Charlie,
Using a conditioner (and sometimes a shampoo with conditioner in it) is a two edged sword. The conditioner helps the hair but it also losens the knots. And even though you applied a knot sealer you still had shedding. That's because the conditioner was still on the base and still 'slippery.' You need to clean the base of the oils in the conditioner in order for the knot sealer to set properly. You can clean the oils off the base by putting the base only in alcohol for a minute to remove the conditioner. A citrus cleaner like De-Solv-It will also work. Don't immerse any more than just the lace as it could dry out the hair. I use a shampoo called 'Creme of Nature.' Although it has a conditioner and detangler in it I have not experienced a lot of shedding (and I don't seal knots). It is blended for Africian-Americans who tend to have drier and coarser hair than Caucausians or Asians. I used to get it at WalMart but I haven't seen it there in a long time. You can get it on line or at some Walgreen's drug stores. It's less than $5 per bottle and it's as good as any shampoo I've used. If you need a conditioner in your hair use don't use the rinse out kind. Get a spray in leave-in conditioner that you spray on damp hair. But don't use too much that it gets down to your knots---it's the same deal--it will losen the knots.
Regards,
John