Silicone's Are They really Bad?

Back in the day before not even a half of the products that are here today, we had blue magic grease, pink lotion, head and shoulders shampoo, and suave shampoo. All of which i'm sure had harmful ingredients in it that we really didn't pay attention to. I have heard in the natural hair community that sulfates,silicones, and parabens aren't good for our curly hair.

I never understood why up until a few months ago. So when you go shopping for hair products don't just look at the brand look at the ingredients listed on the back. The first 5 are the most important! There are a lot of ingredients listed but I'm only going to focus on silicone's the good, bad, and ugly.

What is Silicone?

By definition, silicone is a mineral (plastic y-polymer) that act as a heat resistant usually in a liquid or rubber like form. They are used as sealants, adhesives, lubricants, thermal and electrical insulation, medicines, and cooking utensils, and of course hair products. The ingredients that are listed are usually anything that ends in "cone," "conol,""col," or "xane." For our hair it gives off this fake look of smooth, shiny, and conditioned hair. They form a film on the hair strands making it easier to detangle.

The Good "Cones"

Silicones can help with detangling issues on wet or dry hair reducing damage. They give a shiny, glossy, smoother appearance. They also sever as a heat protectant and a frizz tamer. overall they can give you manageability. There are water soluble silicones that is said to not cause buildup and can be washed out easily with water or a mild shampoo. So if you are a co-wash only type of girl that like the appearance silicone's give then these are the silicones you want to Look for when shopping for water soluble silicone's:

• Lauryl methicone copolyol

• Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane (Hydrolyzed wheat protein)

• Emulsifying Wax

• Lauryl PEG/PPG-18/18 Methicone

• Dimethicone copolyol

• Dimethicone PEG-8 Meadowfoamate

• Anything with "PEG" in front

• Anything with "PPG" in front

Here are some products that contain water soluble silicone's

• Carol's Daughter Almond Milk Leave in Conditioner ( Dimethicone PEG-8 Meadowfoamate)

• Mielle Avocado Moisturizing Hair Milk(Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane)

• African Pride Moisture Miracle Moroccan clay and Shea Butter Heat Activated Masque (PEG-12 Dimethicone)

• As I Am Double Butter Cream ( Emulsifying wax)

The slightly Bad "Cones"

These silicone's don't actually dissolve but get evaporated while leaving the residue in your hair to be washed out. I personally wouldn't use these silicone's if I'm on a co wash weekly and wash once a month regimen. They can cause buildup on the hair if not washed out properly with a clarifying shampoo weekly. look out for these slightly soluble silicone's:

• Amodimethicone

• Behenoxy dimethicone

• Cyclohexasiloxane 

• Cyclomethicone

• Cyclotetrasiloxane

• Stearoxy dimethicone

• Bis-Aminopropyl Dimethicone similar to amodimethicone

Here are some products that contain slightly bad cones:

• Mixed Chicks Leave in Conditioner (Amodimethicone)

• Ouidad Moisture Lock Leave In Conditioner this leave in contains both a "good cone" (cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone) and a "slightly bad cone" (Amodimethicone) Pay attention to which one comes first in the ingredients list and remember you will still have to use a clarifying shampoo to remove it.

• Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Curls Deep Conditioner With Coconut and Jojoba Oil (Bis-Aminopropyl Dimethicone)

• Color Solutions by ION Color Defense Intense Moisture Conditioner this also has both a "slightly bad cone" (Amodimethicone) and a "good cone" ( Dimethicone PEG-8 Medowfoamate)

The worst Cone!

Silicone's in curly hair can produce a bunch of bad buildup on your hair and scalp. That is mainly due to the fact that they are sealants and made to resist water and even air! It gives the illusion of shine but its not the shine you want. It will weigh your hair down making it lifeless and limp overtime. Because it acts like a sealant it won't allow anything else into the hair like nutrients and will eventually break your hair off.

The best way to get rid of this build up is a sulfate shampoo. OH NO!! Sulfate is bad for the hair they say. Well if you need to use a sulfate shampoo then use one! just make sure you moisturize your hair afterwards, To avoid these sillicone's look for these ingredients on the back of your products:

• Cetearyl methicone

• Cetyl dimethicone

• Cyclopentasiloxane

• Dimethicone

• Dimethiconol

• Phenyl Trimethicone

• Stearyl dimethicone

• Trimethylsilyl amodimethicone

• Behenoxy Dimethicone

Here are some products that contain "The Worst Cone"

• African Pride Olive Miracle Leave in Conditioner( Dimethicone) and ( Phenyl Trimethicone) which are listed nearly at the bottom of the ingredients list so its really not that bad but the choice is yours.

• Cantu Shea Butter Leave in Conditioning Repair Cream has a mix of cones that we just learned the "good cone" (Dimethicone PEG-8 Meadowfamate), Hydrolyzed wheat protein (hydroxypropyl polysiloxane) and one of "the worst cones"(Dimethicone) these are also listed at the bottom of the ingredients list.

• Silk elements Re-nourish Jojoba Oil Leave in Conditioner Spray (Dimethicone) 3rd listed ingredient which means majority of that bottle besides water is silicone's.

• Cream Of Nature Argan Oil Intensive Conditioning Treatment this also has a mix of some "good cones" (PEG-12 Dimethicone), hydrolyzed wheat protein (Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane) some "slightly bad cones" (Amodimethicone) and some of "the worst cones" (Phenyl Trimethicone), (Dimethiconol) none of these are listed in the first 5 ingredients they aren't listed last either. with a mixture of all 3 levels of cones it will be best to use a sulfate shampoo to get rid of the buildup at least twice a month depending on how much you use this brand of conditioner.

All in all, silicone's can tame frizz, provide slip for detangling, give shine, and is a heat protectant. Silicones can also cause buildup that can lead you hair dry, brittle, and overtime it can make your hair limp and weighed down.

I'm not going to tell you to stay away from them because I personally use them. besides me there are plenty of other naturals that use silicones in their hair regimen so why fix something that's not broken right?

It can be scary for people who are on a co wash only regimen and if you are and don't want to stop using products that contain silicones then invest in a sulfate shampoo to prevent buildup. Also remember that a sulfate shampoo can strip all natural oils out of your hair leaving it prone to breakage. Prevent this buy doing your normal routine of deep conditioning and L.O.C or L.C.O Method or whatever method you use for maximum moisture.

Now that you have the knowledge make your own choice!

XoXo,

Asia H.

CEO of SCDG