....so is that basically the same as sls?

I don't know if it's the same thing or not, but I do know that Giovanni products (my favorite) contains something called Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate and although I don't know if this is bad stuff..I do know that the product contains very little beings that it is very near the bottom of the ingredient list. So if I dilute the poo then I shouldn't be getting much "bad stuff" in my hair (imo).

[Tornerose]

Shampoo bars are ideed a challenge lol. I sometimes I got the waxies BUT I think I have finally got the hang of them :cheese:

I did use eggs for a while, my hair was never tangly with them. Maybe your hair doesn't like protein? I would still clairy now and again and maybe have breaks between using eggs. Let us know your progress with them :D

Yeah I wish I could have gotten the hang of them. I got a book for liquid soaps, so maybe I'll have to experiment with my own liquid shampoo-bar-making? Might be easier to get the hang of that.

I think my hair just really really adores cones. I'll try it for a few more weeks and see if it gets better.
I wish I had a camera so I could take pictures of all the differences (sls/cones vs eggshampoos vs dripdrying vs hairdryer etc)
It's probably just adjusting to not beeing coated. I don't think my hair likes change much, it's always been alittle hard to deal with whenever I've changed shampoos in the past. And the shampoo I was currently using was very mild, even though it has SLS. And the conditioner was full of good stuff to calm my irritable scalp from the use of SLS.