So, I'm about to switch from sulphate-free shampoo to CO washing (planning to use Tesco coconut conditioner to wash, followed by TRESemmé Naturals nourishing moisture conditioner), and I want to make sure that none of my styling/finishing products are going to clog up my hair with silicones so that I can avoid shampooing as much as possible.
I have coarse, thick wavy hair which has been bleached (still in good condition, just thought it was worth mentioning anyway) and which I either scrunch into messy curls and air-dry, or occasionally blow-dry and straighten or blow-dry with Curlformers. Ideally I need some sort of conditioning/anti-frizz product that I can use for either curly or straight styles, some kind of mousse or other product to scrunch/hold my curls (preferably alcohol-free too as I've noticed a lot of curl products contain alcohol), and a good heat protectant.
Obviously it would be great if they were readily available in Boots or similar places and not too expensive, but I'm happy to spend more/order online if it's really necessary. Any suggestions would be much appreciated 🙂
I have very thick, coarse, curly hair, and I also CO wash most of the time (I do an SLS shampoo once every few weeks to clarify as I do occasionally use products with silicones). Most of the time, I'm stripped down to just 4 products in total - I CO wash with Boots own brand cheapo conditioner (I think it's about 60p), but because I suffer from dry scalp and dandruff, I add a few drops of essential oils to it - tea tree, lavender & peppermint, about 20 drops of each in the whole bottle, then I use Schwarzkopf supersoft coconut conditioner (I got it at the pound shop, but I'm sure it's available elsewhere). For styling, most days I just use about 5-6 drops of 100% pure argan oil from Holland & Barrett (I've bought online which was cheaper, but I'm pretty sure I got ripped off, as the online stuff wasn't the same consistency or smell as the H&B one), and occasionally, I use a little bit of R&B hair moisturizer from Lush. I find the argan oil on it's own is enough to tame my frizz and leave my hair soft with defined curls. I am, however, having a fringe cut in around mid-January, and after this, I will be using more products, as I'll be adding a heat protecting cream & hairspray into my daily routine so that I can straighten my fringe.
I also use Argan oil for taming frizz, and smoothing my hair, it is great stuff. I find coconut oil better for defining /shaping curls though, and it is a lot cheaper. Argan oil is on 'buy one get one half price' right now at H&B too.
There are some good silicone-free products I've found recently, but one I thought I'd mention I found at Boots for a good value, as it sounds like you're in the UK: Naked Hair Care.
I've only bought two of the conditioners - one completely silicone-free and one that has a water-soluable silicone, but I'd double-check the ingredients anyway before purchasing. Other than that, do check the bottles for ingredients ending in "-cone", "-conal", or "-xane", as those are silicones.
Some water-soluable silicones I posted on another thread called Silicones include:
* Dimethicone copolyol: water soluble
* Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane: water soluble
* Lauryl methicone copolyol: water soluble
Thanks everyone 🙂 Yeah, I was thinking argan oil might be a good way to go.
Mindi and Wiked Pixie... I can see two different brands of it on the H&B website, which do you use?
I use whatever is on offer at the time lol. Currently using the Miaflora one, which is slightly cheaper than the Dr Organics one, but I haven't noticed any difference in quality. I have had great Argan oil from Ebay too, but a lot of the Argan oil advertisd is mixed with cheaper oil, so i think I have just been lucky so far.
I'm currently using the Dr. Organics one, but I'm the same as Wicked Pixie - the only reason I picked that one was because it was on offer at the time!
How do you find the Miaflora one? I bought them both when they were buy 1 get 1 half price so that I could compare, and the Miaflora one seemed thinner and had a really strong unpleasant smell. I assumed that it had gone rancid rather than it being a quality thing, but I took it back to the shop and the girl working there told me that it was the same one that she uses and when she smelled the one I'd brought back she said that that's how it always is when she buys it. Would be really interested to hear from someone else who's tried them both
I think the Miaflora one is more smelly too, but I thought it was because it was a new bottle and I haven't had one for a while. I was hoping it would diminish in time, if not I will add a few drops of a different essential oil to make it smell nicer, possibly Rosemary, but I'm open to suggestions. I haven't got any other brand to compare the texture/viscosity, but i am quite happy with how it makes my hair feel.
SheaMoisture!! It is so readily available, and not expensive. It's organic, which I love because I am such a stickler with ingredients. Reading off of the back of my favorite conditioner now, it says (in the same order):
Deionized water, shea butter*, argan oil, coconut oil*, behentrimonium chloride (antistatic, disinfectant), essential oil blend, vegetable glycerin, emulsifying wax (helps water and oil mix together), sea kelp extract, panthenol (vitamin B-5), avocado oil, honeysuckle flower extract, japanese honeysuckle flower extract, tocopherol (vitamin E), and carrot seed oil.
*certified organic ingredients
You wouldn't regret it! 🙂