? about oils vs 'cones

Hi All,

I have really been obsessing on this lately. Can anyone set me straight on the differences between oils and 'cones?

They both coat or protect by a barrier. They both have to be removed, either by shampoo, vinegar, etc.

I have read where some people have problems with dry ends with oils. I understand that 'cones can dry out the hair by not letting moisture penetrate the hair shaft.

I've even see some 'cones referred to as silicone oils.

I don't currently use cones, but these questions keep gnawing at me.

Do true oils (not silicones) penetrate the hair shaft and can moisture get into your hair if it is oiled dry?

My suspicion is that at leas some cones may become somewhat brittle on the hair whereas an oil would remain flexible. ? Don't know?

I am currently using a jojoba shampoo and adding jojoba oil to my conditioner and also dry oiling with a tiny bit of jojoba at a time. And it is working great for me.

These questions, I hope won't sound too whacky...

Anyone, anyone........

TIA.
strawberryfine

I think cones are a controversial topic. Personally, I never saw any damage when I went coneless a couple months ago.. just massive tangling without cone slip! LOL.

Do true oils (not silicones) penetrate the hair shaft and can moisture get into your hair if it is oiled dry? I think some hair types absorb oils better than others, and some oils have smaller molecules than others... jojoba has VERY small molecules, and with my porous hair, jojoba does absorb almost completely. So completely that it leaves me with crunchies. Some people claim that oil does not absorb, but I think it does.. because where the heck would it go? It wouldn't necessarily absorb COMPLETELY, but it does go through the cuticle even if it doesn't penetrate the entire hair shaft.

With skin I find the same thing: if I oil my skin wet, then I don't get "crunchy" or rough skin.

My suspicion is that at leas some cones may become somewhat brittle on the hair whereas an oil would remain flexible. ? Don't know? It depends on the cone IMHO. conols are more flexible than cones, for example. I get crunchier and more brittle when I use jojoba than when I use a conol.... maybe it's just my hair.

HTH :)
Anais

Hi Strawberryfine and Susan!

:)

Conols are technically supposed to be water soluble and I think they are.. or at least MORE so than cones in general. (e.g. dimethiconol vs. dimethicone)

I experienced crunchies when my shampoo had silk protein--but I haven't tried jojoba oiling lately (after quitting silk protein). Maybe it's also because jojoba isn't actually an oil like other oils, but a liquid wax ester. Coconut doesn't do the same weird crunchy thing for me, maybe because the molecules are bigger and don't actually saturate the hair shaft. The solid/melted coconut oil will actually stay nearer to the surface of my hair. Permanently liquid coconut oil may behave a little more similarly to jojoba because the molecules are smaller from hydrogen removal process.

I'm thinking maybe it's the porosity: my hair absorbs jojoba oil like crazy, so maybe the jojoba molecules are getting into the hair shaft and reacting with the actual protein part of the hair.

Today's wash day, so before shampooing I will give jojoba another try :) Keep you updated :)

Hugs,
Anais

I came across this interesting article the other day. It explains how conditioners work. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/A851627

I don't know too much about cones, but there is a list of cones that you should not use on the regular...i'll try to find it later.

But, when i buy a bottle of conditioner, such as, a suave conditioner. I open the bottle and put in jojoba oil or another oil and shake up the bottle. I do this especially if it is an oil that made my hair crunchy, after adding it to the conditioner it does not do the same.

O yeah, some oils are absorbed into the hair and some into the skin. But some oils have to be deluded or they can irritate the skin.

http://motowngirl.com/oils.htm this is a great page about oils.