From natural-fanatic to chemical freak?

[ChloeDharma]

Often people switch from using conventional products with synthetic chemicals in to more natural products assuming these are better/healthier or some similar reason to that.
Have many of you switched the other way around?

I've recently decided to stop caring whether things are natural or not and just go with what my hair likes. My hair loves cones, so i'm back on them. I've found a caffeine shampoo but it has SLeS....which does provide an excuse to use cones again. I'm blow drying, though not for long as my hair dries fast and i'm still carefull not to blast it too much or over-dry it.

I cut my hair recently to about APL length and i'm planning on keeping it here until/unless it thickens up. This shorter length makes it so much easier to get away with some naughtyness.

Before i was very into the just natural methods, oiling, herb washing and vinegar rinses. I had started to use Jason products which were a kind of compromise between the two but now while still using essential oils, oiling and vinegar rinses....plus of course henna which i just love, i'm going much more chemical.

I guess i'm reaching a point where i just want the best of both worlds. So, have many here done this? Switched from a more natural routine to a more conventional one? How did this work out for you and what made you change?

[oktobergoud]

I guess I'm in the same boat! I gave up everything chemical, okay I did use shampoo & conditioner but they claimed to be 99,6% natural ;) I used henna (still do btw) herbs and oils, but now I'm back to SLS & cones again. For the same reason as you: to just go with what my hair likes the best, and at the moment that seems to be cones. I do use a little bit of everything, like henna, the cone free conditioner. But I also use a shampoo with SLS now and a serum with tons of cones! I've been back to cones etc. for just 2 weeks now so I can't really say yet if it is better but it definitely feels better :)

[Blandine]

Allow me to ask you to be a bit more careful about using the world "nazi".

[CherrySilver]

Allow me to ask you to be a bit more careful about using the world "nazi".

Ditto, it kinda hit me the wrong way, too.

[ChloeDharma]

Ditto, it kinda hit me the wrong way, too.

It was, i thought an obvious play on words that was nothing at all to do with actual nazi's. Anyway, the title has been chnged now so the knickers can get untwisted.

[pepperminttea]

Sort of. I swore of 'cones and SLS for several years; I've been using sulphates again since last June, and I've been messing about with 'cones in serums/leave-ins since autumn. I still like natural products, and I'm by no means a "chemical freak," but I dabble with a bit of both at the moment.

[nucleardelusion]

I went from unknowingly using chemical filled products, to using all natural, and back again to testing anything that looks interesting. I'm having more fun this way. :cheese:

[Copasetic]

When I first joined the LHC I decided that my hair needed to be all "natural". I got over it quickly enough. I am all about better living through chemistry. And I think my hair looks better with the aid of silicones.

[luxepiggy]

In this, as in many things, I find that moderation and level-headedness are the way to go, for me at least. The most important thing is to try different products with an open mind, so that I can objectively judge their efficacy for my particular hair type (^(oo)^)v

[ooo]

It's the same with me. I went to all natural, now I'm mixing all kinds of stuff. It's much more fun and works even better for my hair.

[HintOfMint]

I've never really gotten to being a "natural fanatic." I had a brief foray into the Trader Joe Tea Tree Tingle line, but that didn't last long. I've been cone-free up until recently, but seriously, V05 and Garnier Fructis are hardly crunchy granola brands (I say this in jest).

[Lianna]

Yes and no. No, because I started off with chemicals. Then I learned about SLS, cones, etc (mainly in YouTube), and went the natural route. My hair was already dyed but I tried henna and henna with other herbs for color. That's how I played for a few months (5-7). Then I noticed my hair was growing much slower, so I figured I needed the harsher cleaning since I live in a very hot weather and sweat on my head (for me equals fungus). I always washed 1-2 times daily, whatever the cleaning method was (ocassionally skipped a day).

Most of the time my hair had protein build-up (my fault, not the system), and henna didn't help at all (great shine though). But yes I would do it again (minus the henna), since I found using miconazole nitrate to help a lot with the scalp and hair growth. I just won't do it again, because my hair can handle SLS (makes it feel way lighter, it's nice), and using 1/4 bottle of coneless conditioner for CO/SLS free shampoos everyday isn't my reality.

I keep it simple now, my regular shampoo and conditioner, some oil, a box of hairdye each month, seldomly an egg. From time to time I experiment, this time is aloe vera gel. :)

[Unofficial_Rose]

Well, I've reverted to my pre-LHC ways. Coney conditioner + chem hairdye, blowdrying!

I just prefer the way it looks like this. Sometimes the old ways are the best. ;)

[Mesmerise]

I'm sort of in the middle. I've decided to stop with the box dye and do henna 100%, but to be honest, the natural (or more natural) shampoo methods I've tried haven't worked all that well (although I'm willing to experiment).

I was having a talk with a friend the other day who mentioned Pantene, and said it made her hair the best ever (she hasn't used it for awhile) despite it having plastic stuff in it (I guess she meant cones or something lol she's not an LHC'er), and I thought about it and realized that my hair was better when I used Pantene (and I used it for literally over 10 years, probably 15!)

So yeah, I've been wondering whether I should grab some Pantene and try it again rather than all this faffing around I've been doing trying to get nice hair again!! Not saying it works wonders for my hair... but when I think about my hair I think how much better it looked a couple of years ago than the way it looks now, and I was using Pantene then. Hmm...

I guess it's all about experimenting and finding what works for YOU! I would love it if a natural method could get my hair looking and feeling great, but maybe it's not going to happen (or maybe I just haven't stumbled on it yet!)

[annieangel149]

In this, as in many things, I find that moderation and level-headedness are the way to go, for me at least. The most important thing is to try different products with an open mind, so that I can objectively judge their efficacy for my particular hair type (^(oo)^)v


brilliantly said!!! :D

i will never go near box dyes or perms ever again! they have severly damaged my hair! especially having perms! i have begun to love my natural hair, the colour and stick straightness of it! and it is sooo much more healthy now! i personally need healthy hair! that is a priority for me even though the blonde colour is getting darker as i get older! what is more important to me is the health of my hair!

as far as cones vs cone free goes i use both! i have no problems with using cone products!

[Eire]

I don't think chemicals are inherently bad or harmful. A lot of people's hair responds better to cones, for example (including mine). I think if natural works just as well or better than chemical it's preferable, but I also think that what's ideal for someone's hair might easily involve aspects of both.

[mellie89]

That's me! I went the natural route for my first two years here and I ended up unhappy with my hair. It looked and felt like crap, even though I was doing everything "right." I went back to 'cones and blow drying and washing every other day and letting the wind whip it around and whatnot.

I think it is the best of both worlds. My hair looks much better now: shinier and softer, and I think it's even growing faster. On the other hand, I know how to baby it. I brush it gently, I use heat responsibly, and I only shampoo my scalp. I do deep treatments occasionally, and I know when to clarify and when to trim.

Basically, LHC gave me the knowledge I needed to avoid unnecessary damage while growing my hair out. I'm back to my pre-LHC routine, minus the damage, and now I'm back to loving my hair.

[McFearless]

Most people join TLHC and jump on every bandwagon, forgetting what already worked really well for them. I use cones and I CO wash. I'm one of the lucky ones who don't get buildup but I clarify every couple of months just to be safe. I learned a lot about oils and styling methods here and I've adopted some of them but I haven't changed my routine much. Cones are amazing.

[virgo75]

I tried everything on the hairboards too.

CO washing, avoiding sulfates & cones, all natural everything, etc.

And what I found to be funniest of all was that the problems I was supposed to be avoiding by doing these things(dryness & buildup) are exactly what I got out of it! :lol:

I don't get buildup from cones that can't be removed in one, simple shampoo.
But let some oil, shea butter, or aloe vera gel near my hair and it takes weeks to get my hair to stop tangling. :shake:

Don't get me wrong, I wish those things worked for me. But they don't. :shrug:

So today I used Pantene and blowdryed and me and the hair are so happy together. :waltz:

[tsenglish@ns.sy]

My hair responds best to the protection of some silicones. I use what works for me, I try not to over think it.

[dmitri]

I've been sulfate and cone free for about a year now (closest to all-natural I've gone), and probably will remain that way for several more months since I'm about to start on another pair of bottles. But... I'm getting curious about Pantene again too. I used it a lot in highschool and early college. My hair was pretty short then, but... it did look nice. Maybe I'll try it again one day.

[ladylovecraft]

I've been using the LHC SLS-free method for almost two years now and can't imagine ever going back, though I only fiddle with cone-free products. I don't find that it makes that much of a difference in my hair either way, and I enjoy my Aussie 3MM!

[Clarita]

When I first joined the LHC I decided that my hair needed to be all "natural". I got over it quickly enough. I am all about better living through chemistry. And I think my hair looks better with the aid of silicones.

I like what you said about better living through chemistry! This is exactly how I feel. However, it took me about 4 years and lots of $$$$ spent on natural products to finally realize my hair prefers SLS and cones!

[RavennaNight]

I'd say the most natural I've gone besides henna and indigo is using shampoo bars. Since the hot water runs out quick in my shower, they just arent feasable to use anymore unless I want to finish my shower in an ice bath. I like them, don't get me wrong, they worked well with ACV rinse. Now I'm back to silicone conditioners. I'm using them with the Loreal Everpure shampoo, I can't use sulphates because they fade the indigo at my roots. I also feel cones protect my always-worn-down hair better. I'm not really big on updos, I look better with loose hair.

So, in a nutshell, I would say aside from henna and indigo I'm back to conventional products and will be for a while. I go back and forth though.

[wvgemini]

I'm a mix of the two. I like my shampoo bars, but they have SLS, which my hair likes. However, I do well with cone-free conditioner. I like oils and some serums. I also like highlights. I just use what works, basically.