The cons of cones

I have never really paid much attention to silicones in my hair products. I would instead ensure that my products never contained sulphates (except for my neutralising shampoo), mineral oil and petrolatum. My hair was thriving even though I was using products with cones.

In 2010, I discovered the Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship (HELTR) line and fell in love with their conditioner and leave-in. I loved the leave-in so much that it became my daily conditioner. I was originally using the Neutrogena Silk Touch Leave in, but it soon became scarce. I loved the leave in at first; it made my hair feel divine, but as time went by my hair started feeling dry no matter how much I conditioned it.

One day I was on my way to work and touched my hair and it was so dry, I didn't want to spend an entire day in an air-conditioned building with dry hair and so I stopped off in a pharmacy to find a cheap moisturiser. I loved the one I found and decided to switch to that because at that time the HELTR was difficult to find.

I used that new moisturiser throughout the second half of 2010 until the Neutrogena Leave in was once again available in 2011. I would moisturise and seal my hair every night without fail with wonderful results in the beginning and then I started to dislike how my hair felt. My hair felt coated and regular sulphate free shampoos were not doing the job. I switched to the Herbal Essences Shampoo and still had the same problem.

Jump to July 2011 and my disastrous texlax which showed I had lost length. My ends had broken off without me knowing it. I thought that the HELTR leave in now had too much protein, but I discovered why nothing has been working for me this year. It was the silicones in these products. My Neutrogena Leave in, my HELTR shampoo, conditioner and leave in all have dimethicone which is difficult to wash out of the hair unless you use a very strong stripping shampoo. I was not doing this. I would clarify my hair once every 6 weeks.

The thing about these cones is that they are great for detangling hair and giving the hair shine but eventually they will coat the hair and prevent it from being able to absorb moisture. When you hair can't absorb moisture breakage happens.

Today I clarified my hair and deep conditioned with a silicone free conditioner and my hair feels great.

2011 is pretty much a set back year. I am hoping to get back on track in 2012.