One of these things is not like the others.

[amaiaisabella]

Sorry, I had the Sesame Street song in my head! :)

Through trial and error, I have determined that cones in my shampoos and conditioners were not for me. Rather than causing slip and shine, my hair got rough, dry, and tangled. Now I avoid cones (for the most part) and my hair is in a lot better shape. I have one leave-in conditioner, though, Thermasilk's detangling leave-in, that has two cones, Amodimethicone and Simethicone, that works wonders on my hair.

So I guess I'm wondering why some cones wreak havoc on my hair while others seem to bring it back to life. Are there different cones that affect the hair differently? :confused:

[burns_erin]

It may not be the specific cones so much as the amount as well as the other indredients.

[podo]

Or it might just be the formulations of those specific cones reacting with your hair.

[detritus]

I don't know about simethicone, but I remember reading a while ago that amodimethicone is a special type of silicone that is positively charged. The damaged bits of hair are negatively charged, so the amodimethicone molecules are strongly attracted to the damaged parts of your hair. The charge makes them difficult to remove from hair, but it also prevents build up (since the positive molecules repel other positives).

Someone on LHC (can't remember who) wrote about this special class of silicones a while ago. I don't remember the name of the class, unfortunately. I bet you could do a search though.

ETA: Aha! Here's an article that describes the chemistry of "amine functionalized silicones". http://www.naturallycurly.com/curly-q-a/curlchemist-amodimethicone-and-other-amine-functionalized-silicones

[amaiaisabella]

Thanks for the link, detritus! It was very interesting. I did note that these types of silicones take several washings to get out, but I haven't had a problem so far. Perhaps if I clarify every once in a while, I won't have to worry :)

[Curlsgirl]

Thanks for the link, detritus! It was very interesting. I did note that these types of silicones take several washings to get out, but I haven't had a problem so far. Perhaps if I clarify every once in a while, I won't have to worry :)

If you have any kind of sulfate in your shampoo too that should do the trick or just use a sulfate shampoo occasionally. I use a diluted one once a week or 2 just to take care of buildup and I don't usually even use cones.