It’s official! Since Jan 2. 2011 I have gone cone free. After deciding this past fall to treat my hair with more natural ingredients free of silicones, mineral oil just to name a few, I have been pretty much on my grind in search of the best natural homemade deep conditioner recipes, leave ins, and cone free conditioners. From learning how to read ingredients, differentiate them and getting all the essentials in line, it has truly been a slow but progressing process.
Going cone free was pretty simple. I used this link to guide me along the basics. I don’t want to say I’m following the curly girl method whole hearted but pretty much picking up on tips along the way. It was getting all of my essential products in line before getting started more of a hassle. On Sunday Jan 2, I did one last wash with a sulfate shampoo (tresemme), added a bit of baking soda and that was it.
Right before shampooing I did a pre shampoo treatment with a mix of oils I have, that way my hair would not dry out too bad. This last shampoo wash thoroughly cleansed and clarified my hair of any silicones, residue etc accumulated on my hair, helping me start fresh on this new natural regimen. It has been about 3 weeks since I have not used any silicone based products and I kid you not by week 1 I noticed a huge difference as far as my curls were concerned.
I have to say I’m very excited to have finally kick start this hair thing. My goal is pretty much healthy natural hair focusing on thickness. Not just healthy straight heat processed hair but healthy curls and all. I want to embrace my curls, embrace my hair in it’s true natural state this time around.
This past holiday a lot of family members were surprised to see how long and healthy my hair has gotten.
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| My hair Dec 2010 |
My camera was acting up in this photo but pretty much this is the current length, I’m loving the length (which is waist length I believe) and progress I have made with my hair since may 2009, especially with straight styles. Since about thanksgiving up until new years eve week, I hit up the salon non stop. I wanted to trim my ends but the stylist who I trust was not around so I decided to hold off.
I found that my hair actually loves silicones and mineral oil but that is just the case when treating the hair with heat, whether it be mild indirect heat with roller setting, or direct heat at the salon. This time I want to get the most from my hair and be able to use natural products for both heat treated and curly hair.
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| New Year’s eve. I’m in need of a trim, my ends are beat. |
Building this hair regimen or any for that matter requires a bit of research especially concerning the products you may want to use.
As I edit this Moptop Maven has an amazing series on how to build not just any regimen but several regimens to suit your needs. Also check this link out as well. It’s very simple once you get an idea as to what you are going to need. Remember that every hair type is different. But for the most part, the following is what I have always used to guide me and can pretty much apply to any hair type.
— The Basics—
1 Clarifying Shampoo
I’ll be sticking with baking soda adding it to my shampoo mixes. Since I won’t be using too many products, I find that I won’t need to clarify as much. Also Apple Cider Vinegar Rinses will be in the mix.
1 Moisturizing/Sulfate free Shampoo
I’ll be co washing a bit more this time around but when in need of a shampoo I will be using dr bronner’s, diluted with water and oils. I also have been looking into Aubrey Organics Sulfate free shampoo for those on the go days.
1 Moisturizing Conditioner
Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose has been in heavy use. Right now not interested in trying anything else. It’s cone free and all natural and very moisturizing, so definitely a keeper in my regimen.
1 Protein Conditioner
There are many cone free conditioner out there ranging in all prices. Right now I have vo5 strawberries and cream as my protein conditioner. I actually found this in my stash while cleaning out last fall. It’ cone free, cheap and smells lovely.
1 Moisturizing Deep Conditioner
This is where I tend to have the most fun. It’s kind of hard trying to stick to just one deep conditioner especially when mixing up your own recipes. Recently I did a banana and honey DC with a few drops of Ylang Ylang essential oil. I also tried Shea moisture hair masque in which I have mixed feelings about… will share that review soon.
1 Protein Deep Conditioner
I’ll be sticking with Eggs and Mayo. It’s the best strengthening hair treatment ever. Keeps my hair strong and healthy for weeks. I’ll be doing this once a month or when I notice more hair shedding than usual.
A Leave-in Conditioner
Rose Water and Aloe Juice! I love this leave-in hair mist. It smells divine and leaves my hair ultra soft. My curls have been loving this hair mist and I truly can’t believe how amazing my hair feels after using this. I also have been eyeing giovanni direct leave in, so once I get a chance I may purchase it.
1 Moisturizer
Hands down the best product I have right now!! It does not need a review for me to tell you how much I love this moisturizer. One of my biggest challenge I thought would be finding the ideal daily moisturizer. Not only for the straight styles but for the kinky curls as well. This helped keep my hair ultra moisturized during my weekly beauty salon sessions. And as of late, my curly fro has been loving this. I’ll have a review soon on how I use it and how much I love it.
Natural Oils
For a while now I have been using Grape seed oil to seal and love it. It’s very light and provides me with a lot of shine without weighing my hair down. I also will be using essential oils like ylang ylang for it’s amazing moisturizing qualities in my Deep Conditioners. Argan Oil which I reviewed recently has truly been a god send, it’s very moisturizing and provides my hair with amazing shine. Amal Oils organic argan oil is what I used during the Holiday to keep my straight hair, silky and frizz free. Coconut oil has also been my favorite and it complements many of my deep conditioners as well.
So that’sbasically what I have been up to these past several weeks in terms of hair and the endless products I come across. In the meantime this has been my hair these past couple of weeks since going cone free.
This was right before washing. This is how my hair was after a full week of protective styles in a bun.
My curls 3 days in……
Now that I have gone cone free my curls have come back to life in the middle of winter!
I pretty much spritz with aloe vera juice and rosewater when my curly fro is out, moisturize with bee Mine’s balancing cream seal with grape seed oil and off I go. Last summer I attempted to rock the curly fro but I did not have much luck in terms of my curls cooperating. I dealt with a lot of matting, and always ended up with a tangled dry mess. Which is why I opted for a more natural method this time around.
But recently my curls have been poppin! No tangles or matting.
I’ve never seen my pony tail so thick before. This is what I have been noticing since going cone free I have yet to rollerst which I may get to do this weekend depending on how I may feel. So I think I made a good choice switching my regimen up. I have to say I no longer deal with matting or limp lifeless hair when leaving my curls out. Right now I’m still tweaking my regimen (looking for a new hair gel) but for the most part it has been very simple and notice a difference in terms of my air dired hair retaining moisture.
Soon I’ll have my regimen narrowed down as well as share some Deep Conditiong recipes I have been playing around with……..
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