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View Full Version : Cones and Sulphate Free, how often to clarify?



PeachyWavy
November 29th, 2011, 01:26 PM
CO works well for me, but cones work better. However, sulphate free has been fantastic for my previously itchy scalp, as well as making my hairdye last so much longer, and being less damaging to my already damaged hair.

Now, I'm under the impression that in order to use cones, it's best to use a sulphate wash to avoid build up. For the reasons I've listed before, I don't want to do this every wash. Is there a guideline to how often I should use a sulphate wash, so I can continue to CO and use cones?

I hope this all makes sense, I'm just rather confused!

TIA! :D

maborosi
November 29th, 2011, 01:36 PM
It really just depends on your hair. I can go at least a month without clarifying, and I use a cone/sulfate shampoo and a cone conditioner. Eventually, though, even though my shampoo does have SLS in it, I have to remove buildup with a clarifying shampoo.

You don't have to remove buildup every wash, though.

~maborosi~

jojo
November 30th, 2011, 06:10 PM
If your starts to feel odd, like less slippy and knotty then clarify, if it doesn't your fine. Being sulphate free and conefree id think (i might be wrong) you don't really need to clarify all that often, say every 3 months or so. Go off how your hair feels and cooperates.

I use sulphates but I am conefree at moment, not for any reason just Inecto was a bargain so I got some :D. I don't really care if it has or hasn't got cones, my hairs not too fussy, but I clarify every 2-3 weeks, its all dependent on your hairs needs.

angiescurls
November 30th, 2011, 06:33 PM
I'm the same way - I've been using sulfate-free shampoos but it's hard to give up some of my cone leave ins (curly, frizzy hair). I just try to use less of them and opt for shampoos that contain cocamidopropyl betaine and/or cocamide DEA which help to remove most cones, they just aren't as effective as sulfates. If you find your hair is becoming dull, gummy, greasy but still dry somehow then you have buildup. This rarely happens for me and I'll just bite the bullet and use a sulfate shampoo that wash but your sensitive scalp might like an apple cider rinse better...

Helix
November 30th, 2011, 11:00 PM
I use some products with cones and use a clarifying shampoo once a month.

ktani
December 1st, 2011, 07:30 AM
Clarify when your hair feels or looks: dull, heavy, hard to manage, more tangly, more dry, and just in general more difficult to deal with.

There is no difference in terms of needing to clarify, whether a product contains silicone or not. All conditioners build-up on the hair. They are designed to do so.

The only ways to clarify hair from build-up I know of are a clarifying shampoo or baking soda in water and followed by an acidic rinse - diluted like vinegar or lemon juice or citric acid.

All a clarifying shampoo is - is a shampoo with stronger cleansers - it does not have to be sodium lauryl sulfate - it can be ammonium lauryl sulfate and the best ones contain almost nothing else - no polymers, no botanicals, no waxes like cetyl alchohol and no liquid waxes like jojoba oil, or shea butter.

ETA: 2 this is an example only of a clarifying shampoo, with almost nothing else. Colour add by me.
http://www.drugstore.com/prell-shampoo-for-all-hair-types/qxp218551
"Water, Amino Methyl Propanol, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamide DEA, Sodium Chloride, Fragrance, Sodium Phosphate, Disodium Phosphate, Ammonium Xylene Sulfonate, EDTA (Ethylenediamine-Tetra-Acetic Acid), Benzophenone 2, D&C Green 8, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, FD&C Blue 1 (CI 42090)"

The Amino Methyl Propanol is a pH adjuster and the EDTA is a chelating agent to help with hard water.

ETA: The above is about product build-up.

To remove soap scum - use one of the above acidic rinses.

To remove mineral build-up - one of the acidic rinses, or club soda or a chelating shampoo and some but very few, also clarify. A chelating shampoo is not in general designed to clarify hair - just bind metal salts and remove minerals from the hair.

ETA: 3 Club soda does not chelate minerals. It is acidic and helps break up minerals on the hair, neutalizes chlorine and can remove mineral deposits like calcium from hair. I could not find one reference saying carbonic acid - the acid in club soda chelates minerals. The small amount of baking soda in club soda is part of the buffering system only, which stabilizes the pH of club soda, to be hair friendly at about pH 5, which means that it needs no diluting. The fizz - is harmless to hair. Club soda does not need to be used flat.

Pasty
January 26th, 2012, 06:45 PM
I recently was gifted a SodaStream, I'm wondering if the carbonated water I make with it is just as good as club soda? I suppose the only way to know might be to test the pH. It would be nice to use that instead of buying cans of soda from the store all the time. You can adjust how much you carbonate it, I think that the more carbonated it is, the more acidic it is.

shikara
January 26th, 2012, 07:39 PM
I agree with the others who mentioned tangly, gummy but dryish, dull, and generally unmanageable hair. Depending on many variables, you may require this anywhere from ecery two weeks to three months. Based on my first experience with this, I might suggest starting with a gentler clarifying to see what happens - go from there.