Silicones are a very popular ingredient that is found in a huge number of products. It is mainly used for its smoothing properties and gives a lasting result. Silicones work very well in base make-up as the skin becomes smooth and even in the face without clogging the skin (it does not go into the skin at all but only lies on the surface). On the hair, it makes your hair feel soft, smooth and look healthy and well-groomed.
I have no problem with silicones in makeup and some hair styling products, but in my skin and hair care I prefer not to have it. Skin care is there to give moisture and nourishment to the skin, then I do not want to spend expensive money on a cream that contains almost the most silicone (is very often one of the first ingredients in the table of contents) just to make the skin feel smooth.
And now I was going to tell you why I do not want it in my hair care! :)
What is silicone?
Silicones are a type of synthetic polymer and there are lots of variants, there is never silicone on the table of contents but there are words that end in "cone" or "oxane" e.g. cyclopentasiloxane and dimethicone.
It can be said that silicones are like cosmetics for the hair, it does not make the hair more well-groomed but only makes it see more well-groomed out.
Silicones in shampoo, hair wrap and conditioner
Almost all conditioners and hair wraps, and very many shampoos as well, contain silicones. But to have it in the hair care products you have in the shower / wet hair, I prefer to skip.
Why? When you wet the hair, the scalp layer (outermost layer) on the hair strands opens and is open until you apply conditioner that closes the hair strands again. And while it is open, all the nutrients (and silicones) penetrate into the other layers of the hair. If you have silicones in your shampoo and hair wrap, there is a risk that you lock them inside the hair when you apply your conditioner.
If you have silicone in your make-up, you wash it off every day, but if you have it in your hair care in the shower, it is only built in layers, in layers, in layers, in layers, and in the end you have a lot of silicone both inside and on the outside of the hair.
If you have frizzy hair and split ends, it can be good with a little silicone (eg a hair oil with silicone) in the tops in dry hair so that it settles as a small protection that "holds" the tops together a bit so that they are not split even more :)
Also read: Good cheap dry shampoo and how I use it
Disadvantages of silicones in the hair
And why is it not good to have many layers of silicone in your hair then?
1. It can make chemical treatments not as effective - That the hair color does not adhere properly to the hair and if you have gray hair, they will appear very quickly again. That the curls in your permanent hair fall down and shave. Have you bleached your hair and got it yellow despite shade and silver products? It can also be the fault of the silicones, that the bleaching does not take as effectively.
2. In addition, not all the nutrients in your hair wrap / conditioner get to the hair properly if there is a lot of silicone in the way, it is like buying an expensive, nice hand cream and then lubricate it while wearing plastic gloves. Not literally but you get the point :)
As I said, in makeup I like to have silicones for it is just cosmetics. But in products that I spend expensive money on to actually care for my skin or my hair, there I do not want to pay for mostly silicones. It is absolutely no dealbreaker if it contains a little, but many are called words like "repair" and "moisture boost" but contain mostly silicone and then I feel almost a little cheated?
So I am not completely against silicones, I want to be careful to say it, but it is such a heavenly overconsumption of it. If you have it in hair care, skin care and in a body lotion, you are covered in silicone from head to toe 24/7.
Can you use products with silicones in your hair styling?
Silicones in styling products are good if you use it in dry hair and if you have a shampoo / product that can wash off the silicones. Then the silicones are not built on high and styling products are also cosmetic products - nothing that is there to care for / build up the hair. But in the shower products, I recommend skipping silicones completely.
As a last resort, I also add that I am not a chemist or hairdresser, just a product nerd who has studied a lot about how hair works and even gone a hairology education. When it comes to ingredients in the beauty industry, everyone says different and you get to read on and form your own opinion and then make your decisions based on it :)
Also need tips on my other hair posts:
- Is Olaplex good or bad for your hair?
- Tips for green shifts in the hair
- Blonde hair at home
Shout out if you have any questions! ♥
English 
Swedish 
Spanish