Hair Care
Are Silicones Dangerous For Your Hair? Discover Out The Fact Right here!
You latterly bought a brand new shampoo and conditioner and fell in love with how mushy and silky your hair feels after utilizing them. You’re feeling like you could have discovered “the one.” Nonetheless, you understand that the merchandise are abandoning residue in your scalp, and you find yourself shampooing greater than your ordinary hair washing schedule. You test the components checklist and discover silicones in it. Your thoughts routinely thinks of them because the wrongdoer, and also you ban silicones out of your hair care routine.
Silicones are utilized in hair care merchandise to seal the strands and supply the mandatory shine and slip to tame your frizzy, dry hair. They’ve differing kinds and will be each good and dangerous for the hair. Preserve scrolling to know how silicones work and which of them to keep away from in your hair care merchandise.
What Are Silicones?
Silicones are part of pores and skin and hair care merchandise for the reason that 1950s for his or her lubricating properties. They communicate a mushy, easy, and silky feeling to your hair (1). Silicones are particularly helpful for dry, frizzy, and tough hair as they assist tame the tresses and enhance manageability.
Whereas silicones should not poisonous on your hair and scalp, they’re occlusive and might go away behind residue and weigh your hair down. Nonetheless, this primarily is determined by the kind of silicones used within the product. Let’s discover out within the subsequent part.
Silicones For Hair: Are They Secure?
Silicones and hair have a love-hate relationship. Whereas they make your hair really feel mushy and silky, additionally they weigh it down and stop the penetration of different hair care components, moisture, and merchandise. Because of this, your hair could reply in two methods:
- Produce extra oil to cowl the dearth of moisture.
- Turn into dry and brittle in the long term.
Not all silicones are dangerous for the hair. Water-soluble silicones are hair-friendly. You ought to be particularly conscious of the non-soluble silicones or the dangerous silicones. Let’s take a deeper look into the kinds.
Sorts Of Silicones For Hair
1. Water-Soluble Silicones
Water-soluble silicones simply dissolve in water and will be washed out from the hair. They don’t go away behind any buildup. They’re breathable, add shine, and situation the hair with out inflicting any injury. The water-soluble silicones embody:
- Dimethicone copolyol
- Lauryl methicone copolyol
- PEG-12 dimethicone
- PEG-7 amodimethicone
Hair care merchandise containing these silicones are protected to make use of. Keep in mind, all silicones with the prefix PEG are water-soluble.
2. Non-Water-Soluble Silicones
Non-water-soluble silicones are the dangerous silicones you need to be conscious of. They’ll stick with the strands irrespective of what number of occasions you rinse. Dangerous silicones embody:
- Dimethicone
- Cetearyl methicone
- Cetyle dimethicone
- Dimethiconol
- Stearyl dimethicone
- Amodimethicone
- Cyclomethicone
- Trimethylsilylamodimethicone
- Cyclopentasiloxane
- Cetyl dimethicone
- Pheryl trimethicone
- Behenoxy dimethicone
- Propyl dimethicone
Amodimethicone is a well-liked non-water-soluble silicone that makes the hair really feel heavy. Nonetheless, it’s water-soluble when mixed with different components like trideceth-12 and cetrimonium chloride.
The following part explores the benefits and downsides of silicones on your hair.
Benefits And Disadvantages Of Silicones In Hair Care
Benefits
Water-soluble silicones have varied constructive impacts on the hair, like:
- They stop hair injury and dryness.
- They stop frizz and reduce break up ends.
- They defend the hair from mud and air pollution whereas retaining it easy and glossy.
- Silicones add shine to the hair and stop friction, minimizing hair injury and breakage (2).
- They stop tangles, lock in moisture, and make the strands seem wholesome.
- Silicones make it simpler to detangle the hair and comb.
Disadvantages
- Silicones, particularly the dangerous ones, coat the hair strands and stop moisture absorption, which can dry out the hair in the long term.
- They’re powerful to scrub off and make the hair limp, lifeless, and uninteresting.
- They might go away residue on the scalp and choke the hair follicles, affecting wholesome hair progress.
You want a correct clarifying routine to take away silicones out of your hair and scalp. Listed here are a number of methods it’s possible you’ll strive.
How To Take away Silicones From The Hair And Scalp
1. Use A Clarifying Shampoo
Clarifying shampoos comprise sulfates, surfactants that may take away product buildup from the scalp and hair. Nonetheless, make sure you observe up with a conditioner and by no means use the shampoo greater than as soon as in two weeks.
2. Vinegar
White vinegar or apple cider is usually utilized in conventional recipes to make clear the hair and add shine. You may combine equal components of vinegar and water and use it as a post-wash rinse.
three. Baking Soda
Baking soda has abrasive properties and should assist take away buildup out of your hair and scalp. You may combine a tablespoon of baking soda with the shampoo and wash your hair. One other method is to moist the hair, rub some baking soda on it, and shampoo the hair.
Be aware: Baking soda has a excessive pH and will be harsh on the hair. Don’t use it greater than as soon as in two weeks. Keep away from it utterly in case you have a delicate scalp.
If you don’t want to make use of silicones, fear not! Listed here are a number of components to search for in hair care merchandise for related outcomes as silicones.
Options To Silicones For The Hair
1. Octafluoropentyl Methacrylate (OFPMA)
OFPMA creates an invisible protect to guard your hair from dust, mud, and environmental injury. It’s light-weight and doesn’t go away behind a residue like silicones. OFPMA makes the hair look splendidly modern and glossy.
2. Mackaderm
Mackaderm is a well-liked silicone different and works as an emollient to maintain your hair moisturized. It is a COSMOS-certified ingredient utilized in many hair care merchandise, particularly shampoos.
three. Alkamuls
Alkamuls is a pure oil solubilizer formulated with various kinds of vegetable oil. This element provides shine to your tresses with out making them look greasy or heavy. It’s primarily utilized in silicone-free hair merchandise, particularly in clear shampoos.
The Verdict
Silicones should not poisonous on your hair. Nonetheless, their long-term and improper utilization could have an effect on the general hair high quality and well being. Therefore, use silicone merchandise sparingly. Additionally, make certain to make use of a clarifying shampoo as soon as each two weeks to take care of your hair well being. Nonetheless, if you wish to ditch silicones, you possibly can search for merchandise that comprise silicone options.
Skilled’s Solutions For Readers’ Questions
Is silicone good for pure hair?
Sure. Silicones will help scale back frizz in pure hair. Nonetheless, it’s best to make use of them sparingly.
2 Sources
Articles on StyleCraze are backed by verified data from peer-reviewed and educational analysis papers, reputed organizations, analysis establishments, and medical associations to make sure accuracy and relevance. Learn our editorial coverage to study extra.
- Silicones: use of substantive properties on pores and skin and hair
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19456912/ - Hair Cosmetics: An Overview
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4387693/
Associated

Ramona is a journalist-turned-content author. She holds a Grasp’s diploma in English Literature and has been writing for the digital world for over 5 years. She makes a speciality of writing for Pores and skin Care. She has completed a certificates course titled ‘Dermatology: Journey To The Pores and skin’, provided by Novosibirsk State College. She believes that magnificence begins with an excellent skincare routine and is on a mission to remove all toxins from her routine. She helps and guides readers in deciding on merchandise and components particular to their pores and skin kind/subject. When Ramona shouldn’t be working, her books and fervour for music, good meals, and touring hold her busy.

