My hair prefers abuse!

[redsonjared]

Well, after several weeks of avoiding sulphates and cones, using the CWC method and mineral oil, every day was turning into a bad hair day with out of control frizz, and looking lacklustre with no body :disgust:.

This weekend I used some 50 pence supermarket shampoo and conditioner at a friends. It had an ingredients list that was full of noxious chemicals, and my hair LOVED it. Back to soft, shiny, manageable levels of frizz. :D

Just goes to show we are all different!! :shrug:

[guns1969]

:):) your hair sounds like mine! I've had a nightmarish time since I tried to avoid cones and sulphates. Just today I did a henna gloss but overdid it with the oils and ended up quite greasy. I didn't have my own shampoo to hand so I used my fiance's L'Oreal shampoo and my hair is much happier today, although still not back to "normal".

[jojo]

Using sulfates and cones is not abusing your hair, I don't know why people tend to look at sulfates and cones as some kind of evil, there not! If your hair cooperates better with them, then its all good! Companies wouldn't produce anything which could potentially harm us or our hair, imagine the law suits if they did? They'd be bankrupt! Relax your doing nothing wrong!

[lmfbs]

I agree with jojo - when we talk about 'abuse' here, we're talking about people who heat damage, mechanically damage and chemically damage without knowing it's damaging. There are plenty of people here who use sulfates and cones, and for lots of people, there's really nothing wrong with them.

Lots of cowashers tend to be 2b + (though of course there are some straighter people whose hair responds really well to cowashing) as their hair loves the extra moisture. There are heaps of people who CWC with sulfates and cones, and probably an equal number on here who S&C with sulfates and cones too.d

[MrsGuther]

Using sulfates and cones is not abusing your hair, I don't know why people tend to look at sulfates and cones as some kind of evil, there not! If your hair cooperates better with them, then its all good! Companies wouldn't produce anything which could potentially harm us or our hair, imagine the law suits if they did? They'd be bankrupt! Relax your doing nothing wrong!
I agree. Sulphates and cones are not 'bad'. Heat tools and chemical relaxers/perms etc are things that would be 'bad'. Some people's hair doesn't even get super damaged from those things either. I guess it all depends on the person. :)

[Bene]

BINGO!!!!!! :laugh:

[ravenreed]

My hair LOVES SLS shampoos. The only reason I gave them up was because SLS irritates the heck out of my scalp. Every month or three, I shampoo to clarify and avoid my scalp area completely. I do things backwards according by LHC standards because I load my scalp with conditioner and only use the shampoo from my ears down. My hair also likes to be washed more that most folks on LHC recommend. Everything on LHC is YMMV. Do what works for you.

[vindo]

Well, after several weeks of avoiding sulphates and cones, using the CWC method and mineral oil, every day was turning into a bad hair day with out of control frizz, and looking lacklustre with no body :disgust:.

This weekend I used some 50 pence supermarket shampoo and conditioner at a friends. It had an ingredients list that was full of noxious chemicals, and my hair LOVED it. Back to soft, shiny, manageable levels of frizz. :D

Just goes to show we are all different!! :shrug:

Conventional cosmetics have ingredients that make your hair looks and feel awesome a lot of the time, because they act as some type of coating and smoothing agent on the hair.

The damaging part is that all that coating can suffocate the hair (depending on what ingredient we are talking about). Silicones for example won't let anything get through to your hair shafts inside any more, which can result in porous hair.

But, where we are different is:
Some peoples hair is still awesome and won't show much damage, and others will. So thats what people mean when they say "it works for their hair" :)

My experience:
I used to use the standard stuff (until 2006) and my hair was fine until about waist length, then I switched and my hair got even healthier.

[akilina]

Gee, I was expecting a post about REAL abuse!
I love cones. I just can't help it. They just work for me and I guess that is the point of different hair care routines...finding what one works best for you personally

[Elanadi]

I expected my hair to revolt when I switched to an organic sulfate and cone free shampoo and conditioner, but my hair has never looked or felt better! I think it's so interesting how each of us is so different when it comes to hair care. :)

[lapushka]

Using sulfates and cones is not abusing your hair, I don't know why people tend to look at sulfates and cones as some kind of evil, there not! If your hair cooperates better with them, then its all good! Companies wouldn't produce anything which could potentially harm us or our hair, imagine the law suits if they did? They'd be bankrupt! Relax your doing nothing wrong!

I agree. Also, more expensive products don't necessarily equal better results. My hair does just fine with the cheaper stuff. Yay. :)

[Slug Yoga]

Using sulfates and cones is not abusing your hair, I don't know why people tend to look at sulfates and cones as some kind of evil, there not! If your hair cooperates better with them, then its all good! Companies wouldn't produce anything which could potentially harm us or our hair, imagine the law suits if they did? They'd be bankrupt! Relax your doing nothing wrong!

I agree that I wouldn't consider using drugstore shampoo to be "hair abuse," but unfortunately it's not true that companies cannot legally or practically get away with distributing products that have harmful ingredients.

Myths about cosmetics safety (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/myths-on-cosmetics-safety/)

You'll note that this is based on laws in the United States, where the situation is really pretty bad. The FDA does not actually have the authority to recall things.


Myth – FDA would promptly recall any product that injures people.
Fact – FDA has no authority to require recalls of harmful cosmetics. Furthermore, manufacturers are not required to report cosmetics-related injuries to the agency. FDA relies on companies to report injuries voluntarily (FDA 2005).

I'm not very familiar with laws and regulations in other countries, but it is true that the situation is better in some other places, e.g. the UK. There are many commonly used ingredients in US products that are banned elsewhere (Europe, the UK, Japan). Regulations may be stricter (http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=346), and I'm glad--but that doesn't mean they are perfect.

The stricter regulations don't necessarily guarantee that something you buy in Europe is totally safe, even if it is complying with current regulations; there might not have been enough scientific study about a particular ingredient, or legislation might not have caught up to the science. There are plenty of ingredients in UK cosmetics for which there are health concerns that are still permitted under regulations, e.g. phenoxyethanol, many ingredients in nail polish.

[Amber_Maiden]

Gee, I was expecting a post about REAL abuse!
I love cones. I just can't help it. They just work for me and I guess that is the point of different hair care routines...finding what one works best for you personally

Me too- like attacking your hair with a flat iron every day, etc. lol

Yeah, my hair doesn't like abuse... :(

[Sierrarazz]

I'm the same with all of yall. My hair needs cones in it from time to time! But I definitely have put down all the abusive heating tools (used to curl my hair with an iron almost daily.... had hair falling out for a while and breaking so easily---what actually led me here!). So thanks to LHC, My hair is much happier (and wayyy better looking) from the knowing what was ACTUALLY damaging :)

[Natalia]

I don't know why people tend to look at sulfates and cones as some kind of evil, there not!

i think they get demonized because of why people stop using them. like me if i go near any kind of sulfate i will have an itchy, blistering, and peelling painful disaster. so when i talk about them it is tainted by those experiances.

[long&blonde]

I agree, everyones hair is different. My hair loves cones also. I am a 2c. (And when this cellphone eventually keels over,Not to hex it! My next I will be sure has a working camera so hopefully I can finally get some pictures up.) Half phone with camera no one could ever use:half non tech savvy at 57.

[vindo]

I agree that I wouldn't consider using drugstore shampoo to be "hair abuse," but unfortunately it's not true that companies cannot legally or practically get away with distributing products that have harmful ingredients.

Myths about cosmetics safety (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/myths-on-cosmetics-safety/)

You'll note that this is based on laws in the United States, where the situation is really pretty bad. The FDA does not actually have the authority to recall things.



I'm not very familiar with laws and regulations in other countries, but it is true that the situation is better in some other places, e.g. the UK. There are many commonly used ingredients in US products that are banned elsewhere (Europe, the UK, Japan). Regulations may be stricter (http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=346), and I'm glad--but that doesn't mean they are perfect.

The stricter regulations don't necessarily guarantee that something you buy in Europe is totally safe, even if it is complying with current regulations; there might not have been enough scientific study about a particular ingredient, or legislation might not have caught up to the science. There are plenty of ingredients in UK cosmetics for which there are health concerns that are still permitted under regulations, e.g. phenoxyethanol, many ingredients in nail polish.

Agreed....

[redsonjared]

Nothing like a polemic title to get a good debate going!

This is the joy of this forum that whilst we are all united in caring for our luscious flowing locks, we are all exploring and sharing different ways to do this. I have learnt so much from this forum and whilst my hair is content at the moment that is not to say that won't change!

To misquote Tolkein - "May your hair grow even longer"

[Long_Curls]

Well, after several weeks of avoiding sulphates and cones, using the CWC method and mineral oil, every day was turning into a bad hair day with out of control frizz, and looking lacklustre with no body :disgust:.

This weekend I used some 50 pence supermarket shampoo and conditioner at a friends. It had an ingredients list that was full of noxious chemicals, and my hair LOVED it. Back to soft, shiny, manageable levels of frizz. :D

Just goes to show we are all different!! :shrug:

There are a some grooming and hair care generalizations that we can all use regardless of hair texture/length but, ultimately, I always recommend people to experiment with their hair to find what truly suits them best.

On top of the above, it is good to always weigh in the pros and cons. Using one routine or approach may have your hair looking great but at what cost?

Glad you have found a routine that has you happier!

[Shermie Girl]

Well, after several weeks of avoiding sulphates and cones, using the CWC method and mineral oil, every day was turning into a bad hair day with out of control frizz, and looking lacklustre with no body :disgust:.

This weekend I used some 50 pence supermarket shampoo and conditioner at a friends. It had an ingredients list that was full of noxious chemicals, and my hair LOVED it. Back to soft, shiny, manageable levels of frizz. :D

Just goes to show we are all different!! :shrug:

Yep. My hair loves sulphates, cones and Is perfectly content being doused in chemical dye and blasted with my blow dryer from time to time. :D

[DancingQueen]

Doesn't have to be bad. After trying several product lines (with and without cones and sulfates, castor oil, and stylist products recommended for my hair type) I got the best results from sunsilk so far. That's right, sunsilk. The stuff you can get for 8 or 9 dollars (for both shampoo and conditioner). Lots of silicones and sulfates. No other things needed, just wash and go.

Just use whatever works for your hair. :)