Cones- yay!; sulfates -nay!

[whiteisle]

What's a girl to do? My hair likes cones but hates sulfates. How would you deal with this?

[CindyLea1]

Wash with a sulfate free shampoo and conditioner. Use a coney leave-in spray?

That's what I do. I use the leave-in spareingly. I clarify when it feels nasty, about once a month maybe.

[marikamt]

I have (recently) switched from no-cone to some cone (as in a leave in) and I am sls free.... It has been about a month and I have no noticeable build-up yet, but when that happens I will clarify....

[Fractalsofhair]

I think there's a betaine that can remove cones and clarify, just not as harshy. It's in the Burt's Bees shampoos.(Very drying though.)

[spidermom]

You can try diluting the sulfate shampoo quite a bit in warm water. I would guess that I use maybe 1/2-1 teaspoon of shampoo in about 1/2 cup warm water.

[Ursula]

How badly does your hair hate sulfates?

Some people find that they're better off not using sulfates for every wash, but that they can use them occasionally for clarifying. Others find that even occasional use is a problem, such as if they make your scalp itch.

If you can use them to clarify, then I'd just use them as needed, and use other wash products (non-sulfate shampoo, shampoo bars, CO) for routine washes.

If you find you can't use them at all, then you may need to keep looking at conditioning options to see what you can use, if you find the non-sulfate washes don't keep 'cones from building up.

Broccoli seed oil is reputed to work in a cone-like manner. You might try putting a tiny amount of broccoli seed oil in a spray bottle with plenty of water (and perhaps also aloe gel, as with Kimberlily's spray) and using that to detangle or as a leave-in.

[Messyhair]

I've always been able to use sulfates but my hair tends to dislike long-term use of cones... go figure. It is possible to dilute shampoo with water to decrease the sulfate concentration. Is it possible to get a cone conditioner with no sulfates? I think so, but it's been a while since I shopped by ingredients. If that exists, then you could use it and a sulfate-free shampoo, right?

[Ursula]

I've always been able to use sulfates but my hair tends to dislike long-term use of cones... go figure. It is possible to dilute shampoo with water to decrease the sulfate concentration. Is it possible to get a cone conditioner with no sulfates? I think so, but it's been a while since I shopped by ingredients. If that exists, then you could use it and a sulfate-free shampoo, right?

A 'cone conditioner wouldn't have sulfates -sulfates are the detergents that are used in most shampoos. So conditioners generally don't have them.

The problem is that some 'cones can build up on the hair, and are not easily removed without using a sulfate detergent based shampoo.

So if your hair likes 'cones but doesn't like sulfates, you'd need to experiment with 'cones to find products that don't build up on your hair when you're using a non-sulfate wash method, perhaps occasionally using sulfates during this experimentation if the 'cones do build up.

Whether that is a reasonable plan for any one person depends on just why they they have problems with sulfates. If it is just hair issues (such as dryness) with frequent use then it may work well to use them for clarifying occasionally, but if it is a more severe reaction, such as an itchy scalp, it may be better to experiment to find non-cone products that work as well as the 'cones.

[Wicked Princess]

I use a coney leave in once a week but am SLS-free.

My skin is HIGHLY sensitive to SLS, so it's not a matter of my hair not liking it...my skin will actually be horrible if I use them! My scalp would react in scary, scabby ways, and my hands would have terrible eczema.

It takes about three months before I start to notice build up in my hair. When that happens, my fiance* is the one who actually washes my hair with a diluted clarifying shampoo. My hair is washed twice with that, and comes out squeaky clean and free of build up! I never use this on my scalp, just from about the ears down, which is where I limit the use of 'cones to, as well.

A lot of people would say that this hastle is not worth it for cones. But I gave the 'cone free thing a shot for six months. My hair became damaged faster and I had to spend a loooong time de-tangling. I figure once every three months isn't so bad, so to me, it's worth it. :)

*He's so patient and wonderfully supportive for doing this. I'm very lucky!

[bumblebums]

Silicone derivatives vary in how soluble they are in water. There is an LHC article about this somewhere, I think. Maybe if you stay away from dimethicone and heavier silicones, you can get away with a gentler, non-sulfate detergent?

[Copasetic]

You could use a leave-in with water soluble cones in it.

[whiteisle]

Thanks for all the great replies!

To clarify (no pun intended, ha ha), my issue with sulfates is that it totally drys my hair to straw. So maybe I could use cones sparingly and then use sulfates once in a blue moon to keep them in check. Something to think about....:)

[Ursula]

Thanks for all the great replies!

To clarify (no pun intended, ha ha), my issue with sulfates is that it totally drys my hair to straw. So maybe I could use cones sparingly and then use sulfates once in a blue moon to keep them in check. Something to think about....:)

That makes sense. You might then follow up with a non-cone moisturizing deep treatment, to get the full effect on hair that doesn't have silicone residue blocking the absorption of the moisture treatment.

[whiteisle]

That makes sense. You might then follow up with a non-cone moisturizing deep treatment, to get the full effect on hair that doesn't have silicone residue blocking the absorption of the moisture treatment.

That's a good idea.

I'm still on the fence about going back to cones. I'm really trying to give cone-free and CO a fair chance but I find myself being tempted by all my coney products. :o So I was trying to see what compromises might be out there.

[Sissy]

I use cones frequently (most times for a leave in, sometimes for my conditioner) but use very little sulfates. In fact, I find I only need to shampoo with sulfates once per week.

[GoddesJourney]

Clarify periodically.