One of the first products I got my hands on while building my cone free regimen was a reliable moisturizing cone free conditioner. Keeping a conditioner handy can be useful for many things such as co washing, adding it to homemade deep conditioners and of course to keep the hair moisturized and balanced (protein/moisture). There are many things to consider when shopping for a cone free conditioner or any cone free product for that matter. Here are a few things I keep in mind.
Reading the labels:
It’s obviously the only way you will know whether or not your product is loaded with cones. Although most ingredient lists can be extensive and the ingredients hard to pronounce, you don’t necessarily have to memorize each cone, the idea is to familiarize yourself with them often enough for you to tell without hesitation. When in doubt it’s best to double check. So when I’m not too sure I go to my two trusty cone reference lists.
Here’s my go to links when in doubt.
List of cone free conditioners– not the most extensive list but pretty much the same one I see all around, again check your labels.
All About Cones (BHM types of cones)– This is my go to for easy reference.
Water Soluble VS. Non Water Soluble:
Another thing that took me some time to consider but was rather easy to understand were Water soluble VS. Non water soluble cones. Basically there are two types of cones. Those that are easily rinsed with water (water soluble) vs those that require a detergent based cleanser (SLS based shampoo) to get rid of the cone (Non water Soluble).
By far the only two water soluble cones I look out for are Dimethicone Copolyols or PEG-modified dimethicones. Those with PEG affixed to the front of the cone are basically light enough to rinse with water.
For more detailed info check out Curly Nikky on her to cone or not to cone post.
More info on Water Soluble and Non Soluble Cones:
There are many cone free conditioners out there and while going through the cone free conditioner list a few caught my eye. I was surprised to see VO5 strawberries and cream on the list since it’s so cheap and cone free. It was in my old hair stash and I kept it since it made the cone free cut. Another conditioner I had was mane N tail from what I have researched it does not contain cones but does have parabens. Despite them not being natural I use them every now and then as my protein conditioners. Once I run out of these two I will replace them with a natural protein based cone free conditioner.
Starting off with a cone free conditioner can be a great way to start familiarizing yourself with the different types of cones in hair products as well as tell which one works best for your hair type.
Here’s a few I have in mind for when the product junkie in me kicks in:
-Giovanni 50/50 Balanced Hair Remoisturizer conditioner
-Nature’s Gate Lavender & Aloe Conditioner
-Suave Naturals Juicy Green Apple Conditioner
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