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Liz deSousa for BYRDIE
If you’ve ever tried a new shampoo and marveled at your sleek, shiny hair, only to be left with stringy strands and greasy build-up a few weeks later, there’s likely one thing to blame: silicones. We have quite the love-hate relationship with this group of ingredients, and once you find out exactly what they do to your hair, you will too. To teach you all there is to know about silicones in haircare—including how there are good and bad versions—we spoke with three hair industry experts: Kinky-Curly founder Shelley Davis; DevaCurl director of product and development Bari Strohmenger; and Davines international scientific communication manager Laura Luciani. Keep scrolling to discover which ingredients to keep an eye out for when shopping for your next bottle of shampoo.
Meet the Expert
- Shelley Davis is the founder of natural hair care brand, Kinky-Curly.
- Bari Strohmenger is the director of product and development at DevaCurl.
- Laura Luciani is the Davines International Scientific Communication Manager.
Are Silicones Really Bad for Your Hair?
On one hand, doctors from Harvard Medical School note that silicones are known to act as occlusives that block out evaporation of water (and, potentially, keep hair hydrated). On the other, they may block other hydrating ingredients from penetrating deep down. And this, friends, is why silicones are so very difficult to wrap our heads around. Some silicones are better for your hair than others, so the best thing to do is know which ones you need to steer clear of.
What are Silicones?
Silicones are a group of ingredients that act like a raincoat for your hair and skin. Products with silicones in them will lock out humidity and leave your hair and skin feeling slick and smooth.
Is Silicone-Free Haircare Better?
Silicones are not all bad; they help make your hair feel soft and shiny and can reduce frizz. On the other hand, they can cause build up, weighing the hair down and preventing it from being properly moisturized. If you have curly hair or are prone to buildup, a silicone-free hair regimen might be the way to go—but there's not a one-size-fits-all approach. It may require some trial and error to figure out what haircare is best for you, especially because the good silicones have some benefits like smoothing the hair and preventing frizz.
Silicone
Type of ingredient: Hair smoother
Main benefits: Reduces frizz, smooths strands, adding slip for detangling
Who should use it: People with frizzy, curly, coarse, or dry hair benefit most from using a silicone hair product
How often can you use it: Silicone causes build-up, so it should be used sparingly.
Works well with: Silicone can be used with a variety of other silicone products.
Don’t use with: There are no conclusive studies that show any ingredients that have a negative reaction with silicone.
Benefits of Silicone for Hair
Silicones and hair have a complicated relationship. For starters, they give your hair that addicting slippery-smooth feeling and keep it from poofing up at the first sign of moisture. However, according to Strohmenger, these silkening products actually weigh hair (especially curls) down and prevent other moisturizing ingredients from penetrating into your hair shaft. Since most are not water-soluble, it can lead to some pretty annoying build-up over time.
Worst of all, it becomes something of a never-ending circle, as, according to Davis, these synthetic compounds can be difficult to wash out of hair, which only further prevents strands from becoming properly moisturized. In turn, this can cause your hair to respond one of two ways: It may get super dry and brittle due to the lack of moisture, or it may look overly greasy as a result of trying to produce more oil to make up for the deficit. So, if you’ve ever struggled with build-up at your roots and dry-looking ends, silicones could be to blame. Though, not just any silicones, but bad silicones (more on those, below).
As with most beauty products and ingredients, not all silicones are created equal. "Bad" silicones (the ones most often claimed to be "bad" are dimethicone, cetyl dimethicone, cetearyl methicone, dimethiconol, stearyl dimethicone, cyclomethicone, amodimethicone, trimethylsilylamodimethicone, and cyclopentasiloxane) are the ones that are not water-soluble—meaning that no matter how much you rinse, they may stubbornly coat your hair and leave your roots feeling greasy over time.
Hair Type Considerations
People with dry, frizzy, curly or coarse hair are the ones that typically benefit most from using products with silicone, as it helps reduce the appearance of frizz and tame flyaways. If you want to keep using silicone products, you'll need to make sure that you are washing them out correctly so your hair doesn't get too coated with product.
So how do you get them out of your hair? With a clarifying shampoo or a DIY hair rinse. “Fine, I’ll just keep using my silicone shampoo and make sure to use a clarifying shampoo every week,” you say. Not so fast—though clarifying shampoos will remove silicone buildup, many of them do so by using sulfates, which strip your strands of all buildup and excess product, but also a lot of their natural oils. They may also strip color if you dye your hair. You could follow up with a deep conditioner, but it might have silicones in it too—it’s a vicious cycle.
It's worth noting, however, that as with most bad ingredients, dimethicone is a double-edged sword in the skincare world. According to the International Journal of Trichology, dimethicone, which is the most widely use silicone in the beauty industry, is known for protecting the hair shaft from abrasive actions and can even bulk up the density of hair strands, meaning that, while damaging in some ways, it can prevent against breakage and promote fuller-looking hair to a certain extent. We say "to a certain extent" since, given it's a catch 22, the ingredient is also responsible for blocking hydration out, which might eventually lead to breakage.
Byrdie Tip
Just because a brand says that it's silicone-free doesn't necessarily mean that it has zero silicones, rather that it has none of the bad ones. That's why it's important to know the names of good and bad silicones so that when you see a "silicone-free" label, you can easily determine if it's actually free of all the bad guys.
Good Silicones to Add to Your Routine
There are a couple of “good” silicones out there—or rather, silicones that are water-soluble. These include dimethicone copolyol, stearoxy dimethicone, and behenoxy dimethicone. Thankfully, these silicones won’t cause buildup. According to Luciani, good silicones are boiled down to their breathable nature. "Breathable silicones are not coating nor damaging to the hair; they only provide shine and a strong conditioning effect to the strands," she explains. "By being ‘breathable,’ they are not impacting the final result of the hair treatment and are easily removed from the hair when lightly shampooed. We are still a silicone- and paraben-free hair brand, because we do not use synthetic ingredients or harmful silicones in any products," Luciani explains.
The Best Products Without Silicone
Our conclusion? Use shampoos with silicones sparingly. Though they’ll leave you with silky-smooth strands at first, this is one case where instant gratification might not always be a good thing. And, if you feel better about ditching silicones altogether, Strohmenger says emollients and conditioning agents such as plant-based oils will similarly hydrate, condition, and detangle strands while offering frizz control, curl definition, and ultimate shine—without any added heaviness.
This non-lathering cleanser leaves hair squeaky clean while remaining completely safe and gentle. It's full of rich ingredients meant to moisturize, strengthen, and prevent breakage and is completely free of silicones, sulfates, and parabens.
Great for preventing frizz, this conditioner from Living Proof works to smooth each strand by blocking and resisting humidity on contact. It's both weightless and nourishing, promising to leave your hair softer after just one use.
Kinky-Curl's curling custard is a great product if you're looking for shiny, defined curls without the use of silicones. Made with all-natural ingredients such as agave nectar, chamomile, and organic aloe vera juice, this formula promises to nourish and moisturize while smoothing your ringlets.
This silicone-free shampoo from Act+Acre is a dream for removing buildup on all hair types, especially those with curly hair. It manages to make your hair feel squeaky clean and fresh without feeling dry and stripped.
