Cones and the "bad" things in shampoo

[Isilme]

Hi! I've been a member of LHC for a while now and decided to ask a question, and found the forum down!
I try here instead:) you do talk so much about "cones" could anybody tell me waht cones are? And I'v read that there are some things i some shampoos that are bad for you hair, think it was sulfates, right now I'm confused;)
Thanks

[wonderlywroughte]

'Cones are short for silicones. They seem to be used to smooth the hair, make it shiny, and aid in detangling/ The problem with them is that unless you are using shampoo, its hard to get them off and they may coat the hair and mask damage or suffocate the hair shaft and not allow moisture in.

Sulfates are the cleansing agents in shampoo, and some find them to be too harsh and stripping, while others have no problems at all using them. So really, it is a matter of what your hair likes, rather that a catch-all for everyone's hair type. :sweatdrop: Hope that helped, a little!

[eiyela]

The "cones" we talk about are different silicone compunds found in shampoo and conditioner. Some of us have problems with them and try to avoid them, so it's a frequent topic of discussion. On LHC there is a "cone-free conditioner list", for example.

And you're right about the sulfates. In fact, I wrote a message to a girl on another board on the topic of sulfates this morning! I read the label of a shampoo bottle, and found these right after water:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_laureth_sulfate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_pareth_sulfate

Both are rather strong detergents, and sodium pareth sulfate is also found in dishwashing liquid. Long term exposure can be a problem for hair, because it strips it of everything every time you wash and leaves it without protection. They can also be irritating to skin, and I avoid them mainly because they make my scalp and hands so dry. There are more sulfates found in shampoos, but the most common is probably sodium laureth sulfate. I believe there was a sulfate-free shampoo list on LHC too, as well as a list of the sulfates most often found in shampoo. I'm sorry I can't remember it all. And just a tad homesick for LHC...

HTH:innocent:

ETA: Ooops, wonderlywroughte beat me to it!:sweatdrop:

[Isilme]

Thanks! Since I'm from scandinavia I sometimes have problems with all theese shorts!;) My boyfriend said he thought CO ment conditioner, and he was right! Just as an example;) About cones, were do I find them in the ingredient list? Should I just look for the word "silicone" or do they hide it behind another word or shortening?

[eiyela]

They usually hide in anything that ends with -cone. Like dimethicone or amodimethicone, which are both fairly common. And if you're doing CO, you'll definitaly want something without cones, because it builds up so fast. Look either in the health food store (there is an aloe vera conditioner from Regina Cosmetic that I love, but it's unfortunately a bit expensive considering how much I use. Urtekram is also cone-free) or at cheap stores that sell large quantities of cheap conditioner.

[Amber]

I'm going to be a dissenting voice here... :D

Some people actually do like cones in their conditioners. It's a good idea to experiment with using different types of cones (and with using no cones) to see what suits your hair best. Everyone is different.

And (for any of the short hairs on this site!) if you have short hair, I believe that you don't really need to worry about damage from sulphates or cones. The reason long hairs worry about cones and sulphates so much is because by the time your hair is long, the ends are many years old, and so they need extra gentle treatment and extra TLC if they are going to remain strong and healthy! Short hair normally gets chopped off before it starts to show signs of damage from cones or sulphates.

:)

[wavebaby]

Don't forget there are water soluable silicones too, that won't cause build up problems. also, to be fair, many people tolerate silicones very well, and cleansing with gentler surfactants such as coco betaine should remove any silicone build up you may experience...sls, & sles are not always necessary. And again to be fair :grinhappy: some people tolerate sls and sles in their cleansers quite well also. as wonderlywroughte wrote, it really depends on what works best for your own hair. I find with my own hair, that if I only wash twice a week, I do just fine with a regular cleansing shampoo, but if I were to wash with more frequency, I'd need a gentler shampoo, possibly sls-free. another trick you might try is to slightly dilute your cleanser with water.

another note, silicones offer superb protection from tangle damage, by lightly and weightlessly coating the shaft. If you are tangle-prone, silicones may be your very best friend!:grinhappy:

[orchid]

Oh, there are water soluble cones? What are some of the water soluble cones?

[wavebaby]

Silicones, explained here (as well as which are water soluable & which are not)
http://naturallycurly2.com/curlcolumns/articles.php?id=341

Related article regarding build up
http://naturallycurly2.com/curlcolumns/articles.php?id=225

These are taken from another board of which I am a member, naturallycurly.com, but the information, though sometimes geared towards curlies, applies to all hair types

HTH!:grinhappy:

[Isilme]

thanks alot! I'll try CO some day. We actually do have a cone free conditioner in our shower but I dindn't realized until now, it's my fathers conditioner, but i smells like...an old man's perfume (yuck!) Do any of you (and especially eiyela, cause we both live in Sweden) know "Våg" it's supposed to be shampoo and conditioner thats gentle to your hair, any who have experience from that one?

[eiyela]

I know the brand. There's supposed to be a perfume free version of the shampoo and condish, too. We've only got the shampoo at home right now, and it feels quite gentle for a sulfate shampoo. Can be found at apoteket.

[LittleFlower]

Should I just look for the word "silicone" or do they hide it behind another word or shortening?
Also look out for words ending in -oxane which are hidden cones. Eg. cyclopentasiloxane :gurn: