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Fortunately, it’s safe to use hair products with silicone. To minimize the side effects, you need to select the right type and keep some precautions in mind. Bottom LineI personally find the benefits of silicones to far outweigh any negatives. Silicones are very effective conditioners, provide great shine and can help smooth and straighten hair. If you are concerned about buildup and weigh down, be sure to look at the label to make sure you are using lightweight silicones. It's worth noting, however, that as with most bad ingredients, dimethicone is a double-edged sword in the skincare world.
What ingredients should I look out for?
What should you know about using products with silicones? So long as your hair is getting enough moisture from your conditioner, a serum containing silicone might be what you’re missing. The shiny coating it adds will lock in moisture and reduce frizz. As with most hair products, there are hair types that tolerate silicone better than others. Or are you struggling with managing your hair in general?
Debunking the Myths About Silicone In Your Hair Products
People with coarse, dry, curly or frizz-prone hair will reap the most benefits from silicone-based formulas. They’re also fabulous to have on hand if you heat-style your hair. If you’ve got fine or thin strands, keep an eye on how they respond to silicone-based products. You may opt to use them less frequently (or not at all) if you notice that they make your locks feel heavy or oily.
Olive Oil
Is Silicone Bad for Your Hair? – Is Silicone Bad for Curly Hair? - ELLE
Is Silicone Bad for Your Hair? – Is Silicone Bad for Curly Hair?.
Posted: Tue, 15 Mar 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
While plastic is a specific type of polymer, that doesn’t mean that all polymers are plastic. The types of synthetic polymers in hair products aren’t the same as those used to make plastic products. The introduction of the Curly Girl Method of hair care is one source of the campaign against silicones. Curly hair tends to be dry since the natural oils and sebum can’t travel down the hair shaft quickly enough to moisturize it.
Are Silicones Bad For My Hair?
That depends on your hair texture and the routine you want to establish. If you are avoiding silicones, you probably don’t want to compound their use across multiple products. Say you have soluble silicone in your conditioner, then you might want to use a silicone-free shampoo. As with any hair regime, which products you choose depends heavily on your hair type and goals. Some specific hair types can benefit from using only light silicones or avoiding them completely. Most normal hair types benefit from silicone-containing products.
The Truth About Silicones
Now that you know why silicones are in so many hair products you can determine if you think their benefits outweigh the risks.If you do happen to experience silicone build-up you now know how to deal with it. This sea salt spray is suitable for those who have oily to average type of hair. The salt added into the mixture is quite capable of holding your hairstyle without making the strands appear dry or brittle to the touch. Instead of silicone and other harsh ingredients, what you will get instead is the perfect blend of sea kelp as well as Moroccan argan oil that nourishes your hair from roots to tips.
Find the Best Treatment Product for Your Hair Type
The key is to figure out what type of hair product, with which type of silicone, works better for you. Silicones also protect your hair from damage caused by heat-styling tools such as blow dryers and hot irons. Silicones' slick, glossy texture leaves your locks soft, smooth, and tangle-free. Frizz-fighting shampoos and conditioners typically contain silicones, as do softening and straightening frizzy hair serums. Silicones are synthetic (aka manmade) polymers with hydrophobic properties, which means they help retain moisture by creating an impenetrable seal. In addition to shampoos, conditioners, and styling products, they’re popular ingredients in makeup and skincare, as they help keep the complexion soft and smooth.
Are Silicones Really That Bad for Your Hair?
Outside of hair type, there are some other indicators you should avoid silicones. If you like to style your hair with a lot of volume and movement, silicones won’t be a great fit. To ensure your shampoo or conditioner is truly free from silicone, it’s best to look over the ingredients list.
These rubber-like compounds coat your hair strands to lock in moisture, add shine, and control frizz. If it’s your first time hearing about the S-word, silicone is a polymer extracted from silica (the same material that makes up the sand you see at the beach). In haircare products, silicone is primarily used as a synthetic ingredient that coats the hair shaft upon application.
Or deep cleanse with a clay mask product every month or so. Lucky Curl explains what could be making your hair dirty and how often you should be washing for every hair type. Instead of using hairsprays that contain plenty of silicone, why not try this texturizing sea salt spray by OGX? From the name of the product, you can already imagine being by the beach with your wavy hair being blown by a gentle breeze. But with the conditions being by the sea making your hair appear limp, this silicone-free sea salt spray can help you maintain that beachy waves you are sporting without drying or weighing your mane down. Think of having that tousled look with your curls still very prominent.
As with most beauty products and ingredients, not all silicones are created equal. You should use a silicone-free shampoo and conditioner if you have fine, oily, or coarse hair. These hair types need the right balance of moisture to look and feel healthy. The barrier silicone creates on your hair shaft makes it harder to achieve that balance. A good rule of thumb is that most ingredients ending in "-cone" are non-water soluble silicones while ingredients containing the prefix PEG are usually water-soluble silicones, says Laura Sagen, founder of The Hair Fuel. "PEG stands for polyethylene glycol, a chemical compound that 'clamps' onto water molecules, making them soluble," she says.
If you wash less often, the build up from these products is not as troubling. Since most of our clients wash less than weekly, silicone build up from shampoos and conditioners won't be as much of a concern. But, even so you can occasionally use a clarifying shampoo or do a silicone removing treatment (see below) to be on the safe side. If it does, document the cleaning ingredients in your natural hair journal. Also, take note of the silicones, if any are listed in your moisturizing and styling products.
For a long time, the hair-conscious have been bombarded with an ingredient list of absolute no-nos, scaring us into avoiding products with ingredients like sulfates and silicones. A lot of this is left over from the ’90s and late ’00s, when we learned about routines like the Curly Girl Method, which lists these two ingredients as terrible for curls. I find myself returning to this mask again and again, mainly because a little bit goes a long way, even with thick or coarse hair. At the same time, it isn't overpowering on finer hair — which is both a good and a bad thing if you share a bathroom with someone whose hair type differs from yours and they help themselves to your fancy products.
They also may contribute to bioaccumulation in our water supply, which may be enough of a reason to nix overuse. All in all, there are valid reasons some may choose to avoid them in hair care—the most important thing is that you are informed about what they do and don't do. There are several types of silicones, and each with a different profile and characteristics. So, why all the controversy surrounding this category of ingredients? Both experts we spoke with attribute it to the fact that not all silicones are created equal. Like many ingredients, silicones have their pros and cons—and how they affect your mane really boils down to the type of silicone and your hair care habits.
It’s often difficult to find a product that doesn’t contain it! Dimethicone is one of the most common silicones you’ll find in beauty products. Plant-based oils and other natural ingredients offer an alternative way to nourish hair and can leave it with the same shiny look. Seeing as silicone comes with a long list of upsides, it can be difficult to see how there could be any negatives.
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