Afraid to try no cones....

[calicokatt]

I get the concept behin it, but every time I've gotten a conitioner without cones, I haven't been able to get my fingers through it, much less a comb or brush. So here's the question, if I get a conitioner with no cones, shampoo the scalp, conition, comb, rinse an then apply a little more conitioner and curl gel, am I going to end up with a matted mess? And if you've tried this and stuck with it, DOES the hair get less prone to turn into something that looks like it belongs in your child's room in a cage next to the rabbit?

[Spring]

I usually do a acv rinse afterwards. I think that helps out some

[Shicurls]

Hmmm, there is a period of time where your hair does go through a "rough" phase. It should be remedied with deep conditioning treatments and leaving in more conditioner than you might be used to doing. After awhile, your hair will be conditioned well enough that you can use less and less.

That being said, if 'cones work for you, than why switch? They don't work in my hair because I end up with a very smooth, dried out mess after awhile, but loads of people have hair that thrives on a diet of 'cones.

[sweet*things]

I've never had that issue with cone-free conditioners. What brands have you tried?

[calicokatt]

Because its dry. It literally feels like straw if I don't slather it in cones, an I DO mean slather it. I only wash it twice a week, so its not the shampoo. I'll never forget the time when I was a kid and went to get highlights (I know, I know) and the salon lady couldn't get the comb through it after washing and conditioning, she chewed my 12 year old butt for using pantene and said if I didn't stop, it was all going to break out because it was coated in the stuff and couldn't get any moisture. It took her over an hour to comb it out after she reconditioned it, and it wasn't even that long.

[calicokatt]

I don't remember, sweet thing, is there one that you like? I have loose spiral curls an thin/fine hair...

[Roseate]

It's all in which conefree conditioner, for me.

The Suaves/Vo5s are worse than useless for conditioning my hair (good for washing though). The conefree Garniers (Triple Nutrition, Sleek and Shine) are nice and slippy, very cone-like. Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose is very rich and takes longer to absorb than a coney one, but provides very good results on my coarse, dry hair. Tresemme Naturals is decent, not outstanding but gets the job done.

[pepperminttea]

Oiling and going cone-free go hand in hand for me; you need something to give you some slip. Just a very light oiling post-wash helps a great deal; whether it works better on the hair while it's wet or dry is up for debate, see what works for you.

The thing I've found is it seems to gets worse before it gets better. You'll start to notice all the little bit of damage that the 'cones hid, and it can look like you've ruined your hair. Don't worry. A bit of S&Ding and moisture treatments and you'll be sorted. :)

[Veer666]

About a year ago I switched from cones to non-cones.

At first I thought the cone-free conditioner was not conditioning as much as the cone one, but after a while that changed and I really didn't need that much conditioner anymore. I really had a lot of tangles immediately after the switch.
This is probably do to the lack of moisture in my hair due to the cones I have been using for many years (even in my shampoo...I really didn't know about cones before). Maybe the cones were just masking the damage.

After about a month my hear got more volume, got less greasy and had a much healthier shine. I only use about a coin of shampoo and a coin of conditioner each time I wash my hair. On cones I used about a hand full of conditioner.
Next to that, I do use a leave-in conditioner, but only a little in my damp hair.

At this point I use: Yes to tomatoes (shampoo and conditioner), Yes to cucumbers (leave-in conditioner) and sometimes Inecto cocos (shampoo to clearify with sles and conditioner to do a heavy moisture treatment).

My hair is so much better than with cones now, so I'll keep it cone-free

If your hair seems to love cones and it is not damaging your hair, then why switch?
If you avoid cone build-up by clarifying with sls/sles shampoo and moisture your hair enough when the cones are washed up, it shouldn't be that much of a problem.

Just find out what works best for you! But If you try cone-free, try to stick to it for about a month to see the results!

[Veer666]

If you really have dry hair I would recommend inecto cocos conditioner as a good cone-free conditioner.

It is actually a bit too heavy for my straight hair, but i use it sometimes when I feel my hair needs a bit extra. I've heard that it is really good voor curly hair end very dry and coarse hair.

Good luck!

[cataphract]

I can't get anything through my hair wet. It just doesn't happen. I've stopped trying because all that ends up happening is either my comb breaks, the brush bristles bend or my hair turns into dreads. I'm not really going for the dreads look on myself.

Instead, I just rub a little oil on the ends while it's wet and wait for it to dry, then I use a wide toothed comb.

I haven't used cones in... more than a year? A long time anyway. My hair has been much better since I've started oiling it, but I really can't mess with it while it's wet at all.

[maus]

I went cone free about two months ago, and my hair feels so much softer. No transition period, either, but I think that's a matter of being lucky and finding a new poo/condi that works for you. If you have coarse hair (which I don't, so it was way too rich for me), try AO Honeysuckle, as somebody has already suggested, or maybe a little oil in your conditioner? CWC would probably make a difference as well, or even CO....

[ddiana1979]

The absolute worst thing that can happen is that your hair will end up tangled & messy, which can be quickly fixed by going back to a coney conditioner. No harm, no foul. A cone-free conditioner will not damage your hair (unless, of course, it's got other damaging ingredients).

I currently CWC using Tresemme Naturals (the volumizing formula, I believe, since I initially intended to use it for CO). I do a ACV rinse with 4 oz. of 1:8 ACV:water. After I blot my hair dry with a towel, I put four drops of NightBlooming's Triple Moon Anointing Hair Oil in the length, a wee bit of aloe, and let it air dry.

Maybe since your hair is dry you could try an SMT or even the Movie Star Oil shampoo thing?

[calicokatt]

What is SMT? An what is the movie star oil shampoo thing? lol


Where does one purchase the inecto coconut oil conditioner?
(forgive my ignorance)

[slipperlady]

Hello. I am new here and need to learn the terminology. Could someone kindly tell me what you are referring to when you say 'cones'? If there is a place on this board that I can look it up if you have repeated it a lot, please let me know. Thanks!:)

[GhostLocks]

By "cones" do you mean a chemical that's part of the silicone family? If so I've heard that some people have a reaction to chemicals similar to silicone. I myself have had this problem before so try to switch off that conditioner and look for a conditioner with out any ingredients with the "cone" suffix. It worked for me so I hope it will help you. It may also help if you put a little olive oil into your hair after washing.

[rhosyn_du]

Hello. I am new here and need to learn the terminology. Could someone kindly tell me what you are referring to when you say 'cones'? If there is a place on this board that I can look it up if you have repeated it a lot, please let me know. Thanks!:)

'Cones' is short for 'silicones.' There's a list of common LHC terminology and abbreviations here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=10). At the top of the Mane Forum, there's a sticky titled "Links to VITs," which has a bunch of useful links you might want to poke through. Welcome!

[slipperlady]

Thanks! That helps a lot.

[christine1989]

If you are afraid of a tangled mess then I would try a no cone deep conditioner for starters. They leave my hair tangle free and easy to comb (basically act like a cone conditioner). I really like the Giovanni brand one- its really thick and totally cone free.

[annieangel149]

dont be afraid to try it!

i was a little nervous to because my ends are damaged from perming but im glad i did! okay yes i dont get the slip from cones and it is tangly! actually it was very tangly tonight after a CO wash and ACV rinsed and it took a little while to get my tangles out but my hair felt so light and soft when it had dried! still a bit tangly at the ends but i will get some oil for that! im going to perservere with the tangles cos my hair and scalp just feel cleaner with silicone,paraben and sulphate free poo and condish ;)

[Olyve]

I use Granier Fructis Triple Nutrition as a conditioner. It's VERY moisturizing and I actually just shampoo then use it as a leave in (diluted in water in a mister) with oiled ends or just use a nickel sized amount after shampooing.

I was all cones, in both shampoo and conditioner and couldn't for the life of me figure out why my hair was a mess (even after clarifying). Then I joined LHC and learned what cones actually were and that my hair was a mess because of them.

[HintOfMint]

I generally doctor my cone-free conditioners. I add honey and coconut oil to them and my hair is usually easy to comb after. This even helps the weaker conditioners (Suave/V05). Also, I use a HUGE amount of conditioner, palmfulls in fact.

[pepperminttea]

What is SMT? An what is the movie star oil shampoo thing? lol


Where does one purchase the inecto coconut oil conditioner?
(forgive my ignorance)

SMT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128).
Movie star shampoo thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=57025).
In the UK I generally see Inecto in Savers and some chemists. It's also available in some other European countries, but I don't know about the US.

[torrilin]

Tangling quality seems to vary a lot by hair type. Not just the curly/straight and fine/coarse stuff, but hair porosity, damage level, and things like whether you produce the sort of melanin that sunbleaches like woah or if you're the sort that always keeps your color. If you've got oily skin or dry skin, that will affect things too.

My hair is straight and it's very tangle prone. It feels very "sticky" or a bit like velcro when wet, and it forms split ends very easily. My skin is really dry, so I can comfortably stretch washes 4-5 days and get minimal greasiness.

Even so, I can use Curly Girl techniques so no silicones in my conditioner, and use conditioners with mild surfactants to wash, and my hair is fairly happy. This brings out my natural wave a tiny bit more so that I can almost look like a 1c. Condition/wash/condition (or CWC) has a similar effect. This still leaves my hair fairly dry tho, and I am still prone to splits.

At the moment, I'm experimenting with coconut oil shampoo to see if it can cut down on splits over the long haul. I know a good mostly conditioner routine works, but I can't reliably find conditioners that get on with my hair these days, so I'm rarely buying the same thing twice. VERY annoying. A coconut oil shampoo routine would work fine with several shampoos that we keep on hand as standard stuff, and I can easily get coconut oil, so it'd make shopping less stressful.

[julliams]

Maybe you just aren't used to the natural texture of your hair. It does take getting used to if you are used to slick coated hair. Try doing a clarify shampoo and follow it up with an SMT. You can also try a coconut soak which is using lite coconut milk on your hair for about an hour before shampooing and conditioning as normal. I find that gets lots of moisture into my hair.

However if cone-free is not for you, don't do it - just use cones and enjoy it. I personally used cones and had not a split end in sight - but I had an itchy scalp. I went cone-free for six months, lost the itchies but now I have split ends. Could be the length - who knows.

[Elphie]

You do what works for your hair, after all, it's on YOUR head :-)

That being said, I still swear by my Suave Coconut shampoo and conditioner. I stray once in a while and buy Cherry Blossom because I like the scent, but it isn't always as good. I still use coconut oil and periodically clarify with Suave's clarifier...which strangely enough had cones but I don't use it often enough to care much. It seems to do what I want it to do.

[McFearless]

If your hair likes cones why go without? Theres nothing wrong with cones

[calicokatt]

Ok, I bought the giovanni deeper moisture one, and the clarifying shampoo, will try it out in the morning and let you all know what I think in the afternoon.

[calicokatt]

Well, if frizz, split ends, and mats are the best I can get, (Which is what I get with cones) then I'll go back to my pixie :)

[jaine]

The dryness does get better with extra conditioner and oil and someone already mentioned. My hair only felt dry for a few weeks when I switched and then I figured it what I needed to do...less shampoo, more conditioner, more oil.

[GRU]

Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut conditioner gives me plenty of slip to detangle in the shower.

Garner Fructis Triple Nutrition conditioner is another that works for me.

Hairtrition Moisturizing conditioner has a REALLY creamy texture (the 'cone in it is water soluble).


Big thing to remember is to SATURATE with conditioner, and start combing at the ends first. With my 3-curls, I can get some pretty intense tangles, but the conditioner-in-the-shower thing has never let me down.

[Darkhorse1]

I tried no cones, but with my life style, my hair was miserable. Working in the elements/outdoors in the summer and in the cold of winter, my hair needs the protection. I do occasionally skip a condition, but I think the key is why not try?

I could not live with SLS--I simply need it to lather my hair. When I tried a SLS free shampoo, my hair felt like I'd washed it with sand, it was dry and for the first time, tangled, and my scalp/roots were matted/dirty. So, that was the end of that experiement. No cone conditioners--I went through half a bottle and felt nothing, so I went back to what worked for me.

It's about trying and seeing/feeling what is right for you. I do enjoy olive oiling for a deep condition, but coconut oil did nothing for me.

Have fun and experiment :)

[Veer666]

What is SMT? An what is the movie star oil shampoo thing? lol


Where does one purchase the inecto coconut oil conditioner?
(forgive my ignorance)


I buy my inecto coconut oil conditioner in the local grocery store or drug store.

http://www.inecto.com/

For the other question it is best to use the search engine on LHC. You will find your answers there.

[Nera]

I would say; try it for some time and if it doesn't work for you, stick with cones(:
For my hair it took a long time to get used to it, but after a while it felt nice, soft and natural. Sometimes I still use cones when I feel like it! Every hair is different, so it's a matter of experimenting.

[Vercelli]

I have been cone free for over 2 years now and I wouldn't want to go back to cones. But this is just my personal decision.
I have gained almost 2 centimeters in thickness (circumference of low ponytail) so somehow it seems to work on my head. I mainly use Aubrey Organics stuff and hand made hair soaps.

[calicokatt]

So I tried the Giovanni 50:50 shampoo this morning and liked it, even after just the wash my hair didn't feel as bad as it has in the past after a no-cone conditioner. Then I applied the Giovanni Deeper moisture conditioner, and lo and behold, I could actually comb my hair! :cheese Think I'll keep on with this one for a while and see if it makes a difference in my hair over time....

Vercelli, if I could gain thickness from going without cones, I would be THRILLED! I have very thin/fine hair, so here's hoping!

[ElusiveMuse]

Cone-free has simply never worked for me so I stick to cones. I feel like there is a tendency in groups like this for herd mentality when it comes to stuff like that. I don't mean it in a bad way - we're all here to learn tricks and tips and share about our experiences. I started using coconut oil because of you guys. But I think sometimes we get it in our heads that something should work because lots of people with hair we love do it and even thought it doesn't work for us, we keep at it waiting for that magical day that it will. Everyone's hair is different and people with amazing luscious locks are probably first and foremost genetically gifted rather than benefiting from this or that remedy or technique.

[annieangel149]

Cone-free has simply never worked for me so I stick to cones. I feel like there is a tendency in groups like this for herd mentality when it comes to stuff like that. I don't mean it in a bad way - we're all here to learn tricks and tips and share about our experiences. I started using coconut oil because of you guys. But I think sometimes we get it in our heads that something should work because lots of people with hair we love do it and even thought it doesn't work for us, we keep at it waiting for that magical day that it will. Everyone's hair is different and people with amazing luscious locks are probably first and foremost genetically gifted rather than benefiting from this or that remedy or technique.

hello :D

actually i havent felt that at all! i havent felt that i should be using cone free stuff but i was just curious about giving it a try! thats what i love about this place! in my opinion so far peeps have been great and very non judgmental towards others. i havent seen one post here from someone sayiing "you should be doing this or that" the peeps i have met here so far know that everyones hair is different and unique! people are very kind and respectful towards others here! i think that if you start a new hair product you need to give it time to work! there can definetly be a transition period!

[Khiwanean]

My hair was a little tanglier at first when I switched to cone-free. It did adjust though. I think it also takes some experimenting to find a cone-free conditioner with the right amount of slip. Right now I'm CO. I wash with Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition and use V05 Pomegranate and Grapeseed, which ends up giving me as much slip as I had with cones (Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Sheer and Tresemme Moisture)