Thinking about going back to cones. Need advice/comfort/words

[Svenja]

Hi all

I have been cone-free since October 2009 and although it worked fine in the beginning my hair has become very dull, tangle-prone and dry. I oil with coconut, shea butter, almond and jojoba (not an oil, I know :p ), and I use self-made leave-ins. I have tried CO, but that left my hair lifeless. I can say my hair is healthy, no split ends, no breakage. Still my hair lacks shine, after a day the lengths are dry to the touch.
A few days ago I had to use a coney poo and conditioner (don't ask! :rolleyes: ) and my hair was so beautiful afterwards. Even my SO mentioned the lovely shine and the softness. In fact he could not keep his hands out of my hair :D
So now I am thinking about going back to cones. For a trial or forever... don't know yet. I am scared I might ruin my progress though. So I ask you for your opinion, for words and a bit of a kick in the behind.

Thank you!

[smileycat]

I say if your hair likes cones (and a great compliment seems to indicate it does), then go ahead and use cones! Lots of members here continue to use cones with great results. Just watch your hair for build up and clarify accordingly. You might also like reading Ktani's article about silicone use in the hair care section under articles. No need to feel guilty!

[Nae]

Oh goodness, there are plenty of cone lovers on these boards who have great luck with cones. I don't think you need to worry about it for a minute!! Cones are not evil or anything. Just make sure you clarify every once in a while if you get build up and you should be just fine.

So don't give it another thought. If you hair loves cones give it what it wants!!

[rymorg2]

If you decide to go back to cones it's ok. They've been made for a reason and not everything works for everyone. You have to do what's right for you.

[Svenja]

Thank you! I think I have read so much about evil cones that I have become paranoid. Some people have made me believe that cones are THE WORST THING you could do to your hair EVER. In fact everything which's not 100% natural is pure evil.

First I believed this because my hair became a lot better, but after about 9 months I started not liking my hair anymore. The look, the touch. My sister (identical twin) does not give anything on natural shampoo, rinses, oils, etc and her hair is waist-length and so healthy. I have always been so jealous. I reckon I am too influential when it comes to certain things - call me naive.

I give my sister's shampoo brand a go now and see how it works for me. And try to get over my bad conscience...

[jane53]

Svenja, use WHATEVER works best for your hair.

When I first started coming the LHC, I was lured into trying coconut oil by the large number of people here who have good luck with it and whose hair loves it.

Guess what?

Coconut oil is the worst thing I can do to my hair! I tried it several times in several different ways, and finally, I listened to what my hair was telling me: It HATES coconut oil.

If your hair likes cones, they are not the worst thing you can do to your hair.

[ktani]

There is nothing evil about silicones in hair care, http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2010/09/debunking-silicone-myth-in-hair-care.html.

You will need to clarify your hair every so often. However, whether you use conventional or all natural products that is often the case.

Use what you need to use to have healthy hair and it sounds as if you are doing great now, for the most part. You can also alternate your routine.

There are a number of options available to you. This is another one, http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2010/10/hair-care-of-movie-stars-from-past.html, a coconut oil shampoo. It has proven to be successful for a number of people here and some have found that they no longer require conditioner at all.

[luxepiggy]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with cones! My hair loves cones, and I've never had a problem with buildup. I didn't even know what clarifying shampoo was until I joined LHC! I've still yet to use one, and I still use Pantene, just like I've been doing for the past 10 years or so (^(oo)^)v

Welcome back to the cone club (^(oo)~)

[spitfire511]

Just adding one more 'don't feel guilty' to the pile :)

[FrannyG]

Seriously, cones are not evil. Not at all. I was happily cone-free for 2 years, but after I sustained chemical damage in 2008, I went back to cones. They saved my hair. I wouldn't have been able to untangle my hair without them, and they masked the damage enough that I've been able to slowly cut out the damage instead of having to cut my hair very short.

Just remember to clarify your hair from time to time.

There are a lot of cone users here. It does seem like we hear more about the anti-cone opinions though.

Do what's best for you and your hair! :blossom:

[ktani]

Not all silicones cause build-up. There are some that do not because of how they are formulated or what they are formulated with in a product.

[Svenja]

Thank you all so much! Seems like I become a cone-head again after all...!
You are right, I should do what is right for my hair not what is right according to another person's opinion.

[nytquill]

Absolutely go back to cones if that's what works for your hair! :)

Personally I can't use cones, not because I think they're evil or even because my hair doesn't like them, but because my scalp can't handle the frequent sulfate shampoos that I would need to clarify (and the water-soluble cones are just too hard to find in stores!). I did find that with my hair being fine and me not caring for it properly for years (i.e. leaving it loose all the time in a really windy climate, using plastic brushes, and so on), when I went off of cones for good there was a lot of damage and dryness that had been hidden by the cones. Without cones it takes a bit more TLC to keep my hair looking good, especially until the crunchy dry ends grow completely out.

I really missed that shine and softness too and someone here pointed me to the "hair care for the stars" thread about coconut oil shampoo. YMMV, but for me this was exactly what I needed to get that cone-like look and feel back into my hair without actually using cones. I love my hair so much now even *I* can't stop playing with it when it's down :lol:

But yeah, just to echo what everyone's said, cones are not evil. They don't work for some people, but they do for others, and that doesn't make them either good or bad. They're just a chemical product that some people find gives them great hair, and other people don't. Like any other chemical product you might find in hair care stuff. Good luck! :)

[Dolly]

Happy cone-lover here!!

I ran a cone-free experiment where I clarified, got a good trim, inspected all my hair, no damage.....good clean slate to start with......changed nothing else in my routine.....was still using shampoo bars and oiling, just no more cones.....after a while, my hair was dry, tangly, breaking, and splitting......BUT, I have very fine fragile hair, and I wear it down 90% of the time.....it needs to cones for protection, and is much happier with cones.....as long as I make sure to clarify when needed, I am good to go!!

As long as you're aware and alert to the signs of potential issues, use what your hair does best with!!

[Svenja]

I am so glad there are cone-lovers with amazing hair around here!

[chelles2kids]

Oh goodness, there are plenty of cone lovers on these boards who have great luck with cones. I don't think you need to worry about it for a minute!! Cones are not evil or anything. Just make sure you clarify every once in a while if you get build up and you should be just fine.

So don't give it another thought. If you hair loves cones give it what it wants!!


What she said. ^^:p

[Feng-Shui]

I uses cone very gladly in the winter on my lengths.

Hair is dead material and I thinks cone not damage causes if one them correctly uses.

On my scalp I use never cone, because skin breathes and cone could clog my pores.

I was two years paranoid over products with cone also.

I had in the winter always so large problems with to break my hair because of drynesses.

So I have a daily an attempt with cone product of despair over my hair.

And voila, my hair it loved. :inlove:

Problem with break of my hair in the winter solved.

I happy and my hair was again happy.:joy:

[pepperminttea]

If your hair likes 'cones, use them! :)

[Sooze]

I think sometimes your hair's needs change over a given period of time, and you may need to keep trying different things, or reverting to familiar old ones depending what your hair is like at any given point.

Having found oils courtesy of LHC I was tempted to throw out all of my old SLS shampoos and cone based conditioners, but decided to compromise by keeping two of each "just in case"

[aenflex]

Go for it girl! Cones are not the enemy unless they actually displease your hair. If you hair liked cones, why stop?

[may1em]

I think too many people fall into the extreme ends of the to-cone-or-not-to-cone argument.

You don't have to give them up entirely OR use lots of them all the time.

Personally, I'm happiest with no-cones most of the time, but use a coney serum on occasion, and then mostly on the ends. You might do well with either occasional or regular cone use.

I also noticed that no-cones worked better for me at BSL. Since it passed waist, it seems to need some every now and then.

[mellie89]

Just echoing what everyone else has said. Cones are not evil! I'd say that the vast majority normal, everyday people who have never heard of LHC use cones, because most conventional products contain them. And I don't know about you, but I see plenty of gorgeous hair every day!

I personally went cone-free when I had a lot of damage, because cones made the damaged hair super tangly and velcro-y, even after just one use. Now that almost all of the damage has been trimmed away, I'm going back to cones, and my hair is LOVING it! It's shiny, soft, and so voluminous. I couldn't be happier with my cone-y products.

In short, please do whatever works for your hair! Don't apologize or feel like you're breaking rules if you like to use cones!

[Octave]

I recently went back to using cones as my hair was really dull, had lost all its shine,didn't get cleaned properly, went dry and had tons of static by not using any cones or sls. Saw an instant change for the better when I went back to cones, my hair is really soft and shiny once again...couldn't be happier. :D
So think I'm going to stick with cones from now one.
So yeah, nothing odd at all about using cones...whatever suits you.

[jojo]

This happened with me too, now my hair loves cones but I do alternate between cones/none-cones in fact I hardly ever look at the ingredients, if my hair looks nice thats all what matters!

Nothing wrong with being a conehead
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l283/joanna_eglin/conehead.jpg

[tinygirl]

I would say maybe slowly start introducing cones back into your haircare, if they made your hair look so lovely!
I myself use a coney conditioner once a week because otherwise my hair gets really tangly! If your hair is liking cones, then give them a go! Not all cones are evil!

[christine1989]

My hair looks better with cones too but I am afraid they will cause buildup so I compromise by using cones three times a week and no cones four days a week. They are not all bad though- I think they are great for protecting hair from damage and tangles in the winter weather to come.

[sarahbrownie]

I went cone free for a good year. Thought they were so evil, basically excommunicated them from my shower. It was good for a while, then my ends began to split and nothing would give it that shine and life that cones did. I bought some Dove and my hair was basically resurrected. There are a lot of pros with cones, they give you that nice slip and shine. I kinda missed it. That and it's cheap. Instead of $7-$14 for special organics I'm back to $3 dollar bottles.

[Chamomile betty]

I went cone free for a couple of months then went back to cones. I did find some great styling products that are cone free I continue to use. I just struggled with tangle prone hair that was difficult to manage. I have been happier with my hair since going back to cone products.

[Dolly]

I will admit that I DO wash with a cone-free condish when I do a CO, but I follow it with a coney one on the ends.....I also use a cone-free as the first "C" when I do a CWC......

[sleepingIn]

This happened to me too - I went cone free thinking they were the devil. Eventually my fine hair was getting raw feeling and not shiny like it had been. On vacation I was stuck using someone else's product and the cones brought back my beautiful hair I missed so much. i like hair (mine) with lots of slip - it lays better when it has slip because it moves, as opposed to "catching" on itself. Even more, my fiance noticed how beautiful my hair looked with the cone products. I took them right back with open arms :) What works for some does not work for all - just like anything else, food - medication, etc, its very personal and based on your own preferences and variables.

Glad you found what works for you!

[rosieex3]

I tried going cone free this summer (co-washing as well) and my hair looked amazing at first, but then I started noticing so much breakage and split ends. Also, my hair became dry/brittle/crunchy/frizzy. My hair is chemically damaged, and it needs cones to be manageable and protected. I now co-wash with Herbal Hessences' Hello Hydration (coney condish) and my hair LOVES it. Well actually, I scrub my scalp with a cone free conditioner before for the "cleansing" part of co-washing. Then I rinse and apply Hello Hydration all over. It is so much nicer now, and I will just clarify as needed. There is nothing wrong with cones if it makes your hair happy. :)

[melikai]

I thought about going back to using silicones, as after a while of not using them, I was having breakage and fragile-feeling hair. However, I discovered that it was the conditioner I was using, and nothing to do with silicones. Once I started using a good conditioner with BTMS as one of the top ingredients, my hair was fine. I had previously been using Aubrey Organics conditioners, and they didn't do anything for my hair.

So, it may not be silicones at all, but the other ingredients of the conditioner(s) you were using.

[eezepeeze]

My hair would not be presentable without cones. For me, cones seal in the moisture that my hair so desparately wants. In fact, it is so desparate for moisture that it frizzes in an attempt to draw moisture from the air. Using cones seals in the moisture from being wet in the shower (washing) and cuts down on frizz. I use coconut oil, too, as a pre-wash treatment, or sometimes a little on the ends before applying my other products after washing. My hair likes the oil AND the cones. It does not care for the CO method. See, I do what works for me, and that's what most of us do. We take what works for us and leave the rest. Happy cone-ing :-)

[AnnaJamila]

Well, this thread makes me feel better! I can't use the same thing on my hair for long periods of time or else my hair just looks AWFUL sooooooooo I have tons of semi-used bottles under my sink! The thing is all but three had cones! I think I'll just try to use a coney one until it doesn't work than switch to a non-coney one until IT doesn't work and repeat the process! This makes me feel a LOT less guilty... plus a tiny ten dollar bottle of jojoba oil (or an even tinier thirty dollar bottle of argan oil) won't make habibi's eyebrows go quite so high up his head!

[bubblyredhead]

After 6 months of being cone free I finally gave back into what makes my hair happy and switched to cones again the SLS shampoo I was using doesn't give me the same reaction anymore. When I wasn't using cones my hair kept breaking and spliting like crazy, I thought it was just the damage showing up but in reality my hair needs cones so back to cones but I will be adding a LOT more deep treatments then before I stopped using cones.

[Jenn of Pence]

I like cones, too! As has been mentioned, you don't always have to use cones every time you wash. That helps me keep some body and not look too limp or anything. :)

[Svenja]

So, it may not be silicones at all, but the other ingredients of the conditioner(s) you were using.

That's what I thought at first, too. But after trying about 5 or 6 different cone-free conditioners and shampoos I am quite sure it's got nothing to do with the ingredients in the conditioners :( - even the most expensive conditioner or the heaviest oiling could not give any shine anymore :mad:
So now I try cones again and guess what, this morning I got a compliment on my shiny hair!!

[luxepiggy]

That's what I thought at first, too. But after trying about 5 or 6 different cone-free conditioners and shampoos I am quite sure it's got nothing to do with the ingredients in the conditioners :( - even the most expensive conditioner or the heaviest oiling could not give any shine anymore :mad:
So now I try cones again and guess what, this morning I got a compliment on my shiny hair!!

Congratulations! Glad to read that your hair is happy again! :cheese:

[halo_tightens]

I just started using coney conditioners again, too! I went cone-free for quite a long time, and I did like how it felt like things (treatments and such) could really penetrate into my hair in a way they never could before. However, I started having more and more problems with tangles as my hair got longer, and lots of splits too. I decided to give cones another try, and I'm so glad I did! My coarse-ish hair just needs that extra slip sometimes. :)