Demystefying Silicones

Hi ladies! Haaaaaaappppppyyyyy Friday!

Hope you are having a great one.

Cones, cones, cones! Silicones are the main subject today. A very common ingredient on the label, but how much do we know about them? 

What are silicones? 
According to  google, silicones are polymers that chains of alternate silicone and oxygen atoms, with organic groups attached to the silicone atoms. Such compounds are typically resistant to chemical attack and insensitive to temperature changes and are used to make rubber, plastics, polishes, and lubricants.

How do I recognise a silicone on my ingredients list?

They usually end with the suffix "-cone" "-conol" or "-zane"

How do silicones work?

Silicones are widely used by manufacturers because of their hardwearing unique properties. They create a layer over the strand. This layer is an effective lubricant for detangling and slip, creates added shine, reduces frizz and is a great barrier against heat. With all these benefits, you can see the numerous reasons why one would want to use silicones.

However silicones do have a less than reputable side which makes most naturals want to head for the hills. And going from the definition I just gave, i'm it's got you second guessing whether it's an ingredient you really want in your products. However the beauty and cosmetics industry has harnessed them due to their usefulness in products. Some cones are not water soluble. Meaning that the layer they form over the strand cannot be removed with water. This causes build up, and over time can prevent effective moisturisation and product absorption, as well as result in less curl definition. The only effective way to get them out is with a sulfate/clarifying shampoo.

So with the pros and cons set out, how can we use silicones to our benefit without reaping in the negative effects in our weekly regimens? 

The key is in classifying your cones and knowing which ones to use for specific purposes in your regimen.

We can divide them into three categories; water soluble, intermediate, and non-water soluble silicones.

Water soluble silicones

Stearoxy dimethicone

Behenoxy dimethicone

PEG-dimethicone

PEG-silicones (basically silicones which start with "PEG")

Hydrolysed wheat protein (hydroxypropyl polysiloxane)

These are water soluble which means that they can easily be removed by water. The water dissolves the layer created and thus the cone washes away.  What does this mean practically and products-wise? It means you can use products which contain these in your weekly regimen, as a quick co-wash or sulfate free shampoo will remove them. I would recommend that you actively search out leave-ins, stylers, cowash conditioners, moisturisring sprays which have water soluble silicones for daily use.

Intermediate silicones
Trimethysilyamodimethicone

Amodimethicone

Cyclopentasiloxane

Cydomethicone

Whilst not competely water soluble, they do come off with ease. Usually a sulfate free shampoo. You would want them in leave-in, styler and setting lotion - seeing as the silicones combat frizz that means your set style (flexi-rod set,perm rod set, braid out, twist out etc)  will last longer. If you noticed, these are also popular ingredients in heat protectants and hair polishers.

Non-water soluble silicones

Dimethicone

Cetyl Dimethicone

Cetearyl methicone

Dimethiconol

Stearyl Dimethicone

These are the big guns, they don't easily come off your hair unless one uses a sulfate shampoo or one containing cocamidopropylbetaine (say that ten times without skipping a beat and you'll enjoy healthy  long problem free hair forever!). Because they don't easily wash off, they are the perfect ingredients you want in a heat protectant, gel or setting lotion. It will ensure you are protected from the heat, create lasting shine, and help eliminate frizz/ prevent your hair from shrinking up as quickly when your braid or twist out is pappin'

Do you incorporate silicones into your regimen?

Demystifying 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner

Happy Friday everyone!

Back for another session of demystifying. Today I want to tackle 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner. Hands up all those of us who have used this wash day cheat *raises hand* What could be easier than to wash and condition at the same time? However as much as I used this this from time to time, somehow I was always suspicious of 2-in-1. I mean how is my hair getting squeaky clean yet conditioned at the same time?  Am counteracting the effect of the conditioner cause there is shampoo in there? Am I counteracting the shampoo cause of the conditioner? Isn't it just watered down shampoo? Is it as good as sulfate free shampoo? Anyone else have these thoughts???

Let's dive into it then!

What is 2-in-one shampoo and conditioner?

2-in-1 Shampoo and conditioner is self- explanatory really. It is a product that is designed to cleanse and condition in one easy step, by combining properties and ingredients of both a shampoo and conditioner.

How does it work?

In order to  make the shampoo both conditioning and cleansing, two ingredients are added to the mix. A silicone usually dimethicone, and a suspending agent. The suspending agent is usually glycol distearate.
The suspending agent works by keeping the emulsion of shampoo and silicone mixed when in the bottle. This is because ordinarily the silicone would just drop to the bottom of the bottle and not mix with the rest of the liquid.

When you rinse out the shampoo, the suspending agent becomes less effective. This means that the silicone will be left on your hair, whilst the cleansing agents are rinsed off. The remaining silicone is what creates that softer feel and shinier appearance after the shampoo has been rinsed off. This also makes your hair feel "conditioned." 


So to answer that earlier question: no, it's not just watered down shampoo.

 Can I use it in place of sulfate free shampoo? 

The "conditioning" that this type of product does is not truly conditioning because all it does is cleanse the hair and then leave it feeling softer. Keyword here is feeling. Sulfate free shampoo is hailed because it does  not contain the often criticsied stripping sulfates, thus giving your hair a softer cleanse. 2-in-1 shampoos still contain sulfates. 
Some actually say their hair feels better when they use a 2-in-1 others say their tresses still feel stripped. As for me personally I never got that conditioned effect and just tried to pass my hair off as cleaned and conditioned cause the bottle said so, even though I knew otherwise (clever me). I would not recommend it as a weekly replacement for your sulfate free shampoo for two reasons.

 1. You'll not want to condition cause the bottle said the product has done it for you even though it actually hasn't. 
2. It not sulphate free although slighlty gentler than the regular shampoos 

Is it really good for my hair?
When tackling this question I looked at the aim this kind of product was trying to achieve- cleaning and conditioning in one simple step. The shampoo cleans, but it does not condition. It just makes your hair feel like its been conditioned  ( if it's a good brand) and in turn you will not condition. The importance of deep conditioning has been repeated over and over again on this blog. A product which implies you don't need to condition, when in fact you do, is. not.good. full stop.

 Another aspect is the silicone used to deliver the conditioned feel - dimethicone - is not water soluble. This is the kind of silicone you would rather use in a heat styling product to protect your strands from the heat. So a non-water soluble silicone will cause eventual build up over time and one will experience some difficulty in moisture absorption.
In short, no.

If you want to use it, I would suggest using it occassionally (like in emergency situations) and always follow up with a dc.

What are your thoughts ladies?

Demystifying Scab Hair

Hey ladies!

It's a short one today. We're talking about scab hair.

1. What is scab hair?

Scab hair is natural hair that is damaged from previous use of relaxers or other scalp damage. 

Demystifying Hair Gel

Hey Ladies!

Today's post is centred on hair gel thanks to Idy Ekanem ( hi!) who is looking  for more info on this styling product. I must admit I never gave much thought to hair gels, apart from the usual tip to avoid the ones with drying alcohol. Let's get into it.

What is hair gel?

Hair gel is a styling product that is used to mould hair, and help it retain the shape created by forming a film over the hair. This film which constructs physical bonds between the strands which prevent them from being displaced, and thus sets your hair.

Demystefying Penetrating Oils

Hey Ladies!

This post comes to you courtesy of Aurora Jennifer (hey!) who wants penetrating oils demystified!

What are penetrating oils?

Penetrating oils are oils which are high in saturated fats and therefore composed of smaller molecules. This enables them to slip under the cortex of the hair and enter the strand. Hence the term penetrating oils.

Demystefying Leave-in Conditioner Part 2

Hello hello ladies!

I'm picking up from last week where we discussed leave-ins and what they do. This week i'm continuing and elaborating more on the types of leave-ins available.

As mentioned last week, there are two types of conditioners, protein and moisturising.

Demystifying Leave-in Conditioner

Hello, hello ladies!

I’m back this Friday with another product to shine the spotlight on. I’m dishing the dirt on leave-in conditioner as requested by one of our readers ( hey Oreoluwa Adeyinka!). A great leave-in is the cornerstone of well moisturised and healthy hair, so pay a great deal of attention to the type you are using.

What is leave-in conditioner?

Leave-in conditioner is a type a hair care product that is applied to the hair and is designed to nourish, moisturise, protect and smooth the strand. It is not rinsed out. It can be in liquid or cream/lotion form.

Demystifying Propelyne Glycol

Hello hello ladies!

We are continuing with the Demystefying series! Today i'm talking about propeplyne glycol. This post is going to get a bit more sciency and technical so that you can better understand this ingredient.

What is propelyne glycol?

Propelyne glycol is an organic chemical compound that is created through the hydration propelyne oxide (basically adding hydrogen to propelyne oxide) and its chemical structure is C₃H₈O₂ . It is found in almost all cosmetic products ranging from shampoos, conditioners, moisturisers to body lotions and soaps. You will even find it in food! It also goes by the names of propelyne glycone, 2-hydroxypropanol, methylethy glycol, 1, 2 propanediol, propane -1, 2-diol, PEG  (polyethylene glycol), and PPG (poly propelyne glygol). It is a colourless, odourless liquid and is completely water soluble.