Skip to main content

What are Silicones?

Silicone is an ingredient found in many conditioners and hair products to coat your hair shaft.

Giving it shine, smoothing frizz and providing a protective barrier from heat (hair dryers, curling and flat irons, etc).

So, why is it bad?

Because silicone forms a barrier on your hair, it actually locks moisture out.

Your thirsty hair is trapped in the silicone barrier, and the only way to wash it out is with sulfate.

Curly hair needs hydration.
Silicone prevents hydration. 

I can't stress enough that curlies need to kick silicone to the curb.

Silicone is a substance that coats your hair and protects it from heat styling. It also gives a false impression of healthy, shiny hair. But the hair trapped under the silicone barrier is thirsty and dehydrated. Once you remove the silicone, you can bring hydration back to your hair and optimize your curls.

Avoid ingredients that look like this:
methicone, phenyltrimethicone, dimethicone, cyclomethicone, dimethiconol.... and anything that ends in -cone!

The only way to remove silicone from your hair is with sulfate, which we will learn about in my next post that it's a vicious cycle.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What are Praying Hands?

Praying hands is a good way to apply product to your hair. You know what it looks like when you pray and your palms touch each other? Now, put your hair between those hands! Apply your conditioner (and afterwards, styler) into one palm, rub your hands together and hang your hair over your head, or to each side. Now, place your hands together with your hair between them, and rub the product on, from the root to the tip. Then you can finger come to detangle, STC, etc. Why praying hands? It helps apply product more evenly across your entire hair, it smooths your hair and reduces frizz. VIDEO HERE.

What is Wet Plopping?

The difference between wet plopping and regular plopping is with wet plopping, you plop your wet hair on top of your head in a shower cap instead of a cotton t-shirt, leggings, or micro fiber towel. Why wet plop? It encourages hair hydration It defines curls It reduces frizz ... and more. How do I do it? After you wash and condition, apply your leave in, curl cream and/or stylers to soaking wet hair with praying hands and rope each clump Squish out excess water with your hands Dip your clumps into a shower cap Wrap a towel around your head and the shower cap to keep water from dripping all over you, OR just keep a towel around your shoulders, OR wrap a headband around the shower cap Plop for 10-20 minutes Remove the shower cap, remove excess moisture by squishing with your hands, a microfiber towel or a cotton tshirt (some prefer to regular plop at this stage) I learned about this method from @powerdomi on Instagram - she is the queen of hydration for wavy hair,...

What is a Buff?

I have to admit that... this time, a couple of years ago, I had NO idea what a buff was. I had to Google so much to figure out what those crazy curlies of Instagram were yammering on about. But over time, I learned, so I hope this can be of use to you. Basically, a buff is a tube of cloth. What is a buff used for? You can protect curly hair at night (or when you're out and about) by placing your hair in this tube. Because it's tight and stretchy, a buff usually holds itself into place. Buffs are also popular among bikers and hikers to keep air and dirt out of their faces, or keep their necks warm, or to keep sweat out of their eyes. It really has so many uses and protecting hair at night is only one of them. Where can I buy a buff? Costco Amazon Any outdoor store (ie Mountain Equipment Co-op) The sport and outdoor department of most stores Dollar stores  How do I put it on?