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LocustSpawning
November 13th, 2011, 08:51 AM
Ok.. I noticed at the start of my hair journey my hair was quite wavy, but slowly got straighter and straighter until it was like in my avatar. 1b. Straight but quite thick.

All the way through my journey I've been using cones.. but recently got horrendous build up and oils wouldn't make my hair soft anymore, I've since clarified with a mega harsh shampoo twice and conditioned with cone free conditioners, and my hair is.. really wavy!!! I'd even call it *curly* in some parts.

I used cones before my hair journey - Did years of build up make my hair super straight..? I was really glad when it turned straight because there was no need to straighten anymore.. I think I will go back to cones despite the build up to try and get straight hair again.

Has this happened with anyone else? I had no idea cones could do this o_O

Orangerthanred
November 13th, 2011, 08:52 AM
It happens to some people, usually finer hair. I think silicone weighs the hair down. Cones do nothing to me, sadly. My hair's just too resistant.

LocustSpawning
November 13th, 2011, 09:50 AM
I knew they weighed hair down, but it's crazy that they could make that much of a difference to my hair type, it had turned pretty much stick straight with no heat. Craziness!!

coffinhert
November 13th, 2011, 10:24 AM
I stopped using cones and shampoo at the same time and my hair got much wavier. Not sure which one it was causing the straightness, probably both.

InTheCity
November 13th, 2011, 10:45 AM
Why didn't I realize this before?

Sheesh, my hair is a lot more wavy/curly since joining LHC and going cone free. But cones didn't negatively affect me, so this is the perfect excuse to go back.

rowie
November 13th, 2011, 10:48 AM
I was definitely in the same boat as you when I was using cones. I used to be a 1b-1c hair type when I was using cones. I quit cones because I got massive buildup, and I started to develop a case of frequent skin flaking (not dandruff but dead dry skin). Ever since I joined TLHC I became cone free and my hair became really wavy.

I usually have thick coarse hair (almost like horse hair) and the cones would smooth out my hair, but I just couldn't stand the buildup. Now I've learned to accept my natural texture, and I like it that I now have a lot of volume compared to having it flat and lifeless. However, I live in the very far north and in the Winter we have extreme cold weather. My hair again will loosen and relax. I guess I just have the kind of hair that can't make up its mind.

Nae
November 13th, 2011, 10:59 AM
Yep cones make my hair less wavy. Especially if I use them for a while. Ah well.

Miss Maisie
November 13th, 2011, 11:02 AM
It happened to me! My hair was a 1a with cones, and is now 1c/2a without them. I won't go back to cones. While I was using them I was blowing my hair dry using heat to make my hair fuller/wavy, and now without cones my hair is exactly like I used to style it!

ange1ito
November 13th, 2011, 11:16 AM
I used to have stick straight hair when I wasn't following LHC, now I oil and clarify i get some curls. I actually like them better than my straight hair ;)

longhairedlady
November 13th, 2011, 11:19 AM
I have noticed my hair is smoother with cones.

Avital88
November 13th, 2011, 11:34 AM
i totally forgot this.. im gonna quit the cones and hoping for curlier hair

Mustardseed
November 13th, 2011, 12:12 PM
Really? I'm excited! I've been using leave-in with cones to define my curls more, but my hair is getting less curly. I was worried, but now I'm going to try giving up cones to see if it will help.

luxepiggy
November 13th, 2011, 12:54 PM
I guess I must be a true 1a then, 'cos when I attempted to go 'cone free my hair just got kind of fluffy & tangly, but it was still stick straight (^(oo)^)v

jojo
November 13th, 2011, 12:58 PM
Yes me too, my hair has gone from a 2b/c to a 2a since using cones. I am on Inecto conditioner at the moment which is conefree so time will tell if my wurls re-emerge!

KwaveT
November 13th, 2011, 09:01 PM
I know cones have nothing to do with my hair since shampoo I use to use is cone-free as well as my current conditioners. My hair getting longer is what has brought out my natural waves.

Raiscake
November 14th, 2011, 03:06 AM
Cones make take my hair from 1c to 1b. Length might also be a factor too. I know my hair is straighter when it's longer for some reason.

julliams
November 14th, 2011, 03:31 AM
Oh yeah! If I use Redken Fresh Curls, I get curly hair for the first wash, then it totally straightens out.

Here is the results of using Kerastase on my hair for a few weeks.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1026/4608351980_0a3b4c4231_m.jpg

I actually thought my curl was totally gone and whilst I liked the fact that it was drying almost straight, I felt sad that I had lost the curl. A friend suggested clarifying and this was the result:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3374/4615011086_8e56bfb322_m.jpg

So yes, cones can make your hair straight. You can use this to your advantage if you prefer it straight and just clarify when you want your curls back.

LocustSpawning
November 14th, 2011, 04:54 AM
Ooh, thanks for the pics Julliams. That's crazy, quite a big difference there.

I'm a bit worried though... I want to use cones because I prefer my hair straighter, but I don't like using SLS on my scalp. (For no other reason than I don't like the idea of putting chemicals on my scalp, I only use conditioner on the midlengths and ends) - do I need to use SLS if I'm using cones too, to stop build up..?

Just before I suddenly got the horrendous build up which led me to clarify I started using a SLS, paraben etc free shampoo but stayed with cones in my conditioner, and thats when the problems started. Meeeeep :( I want to use cones but not harsh shampoo's!!! Is there no way around this??

julliams
November 14th, 2011, 05:02 AM
Well it's the build up that gives you the straight hair. If you don't want to use SLS to clarify then you can use Bicarb soda I believe. And ACV rinse might do it too???

Do you mean build up on your scalp? I'm thinking that if you keep the conditioner off your scalp you should be fine.

I would think that an SLS-free shampoo with a coney conditioner would be fine and if your hair gets a bit waxy, you might then clarify or do an ACV rinse and go back to your routine.

tigereye
November 14th, 2011, 05:33 AM
Happens to me. I remember the shock I got when I first hennaed, because my straight hair was suddenly wavy. Then it would completely die down within a few washes. I recently switched my hair routine, so I only use cones just after henna-ing, once a month or so (weaning myself off cones slowly, so my hair doesnt start being grumpy), the rest of the time I'm using diluted, low-SLS shampoo (to get rid of build up - once I'm off cones, I'll come off the SLS), and a cone-free condish. My waves I get after such a short while of doing this is amazing. I love how it looks with my layers. Sock-bun curls also stay curly for longer, I've found, when I'm off cones..

Annibelle
November 14th, 2011, 07:02 AM
Yep, my hair is almost stick-straight on cones, 2a without. :)

luxepiggy
November 14th, 2011, 02:33 PM
Ooh, thanks for the pics Julliams. That's crazy, quite a big difference there.

I'm a bit worried though... I want to use cones because I prefer my hair straighter, but I don't like using SLS on my scalp. (For no other reason than I don't like the idea of putting chemicals on my scalp, I only use conditioner on the midlengths and ends) - do I need to use SLS if I'm using cones too, to stop build up..?

Just before I suddenly got the horrendous build up which led me to clarify I started using a SLS, paraben etc free shampoo but stayed with cones in my conditioner, and thats when the problems started. Meeeeep :( I want to use cones but not harsh shampoo's!!! Is there no way around this??


Use conditioners that contain amodimethicone! It's got a special chemical structure that resists building up (^(oo)^)v

evb
November 14th, 2011, 02:44 PM
okay this is fascinating~~ I totally want little rivulets of hair and mine is basically strait... a few waves where it hits shoulder etc and I think of it as body surfing not as curls :p Now I used to use a product that I swear was pure silicone to enhance the shine of my strait hair especially when I ironed or blew it dry straiter but never thought it might actually flatten hair.

I am totally developing a plan of attack for figuring out how my hair reacts to stuff. I ordered some shampoo bars and was going to use ACV rinse with it when I ran out of shampoo and conditioner but now I think I will start using the ACV a bit before I run out so that I can tell the diff going SLS/cone free does vs just adding the rinse. Sooner or later I am going to do one of those clarify thingies but I wouldn't' know build up if it bit me in the nose! My hair almost always looks shiny and silky more so since I started CWCing it. Doesn't build up look flat? How do the cone users know when they need to clarify?

Trish in SC
November 14th, 2011, 02:45 PM
I think it's time for me to clarify and use a no-cones conditioner, so that I can see how my hair reacts. So far in my LHC journey, all my hair products have silicones. I'd like to see the difference, and see which my hair likes best!

Can anyone recommend a good, cone-free conditioner?

Thanks in advance.

celebriangel
November 15th, 2011, 06:04 AM
ohgodsyes. My hair is 2c/3a curly with waves at the top and ringlets at the bottom when I'm conefree.

With cones, parts of the underlayer are 1b straight!!? I get parts that are 2a wavy, and a few 2c waves on my canopy, just at the front, with none of my ringlets. It's rubbish, I don't like it at all. I often wonder when people say "my hair won't make up its mind what type it is" if they use cones and this happens.

julliams
November 15th, 2011, 04:22 PM
Sooner or later I am going to do one of those clarify thingies but I wouldn't' know build up if it bit me in the nose! My hair almost always looks shiny and silky more so since I started CWCing it. Doesn't build up look flat? How do the cone users know when they need to clarify?

I went for years and years using cones and I never clarified...I also thought I had frizzy hair that needed flat ironing in order to behave. Once I cut the cones I learned what my real texture feels like. From having used an abundance of different things in the last 2 years I can now feel when my hair is coated in some way. Whether it's the cones building up or something else, I am aware that it feels different and then I know it's time to clarify.

Basically if you have never clarified, give it a go, follow with an ACV or vinegar rinse and this will tell you what your hair feels like in it's total natural state. I promise you it will not be as slick as your serum coated hair, but it will still be soft. It just feels different.

I will add that when I went totally cone free for 6 months I ended up going from no splits to finding them very readily. Could be total coincidence but I think the cones were providing me with a bit of protection for splits. I've since accepted that my hair splits and I don't go looking for them anymore so they don't bother me as much. When I S & D I become obsessed and it takes over what I see when I look at my hair.

MyKing'sQueen
November 15th, 2011, 06:15 PM
For me cones straighten my hair if I use them as a leave in. They don't change my hair's texture if I use a rinse out conditioner with cones. Here's a thread I started a little while ago when I first experienced this: http://www.longhaircommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79965

LocustSpawning
November 16th, 2011, 01:18 PM
Aw wow, I didn't know so many people were already familiar with this concept! I had no idea. I did a deep conditioning with a really cone heavy treatment today and now its miraculously 1b again... woooo.

summerstarlet
November 16th, 2011, 03:56 PM
My hair used to be quite wavy and now it is mostly straight with a slight wave. I am trying to go cone free and I was wondering how long did it take you to get your curls or waves back?

zorra
November 16th, 2011, 04:00 PM
I'm new here,hwat are cones?

summerstarlet
November 16th, 2011, 04:03 PM
I'm new here,hwat are cones?

Cones are ingredients in shampoo that end is -cone, -conol, or -xane I think.

blondie9912
November 16th, 2011, 04:10 PM
I would agree that the 'cones could weigh the hair down and the buildup would straighten it over time. I would imagine this would work 'best' (in quotations because I doubt some people want this to happen to their hair) on fine, wavy hair

dili
November 16th, 2011, 04:14 PM
i noticed that my hair get with undefined curls and less volume with cones, and without it stay more defined and with more volume

LocustSpawning
November 16th, 2011, 04:56 PM
summerstarlet, it happened after I clarified only once with a mega harsh sulphatey shampoo with no cones in it, all the way down the length. (Pantene Ice Shine) then I conditioned with a cone free conditioner and.. woah.. waves!