There's been a bit of controversy lately about the use of silicones in haircare products - namely in conditioner. Some people (mostly people with curly hair) have sworn off them with claims that they weigh your hair down, cause buildup and overall damage your hair. This post is going to be about what silicones are, how they work, and rather than tell you whether to avoid them or not just present you with the information so you can make your own minds up.
What are silicones and how do I identify whether my products contain them?
Like many ingredients in skin/beauty/haircare, the different types of silicones can have names that are quite long and hard to remember. The easiest way to check if a product contains silicones is to look for any ingredient than ends in "cone", "xane" or "conol".
Basically, silicones are a chemical ingredient included in haircare products to coat the hair. Due to their chemical structure, they bond to the damaged parts of the hair shaft. This makes the hair shinier, provides a great thermal protectant, reduces moisture loss from the inner hair shaft and lubricates the surface making it easier to detangle.
Types of Silicones
Silicones mainly come in two types: water soluble and non-water soluble.
If any silicone ingredient has "PEG" or "PPG" in front of it, this is indicative of water solubility. Basically, it dissolves with water and won't cause any buildup.
These are the most common silicones used in hair care:
- Cyclomethicone is one of the most commonly used silicones in hair care. It's a volatile silicone, which means it evaporates and won't build up on your hair. It gives a silky, smooth feel and leaves the hair with incredible slip when wet and is found in both leave-on and rinse-off products.
- Dimethicone Copolyol is a water-soluble, lightweight silicone that provides very little buildup. It is often used in conditioning shampoos.
- Amodimethicone (or silicones that have "amo", "amine" or "amino" in their name) is a different kind of silicone that is chemically modified to stick to your hair better. That means it conditions well but it can also be more challenging to remove. Amodimethicone is commonly used in leave-in conditioners.
- Dimethicone is sometimes referred to as a silicone oil. Dimethicone coats hair, providing great shine and conditioning to the hair. However, because it's so water insoluble, it can be difficult to remove. Additionally, this heavy coating is more likely to attract dirt and pollutants from the air, making the hair feel weighed down. Dimethicone is often found in serums and other leave-on products.
So what's the problem?
As you may notice from above, there are some silicones which are harder to remove from your hair. So over time they may build up and weigh your hair down.
To get rid of this buildup, you'll need to use a clarifying shampoo that contains sulphates in it.
Most shampoos that you get from the supermarket will have either Sodium-Laureth Sulfate or Sodium-Laurel Sulfate already, so you're probably already using this shampoo. If you have however, switched to a non-sulphate cleaner then you might need to switch back once a week to get rid of the buildup.
It's intersting to note...
Your hair has no 'memory'. It can't 'get used to' products. So if you find that you've been using the same shampoo and conditioner for an extended period of time and not getting the results you once were, this may be because of silicone buildup. Switch to a clarifying shampoo and you'll be back to normal!
Our skin sheds cells daily, so buildup on the skin is far less likely to happen.
Ultimately...
The decision is yours as to whether to use silicones or not.
They are a great ingredient for conditioning your hair, making it smooth, shiny and resistant to heat damage. If you have curly or thick hair however, you may notice your hair being 'weighed down' by silicones. Rather than avoiding them completely, maybe switch to a silicone that is water soluble or that evaporates (such as cyclomethicone or dimethicone copolypl).
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