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’.
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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
