Getting started with a new routine...

[LaurenH]

Hello :)
Since coming to LHC I've been learning sooo much stuff about hair! This site is wonderful, and I probably spend way too much time here, hehe. :p I'm new, and am trying to get started with a hair care routine.

So far, what I've been doing is: Trying to limit washing to 3-4 times a week, with CO on in between days if my hair just feels too gross. I'm also now washing only the scalp and letting the shampoo just drip down to my length instead of piling it all on my head. I've stopped using cones for now to see if my hair likes them or not, using lots of conditioner, being more gentle with my hair and combing more than brushing, usually sleeping with my hair braided, rarely blow drying or straightening, and trying oils (but don't really like them so far... I feel like either I use way too much, or my hair just doesn't absorb it.)

I have been cone free for a week now (after first clarifying with Suave Clarify), and my hair feels like it's more fragile, tangle prone, and not quite as soft. I've also been shedding a lot more than normal. Is this because my hair likes cones, or I just need time to adjust?

Also, I'm having a hard time telling if the shampoo/conditioner I'm using is cone free AND protein free. I want to try something protein free eventually to see how my hair responds, but I don't want to do this at the same time that I'm trying out the cone free stuff.

The shampoo and conditioner I've used all week are Herbal Essences (the "old" kind, "Moisture Balancing For Normal Hair" - cone free) and Suave Tropical Coconut conditioner. Does anyone know if these have proteins?

I also have the V05 Pomegranate and Grapeseed shampoo and conditioner - haven't used them yet. Are these cone free AND protein free? I'm trying to find something (for now) that is cone free WITH proteins, and after I try that for awhile I'll look for something Protein free that doesn't have cones... Does this make any sense? :p Any suggestions? :confused:

[HairColoredHair]

Here's the Suave one:

Suave Tropical Coconut:

Water (Aqua), Cetyl Alcohol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Fragrance (Parfum), Distearyldimonium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Glycerin, 2 Bromo 2 Nitropropane 1, 3 Diol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, (These are Preservative, not cones, even though they end in 'one) Propylene Glycol, Silk Amino Acids (This is a protein source, though it's low on the list), Honey/Mel, Nettle (Urtica Dioica) Extract, Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis) Extract, Coconut (Cocoa Nucifera) Extract


I think the V05 has protein, most of them have a bit, especially the 'strengthening' ones.

[LaurenH]

Thanks, that helped a lot! :)

[Mary <><]

snip...
I have been cone free for a week now (after first clarifying with Suave Clarify), and my hair feels like it's more fragile, tangle prone, and not quite as soft. I've also been shedding a lot more than normal. Is this because my hair likes cones, or I just need time to adjust?
...snip


Lauren,

IMHO, I think this is because you are used to the feel of your hair with cones in it and you are now experiencing the need for moisture that using cones for so long has left you with. If you are persistant you can hydrate that hair and it will feel similar to how it did with cones. It took mine a while to acclimate, but it finally did come around and forgive me for taking its cones away! LOL!!! Your hair will likely absorb more moisture without them, but it will take time for you to notice the results. Really I would say it took me a good 5 or 6 months to really start to see the results.

BTW, have you tried honey yet? It is very moisturizing and my hair behaves as though I had cones in it when I use honey! I use 4 Tbsp of conditioner & 1 Tbsp of honey with 8 drops of SAO mixed in. You could always try that mix without the oil just to see if you like the honey. HTH!

[LaurenH]

Thanks Mary!! :D Did you notice your hair shedding more when you came off of cones? I actually just mixed up some of your Suave Tropical Coconut conditioner, honey and sweet almond oil mixture last night... Planning to try it out in the morning! :) I have it in a cup sitting in the shower... Ben saw it last night and was like "What is that?!" LOL! :p

[Mary <><]

Hahaha! You better not tell him what it is if you used his Texas honey! Lol! My hair sheds so much it is amazing I have any at all on my head, but I did not notice an increase when I came off of cones. I did however notice that I was losing more hairs in the shower as I stretched out time between washes. I think when we wash we lose a certain amount of hair that is just loose and trapped in with all the attached hair. If we stretch out the time between washes I think many of the hairs we lose only come out when we wash, so it may make us feel like we are losing more but in reality it is the same amount. It is just 2 or 3 days worth of hairs instead of just 1 day worth that we are used to perceiving as normal hair loss. Does that make sense? In other words, if you used to wash 1 time a day and lose 10 hairs at each wash, and now you are washing every 3 days and losing 30 hairs at each wash, that would look like more per wash, but really it is the same amount. Hope that makes sense!

[LaurenH]

Haha, I won't tell him about the honey! ;) And yes, that makes total since about the increased shedding... Probably just cause I'm washing less. Thanks so much! :)

[apynip]

Your in the same process as i am in.

It took me all week to get my hair back to semi normalness.
What i did:
Took out an hour of my day and put most of my hair into a poney tail and took out layer by layer of hair and brushed it gently with my BB brush and let my hair soak the natural oils.

my hair is silky and smooth now and less dry. though now its just a mess of volume... Trying a hot oil treatment tomorrow cause tomorrow is shampoo day. ^_^

[Roseate]

I have been cone free for a week now (after first clarifying with Suave Clarify), and my hair feels like it's more fragile, tangle prone, and not quite as soft. I've also been shedding a lot more than normal. Is this because my hair likes cones, or I just need time to adjust?

It could just be that your hair needs more moisture, not that it needs cones. Suave and VO5 conditioners are not very moisturizing at all, and their shampoos are pretty drying. You may need to add more moisture either through DT's or by getting a richer conefree conditioner.

[Toadstool]

when I first tried going cone-free my hair felt so dreadful I had it cut short, thinking it was damage:(
I believed I needed cones for the next year.
Now I am using much more moisturising cone-free products, my hair actually feels better than on cones.