Cones

[redneckprincess]

I hear just about everyone on here say cones are oh so really bad for your hair. And others say they cant live without them. My hair NEEDS them, so without sounding rude, whats the deal with coning and not?

[SimplyViki]

Haha, yeah, I've heard both sides of the great debate, too, just from snooping around here. There's actually an article about it in the section.. uh... hair care section, I think. I'll find it and link it for you.
For the record, I use cones, and have used cones for years, with no serious problems other than the rare case of build-up (I also use SLS shampoo, so that's probably why I don't get build up too often). I think I'll experiment with no-cones to see what happens though - see if I can find alternatives, see if my hair doesn't really need it, see what my hair's like without it, etc. Cause I'm just curious.

[SimplyViki]

Aaannnddd.... as promised, here's the link.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=13

[spidermom]

I've tried both ways, with cones and cone-free, and it's a toss-up. There are certain things I like about being cone-free and other things I like about using cones. Right now I'm using a coney serum called Polish It that I like a lot because it makes my hair so much easier to detangle. So I'll use it until I run out of it, then I might go cone-free for awhile, or not. It's no big deal either way.

[Dolly]

I ran an experiment right after I came here....I have very fine, very thin, delicate hair....to wash, I use shampoo bars with a vinegar rinse and conditioner.....

When I stopped using cones, first, I clarified to make sure that I had no build up (I use Suave clarifying to do that....it removes EVERYTHING). Then, since I had some splits, I went to my stylist, and had her take off a small amount. I came home, and did a thorough S & D to make sure that all the ends were in good condition. I started following my shampoo bars with a good quality, moisturizing, no cone conditioner and vinegar rinse. The only thing I changed was the conditioner. I noticed that my ends were feeling kind of dry. Even my 1-2 night per week heavy coconut oilings didn't seem to help much. I switched to another no-cone condish. Still dry. Did some deep treatments. After a few weeks, checked my ends.....they were TERRIBLE. Splits EVERYWHERE.

Granted, I wear my hair down 90% of the time, and they say that can contribute, but if I have long hair, I am going to enjoy it. So, I went back to cones....

The main thing is that you need to keep an eye out for buildup. If your ends start feeling velcro-like or otherwise just NOT GOOD, clarify.

[mira-chan]

Cones dry out my hair as it is naturally dry and I wash once a week. So they gave me plastic feeling hair that started to break at the ends. Then my sensitivity to sulfates increased so I couldn't use those. No sulfates means no way to remove cones. So I avoided them. Now I gained a sensitivity to cones, yay me :rolleyes:, more itching. Currently avoiding them in all products.

[deko]

I am cone-free most of the time, but when I want my hair feel extra shiny and slippery for some occasion I use coney conditioner. And clarify soon afterwards. If I use cones all the time my hair feels like barbie-hair. Coney shampoos make my scalp itch, conditioners are ok if I don't use them very often.

[teela1978]

I think the anti-cone people are much more vocal than the pro-cone people. Overall I'd say there are probably more cone-users and cone-don't care's than anti-cone people on this site. We just don't talk all that much. If cones work on your hair, then use them. If they dry out your hair, turn it into a rats nest, make it limp and gross, pull out your waves, etc... then don't.

I usually use them. Currently I'm not though. The hair-aisle gods had the cone-free conditioner that I like on sale recently.

[Blue Willow]

Pardon the ignornance but, I'm fairly new to site, so I am surmising cone shampoos are those with silicone?? If so I use them if I find something I like, but there are natural products that do almost the same thing, so when I'm feeling like I especially need it, I go with completely organic cleansing hair products, I really scan the ingredients and if I can't pronounce it, I figure I can live without it.

[enfys]

Pardon the ignornance but, I'm fairly new to site, so I am surmising cone shampoos are those with silicone?? If so I use them if I find something I like, but there are natural products that do almost the same thing, so when I'm feeling like I especially need it, I go with completely organic cleansing hair products, I really scan the ingredients and if I can't pronounce it, I figure I can live without it.

Yep, that's it, we call them cones because the names end in -cone, though there are a few different ones.

It's a pretty good attitude to have where you avoid what you can't say. Plants have latin names that aren't too hard to say. That's what I prefer.

[hazelnut]

I just found out that my hair actually needs cones. I had recently transitioned to an herb only routine, but my hair has become really dry. So now, I think that I'm gonna go back to my cone conditioner and my SLS shampoo. At least I gave the herbal routine a shot.:)

[rags]

It's a pretty good attitude to have where you avoid what you can't say. Plants have latin names that aren't too hard to say. That's what I prefer.

Yeah, and I think that's great if it works for you. For me, the plants make me break out in hives and give me asthma attacks. So I think I'll stick with my unpronouncable chemicals. :D

[enfys]

Yeah, and I think that's great if it works for you. For me, the plants make me break out in hives and give me asthma attacks. So I think I'll stick with my unpronouncable chemicals. :D

It's totally personal choice. Not everything natural is good for everyone. Think how many people can't eat peanuts!

[cakedcake]

I started buying silicone free shampoo/conditioner after joining LHC, but I was just wondering- anyone have any recommendations for clarifying after using cones for awhile?

[Firefly]

You have to do what works for you! Like most of the advice here, not everthing works for every person every time. We've all got our own experimentation going on, trying to find out what works the best for us for the greatest amount of time. I have been cone free for many years because they don't work for me... I have found that they give my hair the appearance of being healthier than it is, and my hair gets worse and worse until I need to clarify, and then I start the cycle all over again. But that is just MY hair. Plenty of people on this site use 'cones and have gorgeous, healthy hair. So if 'cones work for you, I say keep doing what you're doing! :)

[mira-chan]

I started buying silicone free shampoo/conditioner after joining LHC, but I was just wondering- anyone have any recommendations for clarifying after using cones for awhile?
Just about any sulfate shampoo will clarify the cones just fine.

My life would be much easier if I could use cones and sulfates without a problem. Most things have them. If the coney stuff works just fine for you, then why switch if you don't really want to?

[Maelyssa]

Like everyone else already said...it's purely a personal choice & what works best for YOUR hair.

There are some facts that may weigh your opinion in one way or the other.
For example you must use sulfates in your shampoo to get out cones so that you don't get build up. Build-up can lead to hair breaking up or tangles or matting or limp hair or flakes.
But for lots of us those sulfates cause dandruff, dry scalp, red itchy scalp & dry hair so we want to avoid them making cone free conditioner the best to use.

Cones are beneficial because they help protect hair from outside damage BUT it also keeps out the beneficial treatments you may be trying to put on your hair to help heal damage or keep it healthy. It's a matter of whether you want that coating on your hair or not & whether you want to have to clarify & use sulfates.

[girlcat36]

Cones caused my hair to dry out and break off on the ends. I had more tangles, and my hair was stringy and frizzy.
Without cones, my hair is moisturized and has good curl formation. I was finally able to make it to BSL after 17 years of growing. No lie----my hair was breaking off on the ends as fast as it grew. I did not realize this for a long time, I thought my hair had simply stopped growing.
I will never go back to cones.

That being said, if cones work for you---by all means stick with them! :)

[LadyEliza]

It really is up to you, you have to try both and find out. I've used panteen almost exclusively for over 10 years with no problem. My hair was as long as classic on it and never had any problems.

Recently I bought a non cone shampoo/conditioner to try (I liked the smell) and this is my hair after that wash (sorry about the size of the pic)

http://www.elizasart.com/temp/hair.jpg


And this is my hair after a wash with the cones.

http://www.elizasart.com/temp/elizashait.jpg

You can see without cones my hair is very dry. But that's ME. You might be different.

[teela1978]

Pardon the ignornance but, I'm fairly new to site, so I am surmising cone shampoos are those with silicone?? If so I use them if I find something I like, but there are natural products that do almost the same thing, so when I'm feeling like I especially need it, I go with completely organic cleansing hair products, I really scan the ingredients and if I can't pronounce it, I figure I can live without it.

You might want to swing by the abbreviations thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=10) to catch up on some of the lingo. We get a little crazy from time to time.

[CurlyOne]

Well I have been playing on both sides of the fence and I don't know which I like more. With cone free my hair was much more elastic and didn't break as easily but it was a nightmare to brush out.


I do have curly hair though so I think I should actually go use the curly girl method but I just hate dealing with the greasies of adjusting to a new routine.

[rose_in_bloom]

I would agree with the people who have already posted and say that you should do whatever works best for you. Cones are not inherently BAD, they just don't work for everyone. But some people swear by them, and I happen to be one of those people. :) I really like my cones, although I do sometimes take a break from them to avoid buildup.

[Chanterelle]

I swear by cones. They make my hair shiny and slippery and without them it's a dull, frizzy and tangly mess with hundreds of split ends.
I haven't ever had a buildup, I even don't know what it looks and feels like.

[Fethenwen]

I understand why some people need cones to keep their hair in one piece.

But in my case it's cones that makes things worse, and I also don't use any shampoo so there would be no way for me to avoid buildup if I would use cones. I love the way my hair feels silky and natural now when I have been totally cone free for many months.

[JamieLeigh]

I don't think it will ever be decided to the satisfaction of us all, whether cones are bad or good. That's a debate that will continue on after the apocalypse, probably.

Some people like them, some people don't. I'm one of the ones who don't, since it takes the wave out of my hair and leaves it flat and lifeless. :(