Silicone: Bad for Your Hair? Hair Care Tips I John Frieda

Table Of Content

• Who Should Use Silicones? Who Should Avoid Them?
• Understanding the Problem with Silicones
• Here Are Five Examples of What You Could See When Reviewing the Product Labels of a Silicone Based Hair Products:
• action: 'healthbeat'
• Should fine hair avoid silicone?
• Why You Only Want to Use Water-Based Silicones on Your Hair

Of course, it's important to use a clarifying shampoo treatment every two to four weeks in order to wash away product build-up, which can dull the hair's appearance. "With all that we put in our hair, it's always a good idea to have a 'spring cleaning' moment once in a while," Ouai's head of education Diana Pratasiewicz told Today. However, if you are a heavy user or products containing silicone (particularly those with dimethicone), you may have to lather, rinse and repeat. If you want the benefits of silicone without the weight, look for lightweight silicones, as mentioned above, like cyclomethicone and dimethicone copolyol. These ingredients won't build up but still give you some conditioning and shine benefits.

Who Should Use Silicones? Who Should Avoid Them?

Well, for some they may be ladies depending on your hair care goals. However, some silicones might be the best thing that has worked for your hair since going natural. They can also make the hair surfaces smooth, manageable and can also fill in gaps, similar to proteins. So the variants that don’t typically build-up, don’t wash out easily but may require clarifying are ideal based on the condition of your hair.

Understanding the Problem with Silicones

Are Silicones Really Bad For Your Hair? Here's What Stylists Have to Say - Real Simple

Are Silicones Really Bad For Your Hair? Here's What Stylists Have to Say.

Posted: Thu, 11 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Even in small amounts, you’ll struggle to use the right amount of products containing silicone. Every variety of silicone coats your hair shaft almost entirely. This is even true for products you rinse away, like shampoo and conditioner. So if yours contains any kind of silicone, washing your hair will result in this coating.

Here Are Five Examples of What You Could See When Reviewing the Product Labels of a Silicone Based Hair Products:

Hair types and application methods aside, it's always important to start with a quality product. "Sulfates and silicones exist on many levels of quality and refinement," explains Gillen. "The higher the quality, the more it costs to produce," he says, noting that pricier formulas are, more often than not, formulated better than budget ones. Are you looking to detangle your curly hair with minimal pain and frustration? Or perhaps you regularly use styling products and need a formidable heat protectant against hair damage? These examples are just the tip of the iceberg when leveraging silicones to your advantage.

If you need guidance on how often you should actually be washing your hair, read our guide to shampooing. Great for preventing frizz, this conditioner from Living Proof works to smooth each strand by blocking and resisting humidity on contact. It's both weightless and nourishing, promising to leave your hair softer after just one use. If you’re still feeling a little wary, there are some other ingredients that offer similar, silicone-esque benefits. Clarifying shampoos are designed to strip most types of buildup, including silicone. That’s why you should always follow this deep-cleaning shampoo with a conditioner.

They are usually added in hair care products like shampoos, conditioners, and serums, but this ingredient can also be found in makeup. Water-soluble silicones dissolve in plain water, so they rinse out when you wash your hair. They usually require sulfates found in many shampoos to get them out. Volatile silicones evaporate between 10 minutes and two hours after you apply the product.

Should fine hair avoid silicone?

The only thing it can affect is the strength and appearance of your hair. A weighty feel, dryness, and hard-to-remove buildup are common silicone concerns. While not necessarily "bad," they may require more thorough cleansing and occasional clarifying shampoos to prevent buildup. It's essential to choose hair products wisely and monitor how your scalp responds to silicone-containing products. Find out whether silicone in hair products is as evil as it's often made out to be. TexturedTalk.com was created to promote healthy hair care for women of all textures and has since evolved into other beauty and lifestyle topics.

Any ingredient that you see that has a cone at the end of the word is a type of silicone. If it is near the top of the list it means that it has a high amount of it and must be avoided if you don’t want to be exposed to this synthetic ingredient. Ultimately, it will depend on what works best for your strands. The bottom line is if you decide to ditch silicones altogether, make sure your conditioner, moisturizer, styling products, and deep conditioners are silicone-free products as well.

But if all natural hair is different, which it is, don’t take someone’s personal experience and apply it to your hair. Many women with natural hair don’t give their hair what it needs and they miss out on fabulous hair. Silicones may win the medal for Most Misunderstood Haircare Ingredient.

Because this polymer is highly resistant to heat and sunlight, it’s prized for its stability in many hair product formulations. If you’re undecided about silicones in hair products, read on for our big reveal. However, sulfate hair products can cause drying, so it’s best to avoid using them daily. Some simple precautions can help you counter the drawbacks and adverse effects of using silicone-based hair products. If you see an ingredient that starts with “PEG-” that’s usually a water-soluble silicone.

This one is lab-formulated to mimic a real hair wash, and it’s silicone-free. Best of all, it’s a fabulous volume booster and heat protectant if you have fine, thin, or oily hair. Just be sure to use a clarifying shampoo once a month or so to remove the buildup. Otherwise, your hair is likely to start feeling greasy and heavy. Silicones can also help protect your hair from heat damage.

Kinky-Curly founder Shelley Davis; DevaCurl director of product and development Bari Strohmenger; and Davines international scientific communication manager Laura Luciani weigh-in on the subject. Look for a “breathable” silicone such as cyclomethicone. It’s lightweight and water-soluble, so it can be easily washed out.

Many people get caught in a cycle of silicone buildup, harsh sulfate cleanses, and repeat. If you avoid heavy silicones, you can use a sulfate-free shampoo. It won’t harm your health to use products that contain silicones. However, over time, non-soluble silicones like dimethicone can build up on your scalp and irritate your scalp. You have to weigh the positive and negative effects on your hair. Silicones are synthetic polymers (they originate from sand!) that are well-known for their ability to seal in moisture.

But leaving silicone products on without a clarifying wash leads to negative effects on your hair. While silicones lock moisture into your strands, the protective coating they form keeps out other substances that could be beneficial. Adding leave-in conditioners or nutrient-rich hair oils to your strands after using a heavy silicone product won’t do any good. In the haircare community, using silicone can be a touchy subject.

It comes down to whether the silicone is water-soluble or non-water-soluble. According to Healthline, cyclomethicone is a breathable, lightweight silicone. It is also water-soluble, meaning it can wash out easily. On the contrary, amodimethicone and dimethicone are heavier and may take multiple washes with a clarifying shampoo to remove them. Instead, you want to stick to silicones like dimethicone copolyol and stearoxy.