Should you Avoid Silicone in Hair Products?

So its been over a year since I last posted on my blog. So long that the format has changed and I didn’t even realise. So long that my life has changed drastically.

My blog really doesn’t get enough love from me. I love writing so it makes no sense at why I don’t blog enough.

I’m experimenting with a silicone-free-hair-product-regiment-thing-a-majig. After going through bleaching (to ombré) my hair it wasn't feeling its best at all.  So I went and cut a little off, but still it was damaged and dry and just not happy. I kept using products such as Dove Intensive Repair which in the past I LOVED but I honestly believe it was making my hair dryer and dryer.

After every wash my hair would seem soft and moisturized but as soon as it was dry it was back to brittle and frizzy. I started wondering ‘What is going on?’. No hair masks, treatments, oils ect would do the trick. I was getting extremely frustrated with my frizz, dryness and my hair just not looking like its normal self.

Then I thought SILICONE.  Many ‘natural’ hair women of the African decent (meaning a kinkier afro type hair) avoid silicone in their hair care due to the fact that it can actually dry their curls out. Now we get into the geeky stuff. The different types of silicones'. I’m going to make it simple an ‘OK’ list and a ‘BAD’ list.

BAD: What makes a bad silicone? Well a bad silicone is one that is not water soluble. Which means washing your hair without sulfates will not remove the silicone.  It will build up on your hair and since silicone does not add moisture it will essentially prevent from moisture getting in = bad. 

Now if you use shampoos with sulfates then that’s not so much a problem but I do advise against sulfates on dry hair since they strip the hair way too harshly and make it dryer in the first place.

Amodimethicone, Dimethicone, Dimethiconol, Cetyl Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Behenoxy Dimethicone, Cetearyl Methicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Stearoxy Dimethicone, Stearyl Dimethicone, Trimethylsilylamodimetheicone.

Yes I know it’s a long list but the top 5 I find are the most common. Easiest way to find out if your conditioner has these it just to look online prior to purchase at the ingredient list.

OK: Silicones' that are water soluble or evaporate as the hair dries and don’t cause build up. These guys are OK in moderation and won't cause havoc on your mane.

Any Silicone with PEG as a prefix, Dimethicone Copolyol, Hydrolyzed wheat protein (Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane), Lauryl Methicone Copolyol

Now if you’re like me and completely paranoid about hair damage or just a little overwhelmed by the list above, I suggest sticking to brands that are free of these products.  My personal favourite is ‘Naked’ Body care.  All of their shampoos and conditioners are silicone, sulphate and paraben free. Amazing right? Not only that their products actually work. My current loves are ‘Naked Rescue: Intensive Care Conditioner’, ‘Naked Brunette: Radiance Shampoo’ and ‘Naked Style: little miracle’.

They make my hair soft and supple and it does not get dehydrated between washes. This isn’t a post to get you guys to purchase Naked (I am not affiliated) in any way but honestly their products are awesome and as a student they are not too pricey at £4 a bottle, although Boots often has a 3 for 2 on so score!

If you want more information I suggest this blog post which helped me out a lot: http://www.pinksith.com/2013/05/silicones-in-hair-care-what-you-need-to.html