Was it the lack of cones or the lack of conditioner?

[Periwinkle]

I wash my hair once or twice a week. I shampoo my scalp with a coney anti-dandruff shampoo, rinse well and then put some cone leave-in conditioner in.

I've been thinking about trying to cut down on the amount of cones that I use, mostly out of curiosity. I decided to try washing my hair with Lush's 'Rehab', (http://www.lush.co.uk/products/Rehab_2003.aspx)and then not condition it, as it appears to be a kind of conditioning shampoo. I've used this shampoo a lot in the past with great results, though I've always conditioned as well.

Well, my hair came out like straw. It wouldn't untangle at all and when I tried to braid it, I was scared I was going to break it. I don't normally brush, but I did it anyway, and it restored some of the niceness, but it was still abysmal, so I did what I used to do if I forgot to condition my hair: dampen it all (heavy misting), smear a plastic comb with loads of conditioner (all cones), comb through until hair is dry. Hey presto, my hair is now fine.

Now, I have a dandruff problem, so my plan was to try alternating washes like the one I tried with my normal routine to cut down on the cones for a while. However, now I'm not so sure: would washing hair without cones do this to it if I'm so used to them, or was it the lack of conditioner? Is that what my hair is really like underneath all the cones? Would they have come out with just one wash?

I'm confused.

[NurseMama]

I am not sure if it was the lack of cones or not, but I was curious if you have tried to CO wash? For me, it has been nothing short of a miracle. I have had severe dandruff and sebum issues in the past and between CO and using Monistat, my scalp has never looked better. All of this without dandruff poo.

[Periwinkle]

I am not sure if it was the lack of cones or not, but I was curious if you have tried to CO wash? For me, it has been nothing short of a miracle. I have had severe dandruff and sebum issues in the past and between CO and using Monistat, my scalp has never looked better. All of this without dandruff poo.

No, I haven't. I've always had best results with leave-ins, so I've never really tried...is it possible to do a WO and then use conditioner? Would that work?

Anyway, since you've had such success, I might give that a go. My dandruff has been a lot less of a problem since I improved my diet, but it's still a pain in the neck. Thanks for the tip!

[Gumball]

It's definitely possible to do a WO wash followed by some conditioner. There are many here to do CO (Conditioner-Only) washes and it works just fine for them. A good amount tend to do CO better with cone-free conditioners to minimize any buildup and thus minimizing the need to really clarify to get all of it out of their hair.

Per your issue with your hair coming out like straw. Well even if it's a conditioning shampoo it's still basically a shampoo and I think that tends to come first on its functions. I'd try a conditioner after it. It couldn't hurt, right? Sounds like when you did your combing with conditioner it helped a lot, so that's probably what was needed.

If you tend to both shampoo and condition regularly prior to this situation I'd want to assume you would be getting out the cones depending on the amounts you put in in the first place. There could be a chance some cones remain on your head. If we have too much gunk on a car sometimes it needs a little extra washing after all!

If you want to try using less cones the real big part would be clarifying to make sure it gets them all out. I'll admit some people's hair responds alright to a conditioner-free lifestyle when they shampoo, but some need that extra bit of conditioning to keep them in a happy place. It's crazy how many wash ideas you can gain from meandering around here.

[Tangles]

We have similar hairtypes and what I'm starting to do is a cyclical routine of clarifying -- CWC or CO washing.

First clarify to get rid of buildup, followed by cone-free conditioner. Then for the rest of your washes for a week or two (depending how often you need to wash) use CWC or CO, whatever works better for you. Then clarify as soon as your hair starts getting weighed down again.

[aisling]

Why don't you get a cone free conditioner and see how your hair reacts to that? Then you'll know for sure, at least almost. I' guess it was the lack of conditioner, not the cones, that caused your problem.

[danacc]

Lush Rehab has both SLS and ALS detergents in it, which will remove the natural oil from your scalp and hair. Hair will need some sort of conditioning treatment after this degree of oil removal. Rehab likely removed all of the 'cones, too.

I agree with aisling; try a 'cone-free conditioner after Rehab, and see how your hair reacts. It definitely wants conditioner after the washing. It may or may not be picky about wanting 'cones, too. I don't know of a way to tell other than by trying a 'cone-free conditioner.