Since ditching silicone my hair is awful

[Gillybobs]

I've been buying and using silicone free shampoo and conditioner for months. Also tried adding a good hair oil as I'm 46 and my hair is definitely getting coarser with age. It's just looking so awful, no shine or smoothness. I thought giving up silicone would help and condition but inn funding the opposite. Any advice? Anyone had the same experience?

Yes my hair also loves sulphates

I read that would happen and when i bought some, the sales lady warned me that my hair wouldnt be good for "quite a while". I havent yet tried it...

I’ve found the same tbh. I made the switch back in January and my hair has become unmanageable, frizzy and dry. I know that silicones and sulphites give a false impression of hair health but at this stage I’m seriously considering just switching back so I don’t look so scaffy anymore!

Glad it’s not just me, when you look at the online pages they’re all very much skewed towards silicones being the devil and your hair being so much better without. But I feel 7 months of trying I should at least be seeing a difference now!

Check for protein and moisture levels. Your hair might need a protein boost or a moisture boost, which the silicones were hiding.

Yep, happened to me too. I tried the curly girl method for 18 months and gave up when my hair still looked crap.
My hair loves silicones, sulphates, the works. It works for me and leaves me with amazing glossy, bouncy hair, instead of a contender in the village scarecrow competition .

I go to very, very formal events fairly frequently, and on me curly hair just looks scruffy and beach bum-ish. Looks gorgeous on some though

I also did all the protein etc etc boosts people suggested and it still looked crap. My friend who lives and dies by the CGM kept telling me I needed to give it more time. After 18 months

I tried curly girl for about a year and it turns out my 'natural curls' are coarse and frizzy and much nicer with silicone and sulphates. I still use CG styling techniques and avoid brushing it etc but my hair is WAY nicer for a bit of serum. Once a month or so I use a dessert spoon sized amount of washing up liquid instead of shampoo to get rid of build up.

Me too. I switched back.

Yeah I switched back too! I really try to avoid overloading my hair and body with chemicals or junk in any form these days, but giving up my old shampoo and conditioner did not work for me. I looked like a mad woman, my hair was frizzy, dry and coarse and no amount of natural/friendly products or styling could sort it. Now I’ve gone back to the sulphites my hair is glossy and falls easily into thick shiny ringlets. Plus I can actually get a comb through it without using every swear word during the process

Are you using sulphate free products, usually it’s shampoos contain sulphates. That makes my hair feel like straw and makes my scalp itchy too.

Ahhh this reassuring! Thank you all. My hair is extremely thick and straight and is just like a thatch roof at the moment 😆. I think I'll need to switch back. Maybe a really good wash with a clarifying shampoo every few weeks to get rid of build up might be the answer

Products with too much protein in also leave hair looking or feeling dry, flat, coarse, dull and lifeless.

Did you just ditch silicones and carry on using sulphate? Sulphates are extremely drying, and oils stop moisture getting into your hair, so that might explain it.

Water makes a huge difference. Do you have hard water? Mine is so much better on holiday in a soft water area. Wish I could afford a water softener

I have tried it a couple of times,I now actively avoid silicone and sulphate free shampoos and conditioners 😂👍

I’m trying the CGM right now and I look shit. Like a cross between Worzel Gummidge and Leo Sayer.

Try co-washing with a silicone free conditioner. My aging, dyed hair has never looked better. Real gloss as opposed to a plasticky coating.

What are you using? I think I agree that you should also avoid sulphates and all that jazz.

I get on well with the Aubrey Organics one on here, or the Faith in Nature ones are fine, but not as hydrating, if you want a bargain. And the Avalon ones smell lovely!

www.gentlebubbles.com/buy-phthalate-free-products/sulfate-paraben-phthalate-free-shampoo/

My hair is soooo much better since I started doing the Cg method, the trick is a really decent leave in conditioner

My hair is thick and coarse. I used to be able to manage it ok with regular shampoo, conditioner and straighteners. Recently though things have gone to pot. I put it down to the heat.

My hairdresser has given me a couple of samples to try which I will.

What do you use for thick coarse hair?

I've been using ogx shampoo and conditioner. I had been using a little of the Liz Earle hair oil thinking it was a natural product but have recently realised it has silicone in too.

CG just doesn't suit everyone Gilly. Horses for courses.
I tried the co-washing, leave in conditioner, I have a water softerner etc etc, nothing got rid of the scarecrow look that CGM treated me to .

It's made no difference to my wavy hair. I've been silicone free following the CG method for 8 months. I was hoping it would help with hair loss and general hair health but nothing unfortunately.

Silicones and sulphates do different jobs. Because of eczema, I swapped to sulphate free shampoos. Sulphates make shampoo foamy and increase its cleaning ability. I find you need more product and more water to make sulphate free shampoos effective. Also, they don't work well in hard water areas. However, I find I use less cortisone on my skin when using them.

I think it is conditioners that contain the most silicones. The job of silicone is to make your hair smooth. My understanding is that more expensive products contain less silicone than supermarket brands, but I've not tested this (I use a salon conditioner).

Also, many so-called sulphate-free shampoos are really not if you read the ingredients carefully. Many contain hidden sulphates or sulphites.

Caveat - not an expert and not really interested in hair or beauty, just wanted my skin to stop itching!