cut off damage, wanna prevent damage

[PhillyGirl1978@]

I have been gone way too long...I still occasionally check in on the site though.

So anyway...I went to a new salon yesterday...read a lot of good reviews for this chick. I loved the cut, gave lots of movement...I had a lot of damage! My ends were like velcro...I am a little confused by the stuff the stylist told me to use to help with my tangle prone hair. She recommended DevaCurl's No-Poo...but she suggested that I definitely need cones in my conditioner due to my tangle prone hair. She thought I should never clarify with regular shampoo, vinegar-rinse or baking soda. She also said I should never leave in my regular conditioner, like I always did. She said that regular rinse-out conditioners were not meant to be left on the hair and will cause build up.

I am confused. I did have damage, and I am currently growing out henna which may have helped my ends feel a little extra dry and velcro-y. But I have read CurlyGirl and I did the routine for a while, I know that cones help my tangle prone hair, but I thought if I wasn't using sulfates I would need to not use cones' or they would build up. So....any advice?

[jaine]

Maybe she was thinking of amodimethicone, which is water-soluble, and it's an ingredient in the Deva leave-in product. It sounds she was trying to sell Deva products and giving you a story that meshes with what she was trying to sell.
I leave real conditioner in my hair and I occasionally use sulfate-free shampoo...my hair is not the least bit dry or damaged or tangled. even though it tends towards dryness and tangles.

[PhillyGirl1978@]

Thanks for your reply. Well, she didn't sell the whole line I think, she just had some Deva No-Poo. I did like how it made my hair look shampooed....but it wasn't dry at all, it was so moisturized so I bought some. I do know that silicones help me, my hair is so curly it tangles easy. Usually leave-in conditioners weren't heavy enough for me. I need the weight of the thick conditioner to keep from getting fly-aways, frizz...etc.

She was saying I should do not just sulfate free shampoo...but lather free too.

So do you clarify? Do you use silicones?

[spidermom]

I sometimes use sulfates, sometimes not; it depends on what is at a good price and smells good to me. I like natural, organic products and buy Natures Gate quite often. I shampoo CWC style, dilute the shampoo unless I feel I have buildup, and often leave a bit of regular conditioner in my length. I also do pre-wash coconut or sweet almond oiling, and I do use a coney serum (CHI Silk Infusion) about once per week because it helps so much with tangling. I know what works with my hair so well now that what a stylist might tell me would go in one ear and out the other. If you're struggling with any hair issues, it might be worth trying her advice. If not, keep doing what works for you.

[Athena's Owl]

She also said I should never leave in my regular conditioner, like I always did. She said that regular rinse-out conditioners were not meant to be left on the hair and will cause build up.

I still call BS all over this. What's not in leave-in conditioner that is in rinse-out conditioners, or conversely, what's in leave in conditioner that makes exactly the same ingredients in rinse-out conditioners magically not build up?

[PhillyGirl1978@]

I sometimes use sulfates, sometimes not; it depends on what is at a good price and smells good to me. I like natural, organic products and buy Natures Gate quite often. I shampoo CWC style, dilute the shampoo unless I feel I have buildup, and often leave a bit of regular conditioner in my length. I also do pre-wash coconut or sweet almond oiling, and I do use a coney serum (CHI Silk Infusion) about once per week because it helps so much with tangling. I know what works with my hair so well now that what a stylist might tell me would go in one ear and out the other. If you're struggling with any hair issues, it might be worth trying her advice. If not, keep doing what works for you.

Yeah....I guess what worries me is that my ends were so try< I had lots of splits and no matter what it seemed like it never felt moisturized, and the tangles were awful! I guess I have some playing around to do. I want my length back....I don't wanna have to get that much cut off again.

[Jcv-Shelley]

I only WO but I remember back when I used traditional shampoo my hair had more slip and shine. It would just get oily and tangly easily. Some chemicals can actually protect your hair better than sebum but then again... some chemicals can be harsh and over-drying.

[ScarlettAdelle]

Well, as far as not leaving rinse-out conditioners in, I would have to agree. They're not made to leave in. It's not that they have different things in (which they often do. Each line is different and unique, so it would be impossible to say which ingredients are responsible for their classification. What I DO know is that leave in conditioner is not just diluted rinse-out conditioner in a spray bottle), but the balances are often different. Leave-ins tend to be lighter and made to dry in without looking oily and feeling greasy, or filmy like rinse-out conditioners can.

Also, some of the rinse out conditioners (strengthening types come immediately to mind) can over strengthen, and make hair brittle, while feeling greasy at the same time, not a good combo.

You have curly hair, and as a fellow curl wrangler I would have to suggest coconut / olive / avocado / almond oil with a little indirect heat prior to washing. It'll give your hair the weightless hydration your curls so desperately crave.

I'm not against using just about anything in my hair. If I so choose I'll use cones or sulfates or just about anything else I see fit when the mood strikes. I tend to use very limited cones (because I have damage I'm trying to camouflage until I can cut it off and go coneless) and clarify using a little baking soda in with my normal shampoo on the rare occasion that I do shampoo. Using cones and other ingredients are a highly personal choice. Don't be afraid to use ingredients and use something that others may shy from. Each of us is different and it's about finding what works for your personal hair and running with it.

My personal suggestion to prevent damage is to style protectively (ends tucked in, and therefore out of harms way whenever we can help it, combined with little tugging / snagging), keeping your hair detangled and to avoid heat styling if you can at all help it.

Good luck and happy growing!

[milagro]

I still call BS all over this. What's not in leave-in conditioner that is in rinse-out conditioners, or conversely, what's in leave in conditioner that makes exactly the same ingredients in rinse-out conditioners magically not build up?

I agree. I use very light simple conditioner for CO washing and leave it in as well and I haven't yet experienced any build-up in almost 3 month of my CO journey. It feels exactly like regular leave-in sans the coney "coated" feeling and limpness.
I guess leaving in very thick, rich condish may be overkill but not any rinse-out C.

Regarding the argument "they are not designed to be left in hair" well, vinegar, oils or honey are not designed to be put in hair at all :D doesn't make them less effective for many hair types. It's all about finding what works for you.

Non-SLS shampoos are supposed to get rid of build-up including most cones, as well.

[PhillyGirl1978@]

Thanks guys.

As far as leave-ins being too heavy, with my hair I need heavy, also they don't look greasy and they give me hold so I really don't need to use anything else. See my hair isn't just curly, I am also biracial and so it's course in some areas. I do think I'll need to use cones on a regular because it's so stubborn and tangly the cones do help. Right now I al researching no lather shampoos, I will be making a trip to Whole Foods next weekend cause I read about some cheap options, while this Deva No-Poo is working real good...it is definitely to pricey to continue. Beings I am home today, I may just play with it a bit.

When I do need to clarify, I wonder if a tiny bit of sulfate poo with much more cheap cone free conditioner would work without being too drying, just every week or 2 to get rid of cone build-up. If I remember correctly cones don't build up too bad on me.

I have coconut oil, I have sunflower oil and I have olive oil here that can be used too. Oh yeah....I did pick up some Africa's Best oil, which seems to have some good stuff in it.