the grass is always greener...... Changing products isn't likely to change your curl pattern. I'd love to have bigger, looser curls but my 3b/c hair is what it is. My current routine is similar to yours. I'm loving it. It wasn't all that long ago that i was using sulfates, cones, blow dryers and flat irons. It took forever but my hair looked great. For a while. If there was no humidity. And no wind. And i didn't sweat. I rarely made it through the day much less achieve 2nd or 3rd day hair without going through the whole routine again.

currently, my hair doesn't fit my ideal picture. Neither do my thighs. But my hair is healthy and i'm no longer waging a daily war against a force i can't defeat.

i'm a huge advocate of doing what works for you. If using sulfates and cones gives you the results you want, then by all means, do it. Experiment with different products and routines. Let us know if you find something that works!