Sulphate-Free and Cone-Free Questions.

[KittyLost]

I want to try going sulphate and silicone free to see if it makes my hair happier. Now I think the experiment suggestion is to try things seperately but I have the idea that no sulphates and silicones go hand in hand.

So do I try going no sulphate and silicone at the same time and wait for differences or do it seperately? I don't know why but from my research I seem to think that sulphate free shampoo but coney conditioner defeats the purpose? And a sulphate shampoo but no cone conditioner is also a bad mix. :s

I may have been here nearly a year but it appears I still have a lot to learn and a lot of progress to make!

[born_confused90]

that's great, i've been thinking about this too but my main problem is that shampoos in general don't like me so finding a sulfate free 1 that my hair responds well to is quite a challenge, i've cut down on silicone but it's 1 of the main components in my favourite serum which i feel the urge to use frequently because of the dodgy shampoos :s

also, i'm sure you already know this but just wanted to state that sulfates are a really strong cleaning agent whilst silicones coat the hair with fake health so to speak so they make it potentially difficult for your hair to absorb the goodness from other things you put on your hair. So, what do u think; what are your hair's needs? Do u feel that your hair is being in cleaned too harhly (in which case going sulfate free is a good first step) or do you think your hair should be absorbing more nutrients etc from the products you apply (in this case you might want to try silicone free stuff first)?

Good luck!

[Cirafly24]

I use a shampoo with sulfates (I have dandruff and have yet to find a shampoo that helps with that but doesn't have sulfates) and a cone-free conditioner. Not a bad mix at all, for me.

I tried using a sulfate-free shampoo for a while, and my scalp flipped out. I used to use cones, and they weren't bad, but my hair *loves* cone-free conditioners. It looks shinier without them, which is weird.

[Dina L.]

I use a sulfate-free baby bath to wash my hair finishing with an ACV rinse and I love it. After two weeks this combination also chased the dandruff I had, and believe me, I really had...
So give it a try! If you don't like the baby bath, you can use it when taking a shower or more fun: a foam bath. :cloud9:

[pepperminttea]

If you do decide to do one at a time, lose the 'cones first, since you need sulphates to wash (most) of them out, so 'cones without sulphates is normally a recipe for build-up.

I'm 'cone-free, but I use sulphates. I did go without them for years, but I've been back with them since last summer. I think for me it's just using them frequently that does the damage. Worth experimenting though. :)

[pepperedmoth]

'cones without sulphates is normally a recipe for build-up.

This. My hair loves cones but FREAKS OUT when it's washed with sulfates- dry, brittle, disastrous. I tried CO'ing with a coney condish and that failed due to buildup. Then I tried CWC'ing with a cone-sulfate combo, only using the 'poo once a week or less, but my hair STILL reacted to the sulfates.

I am therefore both sulfate and 'cone free, not because I think cones are bad- I think they're great- but because my delicate hair can't handle the sulfates needed to remove them!

[burns_erin]

This is such a highly individual thing. Personally, I am sulfate free because after years of misery, I finally figured out I did not have dandruff, I had a chemical sensitivity. And the cones made my hair, over time, an unmanageable mess.

The best thing I can recommend is sample sizes. That way you can try many different things relatively guilt free. It takes time and patience to nail down your own routine, and then if you are like me, and very unlucky, they will reformulate your favorite shampoo.

[Mesmerise]

To me it also makes sense to go both cone and sulphate free! I do have a shampoo that's sulphate free...but guess what? It has cones :rolleyes:... so I need to find one that's both sulphate and cone free...

I haven't yet experimented enough to work out whether or not cones or sulphates are bad for my hair BUT my hair seems much worse since the proliferation of cone containing conditioners... even though I thought those things were supposed to help...but meh maybe it's just years of buildup I'm contending with??!

[Theobroma]

Personally, I am sulfate free because after years of misery, I finally figured out I did not have dandruff, I had a chemical sensitivity.

Me too! None of the dandruff shampoos I ever tried did anything for my scalp except make sure it stayed a flaky mess. The problem evaporated almost the moment I quit sulphates. I wonder how many people out there buy dandruff shampoos because of the exact same misconception?

[Cupofmilk]

I use a shampoo with sulfates (I have dandruff and have yet to find a shampoo that helps with that but doesn't have sulfates) and a cone-free conditioner. Not a bad mix at all, for me.

I tried using a sulfate-free shampoo for a while, and my scalp flipped out. I used to use cones, and they weren't bad, but my hair *loves* cone-free conditioners. It looks shinier without them, which is weird.

I am exactly the same. If I don't use sulfates - my dandruff and scalp gets much worse and then I shed and loose lots of hair. In my case I have put it down to a scalp issue.
But my hair is fine without cones.

[burns_erin]

Me too! None of the dandruff shampoos I ever tried did anything for my scalp except make sure it stayed a flaky mess. The problem evaporated almost the moment I quit sulphates. I wonder how many people out there buy dandruff shampoos because of the exact same misconception?

Probably quite alot of people. When I told my doc about my issues, the first thing he asked was had I tried head and shoulders. I explained that actually made things worse, but sulfate free works great. He was boggled.

[LadyG]

I am now sulfate and cone free. My scalp is so much happier. My hair - it took about two weeks to settle down, it wasn't too happy going through the cone removal process. But now it's all shiny and happy.

[SheaLynne]

Excuse the (sort of) hijack...but I was going to post a question about this soon anyway. What shampoos do you all use that are sulphate and cone free? I am so confused by it all, and I can't tell what I am using. I'd like to try something with neither, but I have no idea what!

[Cirafly24]

Excuse the (sort of) hijack...but I was going to post a question about this soon anyway. What shampoos do you all use that are sulphate and cone free? I am so confused by it all, and I can't tell what I am using. I'd like to try something with neither, but I have no idea what!

I've used Organix Coconut Milk shampoo, L'Oreal Everstrong shampoo, and Rainbow Research Henna & Biotin shampoo. All three are sulfate-free.

[Nae]

I think going cone free is easier than going sulphate and cone free. If you are only looking to change one thing nix the cones first.

Now as to the product questions.......

Say Yes to Carrots has some that are sulphate and cone free. Gotta read the labels though. I think it is the pampering variety, not the nourishing ones.

Pretty sure that Say Yes to Cucumbers is also cone and sulphate free.

Burts Bees has sulphate and cone free. I like the Super Shiny Grapefruit and Sugar Beet, it smells SO good!

Tresseme Naturals has a low sulphate and no cone shampoo/conditioner which works nicely.

Garnier's Triple Nutrition is another one I like that has sulphate in the shampoo but no cone conditioner.

Another new offering is Eversleek from L'Oreal, I have used those and they are very nice. They are sulphate and cone free.

Then there are my tried and true Chagrin Valley Shampoo Bars. I love those but they seem to have a bit of a learning curve especially if you have hard water.

Then you could always CO wash with some cone free condtioner, ya know, Suave or VO5. That would be sulphate and cone free.

Can you tell I am a bit of a product junkie?? At any rate, I hope that helps.

[KittyLost]

Thank you everyone for your replies!

I will go cone-free first as pepperminttea suggested, and thank you Nae for your products! That will come in handy :)

[oktobergoud]

I use Yes To Cucumbers, and yes they are SLS & Cone free! :) I think Yes To Carrots isn't and Yes To Tomatoes has.. sulfates in it?? I'm not sure though, but I believe the Cucumbers one is the only one that is totally SLS & cone free!
I love it :D Till now it is the only SLS & Cone free stuff that makes my hair actually feel soft and not dry and greasy at the same time, hehe. Then again, my hair used to be bleached blonde so a bit damaged..

[Hana]

Odd! Whilst most of you seem to be having negative experiences with Sulphates, I've recently started using a mild one and my scalp issues have cleared up totally.
I am cone free at the moment, and do have hard water, but as soon as I tried going without sulphates, the problem returned.
I'm doing fine without cones at the moment, provided I keep up with oil deep treatments!

[Lil Red Vampire]

glad I found this thread. I am still so confused about sulfates and cones...I want to remove both but it baffles me that not using cones would be good for my hair since it makes my hair feel incredible.

I am worried about the in between stages you all talk about until your hair settles down...ack!

[mariazelie]

My journey into the sulfate free shampoo started after I read online that sulfates are a big factor in tangled, hard to comb out shampooed hair. That is the biggest reason I quit using sulfate shampoo. After a lifetime of misery after shampooing and trying many things, the elimination of laurel sulfate, and my tangle teezer,that I learned about thanks to this forum did the trick. Right now I use the L'Oreal Everstrong sulfate free shampoo and the the Everstrong conditioner, which I believe has cones. All seems to be well with my hair. However, I get nervous hearing about the bad things that cones do. I am confused like some of the rest of you. I just got some bain de terre shampoo that is sulfate free and the conditioner has cones. I haven't used it long enough to say how much I like it, but it seems to make my hair a little dryer and straighter. I have changed some other daily hair care details though, so it is hard to say what is what. I tried the CWC for about a month, and decided it might be breaking my hair. I am still not sure what has caused what.

[HintOfMint]

Cones generally need a sulfate shampoo to wash off, so keeping cones without sulfates may be a bad bet. However, you can have sulfates without a coney conditioner, which is my routine. Scalp loves sulfates, ends hate cones.

[SheaLynne]

I appreciate this thread so much...thank you for the suggested shampoos. I think I finally understand sulphates and cones! :p

Right now I'm trying oil shampoo with a sulphate shampoo and trying to find something without cones. My best bet with what I have around the house is to use the suphate/no cone shampoo on the scalp along with coconut oil, and then no-cone conditioner on my length. I think that's working really the best of anything I've done--happy scalp and happy hair!

When I buy shampoo again, I'll try something w/o sulphates and see how that does for my scalp.

:)

[Lil Red Vampire]

I appreciate this thread too. I think the reason I didn't like my hair when I tried to go cone free before was I didn't realize there was that in-between stage.

I think I still might need light sulfates for a bit but will try to do a cone free condish....I have several in my bathroom, just haven't been using them!!