The Problem with Silicones: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Did you know that there’s a high chance you come into contact with silicones on a daily basis? Most products use silicones in their skincare and hair care products because silicones provide a sleek feeling (it’s an aesthetic, you know?). At first glance, there’s not much to think about, but you might change your mind at a second glance.
There have been some recent conversations that have declared some silicones bad for you. But if silicones are in everything, does that mean you should never use silicones again? Today we’ll try to answer that question and solve the issue of silicones.
Silicones: What are they?
Silicones come from silicon (a mineral sand element). So in a way, silicones are synthetically created chemicals. Haircare products and skincare products favor silicones for their ability to provide shine, a smooth sleek feel, and a soft touch. You’ll also find silicones used in anal lube because as we said, a smooth and soft touch is necessary for that kind of, er, activity.
Controversy and greatness of silicones
Silicones provide a silky texture and feel in your hair or skin, but there are some drawbacks. Some silicones don’t break down in your hair and cause buildup which leads to greasy hair. In other cases, silicones also provide too much of a barrier between your hair and harmful elements (humidity, pollution, etc.). which can cause your hair to turn dry and brittle.
Trying to find the perfect balance with silicones is difficult. On one hand, they lock in the hydration your hair or skin needs. On the other hand, they refuse to let other helpful ingredients sink in.
The best way to determine between “good” silicones and “bad” silicones is by looking at the silicone structures. The “good” silicones are ones that are breathable, water-soluble, and non-cyclic. They give your hair shine without being too damaging.
Cyclic silicones have been deemed bad in the beauty industry. Most silicones are also non-water-soluble which means they will stay and linger in your hair no matter how many times you wash and rinse, wash, rinse, and repeat.
How to Fix Silicone problems
If you find yourself with dry, brittle skin or greasy hair, try using a clarifying shampoo once a week. Clarifying shampoos are excellent at removing silicone buildup. However, those shampoos usually count on the power of sulfates which are known for stripping your hair of buildup and natural oils.
Silicones & Formulating Issues
When you’re in the shower, you want a product that will glide and sud nicely between your palms and through your hair for a good cleaning. Silicones offer a sleek, smooth feel in your hands and your hair. They also lock in hydration so that your hair won’t feel dry and brittle. However, there are some silicones that are found to not break down properly.
Continual usage of such silicones will cause buildup and, well, bad hair. It’s kind of an odd thing. The right silicones are supposed to prevent dry and brittle hair, but the wrong silicones will cause dry and brittle hair. Plus, you’ll get the bad case of greasy roots.
Skincare products are a different beast. Silicones offer a nice smooth feel when you dip your fingers in that face mask with shea butter. There’s a reason why many *actual* silicone-free natural skincare products are more rough feeling and less creamy.
That’s why it’s so hard to formulate without silicones. People want to have the nice sensory feel that silicones provide, but they don’t want the disadvantages. Truth be told, you don’t really need to be on the lookout for every silicone. Just the bad ones.
Where to find Silicones
Be careful if a brand says they’re silicone-free. They could just be saying they’re silicone-free of bad silicones. If you’re okay with using silicones, then you should be good, but if you don’t want any silicones (zip, zero, none), then watch out.
Silicone Alternative
Meadowfoam seed oil is an excellent alternative to silicones by moisturizing your hair and skin without leaving a greasy residue behind. Extracted from a flowery meadowfoam plant, meadowfoam seed oil has been proven to act as an emollient for you. In other words, it acts like silicones as it creates a protective seal to lock in moisture and hydration.
Genie Supply & Silicones
Here at Genie Supply, we’re committed to clean, green beauty. That includes promoting sustainability and luxury (who says you can’t have both?). We recently just rid most of our products of silicones because we want to stay ahead of the game and we want to provide you the best of the best; the cleanest of the clean.
In fact, anything in our Green + Clean catalog does not contain silicones of ANY kind - straight chained or cyclical. We’ve instead opted to use natural plant oils, amino acids, and other natural minerals to give our products their silky glide. You can check out our green + clean catalog here.
If you don’t mind the straight-chained (linear) silicones like dimethicone, feel free to check out anything we have that meets Clean at Credo standards.
Silicones are only a fraction of the clean hair care and clean skincare conversation.
Check out our “The Scoop on Clean Hair Care Manufacturers” or “pH Levels: Skincare’s Forgotten Trait" for more clean beauty discourse.
