View Full Version : Falling off the No-Sulfates, No-Cones Wagon
XcaliburGirl
April 10th, 2010, 06:24 AM
Is 33 days enough to tell that it wasn't for me?
I think I need dandruff shampoo, I can't do WO days without grease, and I can't CO everyday without overconditioning and/or grease. Weirdly enough, the organic sulfate-free Giovanni shampoo I was using made my hair feel drier than my Dove shampoo with sulfates. Maybe the Amodimethicone in the latter was smoothing it?
I'm a little bummed because I thought this would give me great frizz-free hair with more wave/curl. Maybe I need to work on technique or something, but I'm just so frustrated.
RavennaNight
April 10th, 2010, 06:35 AM
Maybe you switched too many things at once? I did that and my hair bugged out a year ago. Did you clarify before switching to no cones? Maybe the products you picked just didn't agree with your hair?
xoxophelia
April 10th, 2010, 06:43 AM
I just noticed from your hair description we have similar hair. :D
So my take on it.. What I am currently doing that works pretty well as far as I can tell is using a light cone free conditioner in a CO type method but before doing that, taking a small dilute amount of sulfate shampoo and massaging it into my scalp focused on the areas that are visible (I'm talking a pea sized amount).
I am avoiding anything with humectants in conditioners as I found those dried out my hair causing frizz so you can be cone free but there can be something else causing part of the problem. I recently got VO5 kiwi clarifying conditioner and it is amazing for only a dollar and also cone free. And then I use Biolage something or rather shampoo. These both have light fresh scents if that means anything for you. As the conditioner isn't heavy I take a tiny amount of jojoba oil when my hair is almost dry, rub that through and rebrush my hair with a wet comb to get a sorta straight sorta wavy not frizzy look. I wash my hair 2-3 times a week.
Oddly enough what gave me REAL wave was shampoo only. I think it made the hair stick together better. Was a little frazzled though.
Felix_D
April 10th, 2010, 06:56 AM
My hair is very different from yours but I just wanted to add some encouragement. It took 3 months for my hair to adjust. I had a greasy stage, a smelly stage, a flaky stage. Took a while and a bit of experimenting with how to wash using conditioner. Don't give up too soon.
Aevra
April 10th, 2010, 07:02 AM
When I first started my mostly water only care my hair was so greasy for the longest time, it looked like I hadn't washed my hair in weeks, and it smelled terrible, but after my hair stopped having a fit (it was only a couple of months) my hair started looking a lot healthier.
XcaliburGirl
April 10th, 2010, 07:17 AM
Thanks for the tips and encouragement. I keep getting aggravated and want to take "extreme" measures. *Deep breath*
OK, just took a shower and decided to take it slowly. I CWC with my dandruff shampoo because the flaking and itching were driving me crazy. I can't determine if I have dandruff or dry scalp, the dandruff shampoo seems to help, but I'm not really sure. I'm going to try using it weekly for a while and if it makes it worse, I'll assume it's dry scalp.
I was really tempted to go crazy and use some leave in defrizz cream with Cyclopentasiloxane (which I understand is one of the "worst" cones in terms of buildup), but I've been getting really soft hair by rinsing my GFTN conditioner out in cold water, upside-down. I think a tiny bit gets left in, which is better than if I add more which is overdoing it. So I thought, why throw that all away when I finally found one technique that definitely had a positive effect?
I just noticed from your hair description we have similar hair. :D
...
As the conditioner isn't heavy I take a tiny amount of jojoba oil when my hair is almost dry, rub that through and rebrush my hair with a wet comb to get a sorta straight sorta wavy not frizzy look.
This sounds like a good idea, though not really practical for every day since I usually leave the house with wet hair. But on the weekends I'm going to try it. Usually I comb and airdry, but during the drying everything floofs up.
dropinthebucket
April 10th, 2010, 07:28 AM
I tried going water only, too - didn't make it past two weeks. Doesn't necessarily mean you have to go back to sulphates, though. The first natural shampoos I tried (two - PrairieNaturals and Tresemme) did not work out so well - the first one smelled horrible (like eucalyptus, which for some reason, always reminds me of hospitals!) and the second one was too slick on my hair, not enough cleaning power. I went to a shampoo bar, and these have been great. Without the stripping sulphates, my hair doesn't really need conditioner now - I tried it, but hair was overconditioned with even a small amount. Instead, I just pat a bit of oil on the ends before the hair is dry, and it seems to work well. hth - good luck giving these up, it will be worth it!
09robiha
April 10th, 2010, 07:28 AM
awhh dont feel put out :( It jsut dosent work for some people. f using cones and sulfates works for you and your hair is better off for it...then go ahead. I mean look at the wonderful Torrin Paige's or Cinnamon hair, they are regular cone users and have stunning hair.
I would, firstly, go back to what you started with, that gave you nice hair and take a look at what worked and what didnt. Then change one product at once, try it for 2 weeks, then if it dosent work you will be able to pin point why.
Kristin
April 10th, 2010, 08:15 AM
I just noticed from your hair description we have similar hair. :D
So my take on it.. What I am currently doing that works pretty well as far as I can tell is using a light cone free conditioner in a CO type method but before doing that, taking a small dilute amount of sulfate shampoo and massaging it into my scalp focused on the areas that are visible (I'm talking a pea sized amount).
I am avoiding anything with humectants in conditioners as I found those dried out my hair causing frizz so you can be cone free but there can be something else causing part of the problem. I recently got VO5 kiwi clarifying conditioner and it is amazing for only a dollar and also cone free. And then I use Biolage something or rather shampoo. These both have light fresh scents if that means anything for you. As the conditioner isn't heavy I take a tiny amount of jojoba oil when my hair is almost dry, rub that through and rebrush my hair with a wet comb to get a sorta straight sorta wavy not frizzy look. I wash my hair 2-3 times a week.
Oddly enough what gave me REAL wave was shampoo only. I think it made the hair stick together better. Was a little frazzled though.
My hair is slightly less wavy than either of yours, but i would have to agree that this routine works. I hated CO until I tried the VO5 kiwi clarifying conditioner. And I also apply a heavier condish to my ends only if it seems I need it. AND I use just a couple of drops of jojoba after washing. (You can apply it to wet hair if need be.)
For dry ends you may also want to try Fox's Shea Butter.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=4586&highlight=fox%27s+shea+butter
Used sparingly, that stuff is awesome and makes length very soft just like my old coney detangling serums and leave-ins.
And please don't think that we're all running around with grease-free hair everyday. Many LHCers will admit that on day two or three post-wash, we have plenty of grease to spare. I just wear it up so it is less noticeable. Good luck!!
XcaliburGirl
April 11th, 2010, 05:52 AM
And please don't think that we're all running around with grease-free hair everyday. Many LHCers will admit that on day two or three post-wash, we have plenty of grease to spare. I just wear it up so it is less noticeable. Good luck!!
Sorry if this is a newbie question, but I'm curious: if it feels greasy, why not just wash it more often?
xoxophelia
April 11th, 2010, 06:03 AM
Sorry if this is a newbie question, but I'm curious: if it feels greasy, why not just wash it more often?
My hair has gradually become less greasy, but I started slowly reducing the frequency I was washing about a year and a half ago when I started coloring my hair. Also, I noticed if I can stretch the washing really far (I'm talking 5 days), when I do wash, it feels AMAZING. Not sure why but natural sebum does something..
Also, I guess more manipulation when wet can lead to more damage.
Bonkers57
April 11th, 2010, 04:31 PM
I say use what you think you need. I have several different products and I use whatever I think my hair needs, whether it's a deep cleaning, gentle cleaning, thorough conditioning, no conditioning, whatever. I don't worry about labels.
Is 33 days enough to tell that it wasn't for me?
I think I need dandruff shampoo, I can't do WO days without grease, and I can't CO everyday without overconditioning and/or grease. Weirdly enough, the organic sulfate-free Giovanni shampoo I was using made my hair feel drier than my Dove shampoo with sulfates. Maybe the Amodimethicone in the latter was smoothing it?
I'm a little bummed because I thought this would give me great frizz-free hair with more wave/curl. Maybe I need to work on technique or something, but I'm just so frustrated.
julliams
April 11th, 2010, 05:45 PM
I tried the no SLS and no cones for about 6 months and ended up with splits which could be from no cones or could be because I hadn't had a trim in 7 months. Either way, I went off them because I had had an insanely itchy scalp.
So now I do what some have suggested here - I shampoo for my scalp (SLS free for me since this is what causes itching for my scalp) and condition for my length (cones to give some extra slick and protection against splits - I'm hoping). Now with freshly trimmed hair I'm gonna see how that goes and see if I have similar splitting issues in 6 months when I have planned my next trim.
There is always a plan...
XcaliburGirl
April 12th, 2010, 07:48 AM
Well, I used Sunsilk Hairapy Captivating Curls De-Frizz Leave In Creme yesterday, and my hair had less frizz (certainly not no frizz) and felt nice. Then today I shampooed with the Giovanni. I think I'm going to stop torturing myself with being super strict, just relax for a while, and clean and condition my hair however the mood takes me. I'm a very low maintenance kind of girl, but I get obsessed with things sometimes and start agonizing over every little detail.
Thanks for all the tips and encouragement.
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