Silicones

Silicones make your hair feel good right after a wash. But what is it exactly doing to your hair? How long after a wash does your hair feel dry again?

Usually after I wash my hair with a silicone based product it feel GREAT! However once I start styling and wearing my hair gets really dry and whatever I apply doesn't work as good as I wanted. I had to ask myself if I was looking for long term moisturizer or if I wanted instant graitification and will reapply moisrurizers throughout my do. Basically I wasn't sure what I should do until I did a bit of research.

"Silicones are viscous oily liquids that coat the hair shaft in gloss, giving the illusion of healthy sheen. As most curly hair tends to be dry and often frizzy, silicones seem like the miracle ingredient to combat these complaints. The downside is that most silicones are not water soluble, and can only be removed with harsh detergents. The very detergents needed to remove the silicones strip the hair of all its natural oils, leaving it stripped and straw-like. This causes the user to think she needs more silicones to combat the dryness. Thus, the cycle begins again. If the user is not using these harsh detergents to remove the silicones, they can build up, creating a barrier on the hair shaft. This barrier prevents moisturizing conditioners from penetrating the hair, further drying it out."

Basically silicones are both good and bad. Mostly bad if you have a hard time retaining that good ol moisture. I figured out through more research that some silicones you can use and still avoid build up and harsh treatments by lightly rinsing or conditioner wash (co. wash) your hair. These types of silicones are water soluble.
If you want to avoid silicones but love some products that contain them you may be able to save that bottle just by reading your label to make sure the silicone is a water soluble "cone".
If you don't mind clarifying your hair after using silicones then you may use sparangly. Since I avoid clafiying often I have to stay away from non-water soluble silicones.

There are two types of silicones. Water Soluble and Non-Water Soluble

If a silicone is non-water soluble it will build up in your hair, leaving your hair dry (opposite of what it is suppose to do) and you will need harsh clarifying products to get rid of it.

If a silicone is water soluble it does not need a harsh shampoo to get rid of the build up in your hair.


Here is a small list of silicones I see most often in conditioners.

NOT SOLUBLE IN WATER: (harder to get rid of in hair)
Amodimethicone - not soluble in water by itself
Cetearyl methicone
Cetyl Dimethicone
Cyclomethicone
Cyclopentasiloxane
Dimethicone
Dimethiconol
Stearyl Dimethicone
Trimethylsilylamodimethicone

WATER SOLUBLE:
Lauryl methicone copolyol
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane
Dimethicone Copolyol
Stearoxy Dimethicone - sparingly soluble in water
Behenoxy Dimethicone - sparingly soluble in water

***Silicones are not always bad. They do protect from heat so I would just use your judgment and hair likes and dislikes when using "cones"****