Could it be that my hair needs cones and sulfates??

[Babs1039]

A week or so ago I tried Loreal's EverPure sulfate/cone free shampoo. The first few times I used it my hair felt normal and soft. The smell was wonderful and I even bought the conditioning mask to go with it. Now whenever I use them I can't comb my hair while wet let alone after it dries with all the tangles. I also found that if I used the shampoo with a cone/sulfate conditioner I still had the tangles and was extremely dry. I was getting scared that I had some how damaged my hair, but couldn't for the life of me figure out how. So a few hours ago when I decided to wash my hair I went back to using a fave shampoo of mine I just found again at Wal-Greens, Salon Selectives (#3) moisture shampoo. My hair feels soft and normal again...no tangles!!

Could it be that my hair needs cones and sulfates?? :confused: I thought I was doing something good for it going sulfate/cone free.

[spidermom]

I wouldn't go so far as to say your hair NEEDS those things, but if such products make it easier for you to deal with your hair - go for it!

I can go cone free, but I really prefer how much cones help me detangle my hair, so I'm a fan!

[lapushka]

For me sulfate free is fine, if I get to clarify with a sulfate shampoo once in a while or otherwise I encounter the same mess.

[Crazycatlady]

I use the Everpure shampoo in my rotation and love it, but I always use a sulfate shampoo (Pantene or Paul Mitchell Shampoo One) the next time I wash. I usually wash every other day.

[chou]

It could be that there was an ingredient in the Everpure products that was building up in your hair and which required a sulfate shampoo to remove. I suspect that it might be the quaternium 87. My hair does not agree with many quats and polyquats and I find that they give me horrible, crunchy, tangly buildup that is harder to remove than silicone build-up. Perhaps if you tried some products that don't contain ingredients that build up like this your hair won't need sulfates? If your hair likes cones, you could try something like amodimethicone which is resistant to build up and can be removed with cocamidopropyl betaine.

[Copasetic]

That could definitely be the case. A lot of anti-cone people are quite vocal, but really, going cone-free is not universally beneficial. If sulfates and cones work for you, go for it.

[Beckstar]

My hair loves and craves coney conditioners. I can do with out shampoo but I do use it to removed the cones.
;0)

[Bonkers57]

My hair has always behaved better with cones, so I still use them.

[sfgirl]

I switched off cones and sulphates about a month ago. My hair is JUST starting to feel very wonderful. For weeks it was waxy and greasy, but I'm stubborn. I use a CV bar, but I found that conditing with a cone free, than washing, conditioning again, and than use an ACV works wonders. :) I'd try giving your hair time to adjust.

[Safira]

Well, if you want to try without cones, maybe pre-oiling will help you?
And sometimes it´s better go easiest way, if your hair loves cones, give cones :D

[DancingQueen]

I know a lot of people think I am wrong when I say this, but I agree with you, Babs: I think some people just need cones. I went cone-free from august 2011 till janurary 2012, and my hair lost almost 1 cm in circumference. I shaded even more than usual, and my hair would not stop tangling. (and yes, I did use oils, and did all the right things). A bit more than a month ago, I started using the GHD series, and my shedding almost stopped since then. I don't feel like writing my routine down here again, but you can check it on my public profile. :)

So, to sum up: Yes, I think some hair simply needs cones to stay neat. I might be wrong, but that is what I think. :)

[princessp]

After 2 years I'm not concerning myself with this issue anymore. Going cone free did nothing beneficial for me :shrug: . So while my hair can do without cones it actually seems to like them more than not. My only rule now is going to be that it must be cruelty free. So yeah I don't think cone-free is for everyone.

[linnepinne]

Could it be that the cones "cover up" damage? And that the cones have been coating the hair and thus keeping oils and other deep tratments from actually penetrating the hair and doing good?

I'm personally thinking about starting using cones on my hair, and these questions are the ones bothering me the most. But I'm not sure if they are legit questions or if it's something in my cone free products that build up on my hair. Any opinions?
The last time I was at the hairdresser, she used some coney masque on me which made my hair feel wonderful and "healed". But right now I'm using cone free stuff and my ends are a bit velcro-ish. Thinking of trying baby oil on my ends, since I'm now back to using shampoo.

[citadel]

I know how you feel. I felt guilty about using cones after reading a lot of posts here and tried to use more natural alternatives, but at the end of the day, my hair feels better, looks better, and I feel more confident/comfortable using cones. If I don't, my hair is a tangled mess. And with them...every day is a good hair day.

[Sillage]

My hair does way better on cones and sulfates too. I just go with the flow and not worry about it. :rolling:

[hototogisu]

My hair is super porous and all the oiling in the world won't fix it. Yes, cones coat the hair, but that's what a good conditioner does. I'm also untroubled by sulphates, though my scalp is super resilient.

I also tried going cone free and cowashing and whatnot, but both resulted in horrendous shedding. Using cones doesn't make you a dim dupe, it just means you're doing what's right for your hair.

[sfgirl]

I feel like cones masked most of my damage. If I went a day without using them my hair felt awful. The biggest reason I went cone free was because I wanted to improve the quality of my hair, not just mask damage. Besides that, using a non sls shampoo is hard with cones. :/

[GettingThere]

I think my hair does ok with or without without cones but I do try to avoid frequent use of the very heavy cones as I think they make my hair "greasy" looking. I also do not particularly like sulfate free shampoos as I do not feel that the ones I've tried clean as well as "regular" shampoos. Of course I usually use dilulted Suave or V05 so I may not be the best source of information;)

[Annalouise]

Could it be that the cones "cover up" damage? And that the cones have been coating the hair and thus keeping oils and other deep tratments from actually penetrating the hair and doing good?

I'm personally thinking about starting using cones on my hair, and these questions are the ones bothering me the most. But I'm not sure if they are legit questions or if it's something in my cone free products that build up on my hair. Any opinions?
The last time I was at the hairdresser, she used some coney masque on me which made my hair feel wonderful and "healed". But right now I'm using cone free stuff and my ends are a bit velcro-ish. Thinking of trying baby oil on my ends, since I'm now back to using shampoo.

I have the same feelings about it.:) Yes, they may make the hair look and function better for a time, but over the long range are they beneficial?
Back, years ago, when I used cones and sulphates my hair always, it looked good for a time, but I will caution people that you will NEED to clarify. Otherwise crunchy ends that get split easily will be the result if you have fine hair. Your hair can easily get worse and worse as the buildup gets worse and worse.

I also am concerned that they seal moisture OUT of the hair.

But I don't know if this is true or not. I find the same issue with my skin. If I rely on moisturizers or oil for dry skin, over time they act as a barrier and it keeps moisture OUT of my skin making the dryness worse. I feel that my skin needs to breathe and I also think the same of the hair but that's probably crazy thinking..:p

[magicatt]

I'm going to agree with a lot of people here--some hair needs cones. It's no different than some hair needs brushes or some skin needs heavy moisturizers. I was cone free for over a year and my hair was miserable. I did everything I could think of to keep it from making "tribbles" in my hair. It was essentially making dreads in my hair. I tried every oil, every conditioner, every treatment I could think of then I switched to cones and my hair has never been happier. To make this point further, I don't use shampoo with sulfates (I'm allergic to them) so you don't have to use sulfates with cones either. I know a lot of people like to assume that whatever works for them works for everyone and that it's the truth but each and every person on this planet has slightly different body chemistry and, therefore, different needs.

[islandboo]

I think it is very possible for cones to "cover up" damage but since I know my hair is in great shape, I use them relatively freely. I keep a close eye on my ends to be sure the cones don't get all sneaky and mess them up and hide the evidence (which some of the anti-cone posts make me paranoid about, LOL) but my hair is healthy and the cones definitely cut down on my fine, floaty ends tangling. I do clarify about once a month or so. I think as long as you pay attention to what's going on with your hair, you should go with what seems to make it happy.

[Diamond.Eyes]

After being in cosmetology school for a little while, and just having went over proper shampooing methods, I would have to say NO WAY. It has been said a million times before on here, but sulfate strips hair of its natural oils and really dries it out quite a bit. And as for silicones, they just coat the hair; making it look healthy. Cones also block out moisture. Maybe the system didn't work for you because whatever you were using before hid your hair's damage and/or dryness. Not saying your hair is either of the two. But I have recently tried the Evercreme line, and I freaking love it so much! I never thought I'd buy drugstore products again, but I guess I was wrong?

[Kirry-Folk]

I read that trimethylsilylamodimethicone (which is a little different from a-cone) penetrates BLEACHED hair, but I don't know about virgin, "healthy" hair.

Cone hate has gradually reversed itself on TLHC. I mean, we've got people using baby oil on their hair, now, and everyone and their mother hates petrochemicals. Years ago it seemed like everyone shunned cones for their horribly unnatural and moisture-blocking properties, but this is is kinda crap, because there are many who have gorgeous, strong, resistant hair that use them and have used them throughout the process of growing their hair.

My hair likes cones, and I like to use them. Without them, I couldn't grow my hair out because oils alone don't give me enough slip to comb my hair without it tangling. Curly hair is a nasty beast, though.

Sulphates are a different story. I believe they're widely maligned today because many individuals are allergic/sensitive to them.

YMMV, everyone is different, try things until you find what you like. Yadda yadda yadda.

[Kirry-Folk]

A week or so ago I tried Loreal's EverPure sulfate/cone free shampoo. The first few times I used it my hair felt normal and soft. The smell was wonderful and I even bought the conditioning mask to go with it. Now whenever I use them I can't comb my hair while wet let alone after it dries with all the tangles. I also found that if I used the shampoo with a cone/sulfate conditioner I still had the tangles and was extremely dry. I was getting scared that I had some how damaged my hair, but couldn't for the life of me figure out how. So a few hours ago when I decided to wash my hair I went back to using a fave shampoo of mine I just found again at Wal-Greens, Salon Selectives (#3) moisture shampoo. My hair feels soft and normal again...no tangles!!

Could it be that my hair needs cones and sulfates?? :confused: I thought I was doing something good for it going sulfate/cone free.

I've used the EverPure conditioner in the green tube, and that was a horrific nightmare in my hair. :roll: Was so happy to get back to my regular conditioner after that trip.

[Tisiloves]

I use cones because my hair is so tangly that if I don't I have to load way to much oil on to de-tangle, I don't care if it's hiding damage I just want to be able to brush my hair without looking like an oil-slick. Plus given the amount of oil my hair seems to soak up using cones I have doubts about how much they block.