Our CurlChemist gives you the true facts about silicones
We always get lots of questions about silicones, as they are in so many products and are of ongoing concern to many curly-haired consumers. I thought this month we could tackle a couple of those questions in a quick, practical manner (hopefully) to aid in the seemingly never-ending process of ingredient scrutiny and product selection.
Which Silicones are Water Soluble?
It is difficult to actually rank the silicones in order of water solubility, simply because they are usually either soluble or not. Most silicones are water insoluble due to being non-polar, but there are a few that are chemically modified in order to render them more compatible with water. The following table lists the main types of silicones found in hair care formulations. It also indicates whether or not they are water soluble and includes which surfactants can be used to ensure good removal of the silicone from the hair. Studies have found that the water-insoluble silicones show no appreciable buildup when a shampoo containing one of the recommended surfactants was used.
|
Silicone |
Water soluble? |
Recommended cleansing agents |
|
Dimethicone |
No |
SLS, SLES, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, ALS, or ALES |
|
Dimethiconol |
No |
SLS, SLES, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, ALS, or ALES |
|
Phenyl Trimethicone |
No |
SLS, SLES, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, ALS, or ALES |
|
Amodimethicone |
No |
SLS, SLES, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, ALS, or ALES |
|
Cyclomethicone |
No |
cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, other mild surfactants, or conditioner washing |
|
PEG-modified dimethicone |
Yes |
cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, other mild surfactants, or conditioner washing |
|
Dimethicone copolyol |
Yes |
cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, other mild surfactants, or conditioner washing |
MORE: Water Soluble Silicones 101
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 1st, 2006 at 2:54 pm and is filed under Care Methods, Chemicals, Ingredients, Products, Silicones. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment.
January 31st, 2009 at 2:54 pm
[...] Ainda sobre os silicones, aqui vai mais uma listinha, encontrada em outra página: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curly-q-a/whats-the-scoop-on-silicones [...]
February 19th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
[...] are easily found in more natural cleansers and will do a fine job of removing silicones and other non-water soluble stuff you’ve put into your hair. A low-poo can also cleanse your scalp of dirt and shedded skin [...]
April 14th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
[...] popular belief, you do not need to use sulfates to clarify. Don’t believe me? Check out this list by NaturallyCurly.com’s Curl Chemist. Shampoos with cocamidopropyl betaine or cocobetaine remove even the toughest [...]
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February 1st, 2010 at 12:10 am
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June 6th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Avalon Organics clarifying shampoo does not have sulfates but does have cocamidopropyl betaine to remove silicones. Company also a clarifying conditioner.
June 17th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
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December 17th, 2011 at 8:00 am
[...] the product labels here. Look for conditioners and stylers that do not contain silicones — or catch up on which silicones are water-soluble and which aren’t. If you aren’t planning to shampoo, you’ll need to use products that can be washed out [...]
January 20th, 2012 at 12:31 am
[...] silicones, make sure they’re water-soluble. (For examples of water-soluble silicones, click HERE). In addition, rinse your hair very well with very warm water. (You know how you use hot water to [...]
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June 19th, 2012 at 9:04 am
[...] emollients. The debate rages on as to whether it is safe to use silicones on your hair, but this article offers great info on what to use to cleanse the hair of silicone buildup. Here’s an excerpt [...]
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