Detergents Which Remove: Silicones

If you're not already aware of it, and I assume you are if you're reading this, some people avoid silicone-based ingredients in hair care products for various reasons. Some people get a slick, fake-hair feeling in their hair, or a heavy, limp feeling. Silicone build-up's feel (if your hair gets any at all) depends on which silicone you've been using. If you don't use shampoo - you wash your hair with conditioner for example - your hair is more likely to accumulate silicones because you are not washing them off with detergent between applications. If you used them very rarely though - would it matter?

Don't avoid silicones if they don't cause problems for you. For real. Silicones are reversible. They wash out. You'd think they were permanent, based on some of the bad press they get. They can even be removed with non-detergent ingredients if you dare not let a single bubble near your hair (blog post about that is coming up soon).

"Silicones" refers to a group of synthetic emollients that are used in products for their lubrication (in wet and dry hair), shine, and increased flexibility. Silicone ingredients do not soak in to the hair because they're too large, so they stay there on the surface, doing their job, adding shine and lubrication.

Lubrication prevents friction and tangles and help hairs line up neatly with their neighbors - an effect that also increases sheen (shine).

You can find a list of silicones in this post. Dimethicone is a common silicone in conditioners, anti-frizz serums and shampoos, for example.

If you're usually a silicone-avoider but want to use them occasionally, or you just love them, but your hair needs to start with a clean slate occasionally, this post is for you. As emollients (synthetic oils), silicones need a detergent to remove them, should you want or need to do that.

Some detergents are better at "de-greasing" than others, so they'll do a much better job at removing silicones. Anionic detergents typically are the better de-greasers. Anionic detergents make lots of foam. The polar end of the detergent is negatively charged, that's where the name "anionic" comes from.

Look for these detergents in a shampoo to remove silicone accumulation. Keep in mind that if you have some build-up in your hair that you attribute to "silicones" - it may be more complicated than you realize. You may have hard water residue in your hair. Or conditioner build up as well, or residue from a styling product. Stay tuned for a post about what to use to remove those as well!

Anionic detergents common in shampoos: These detergents remove silicones alone or (for the milder ones) in combination with others.
  • Sodium laureth sulfate (the milder of the sulfates - milder than "lauryl sulfate")
  • Sodium lauryl sulfate
  • Ammonium laureth sulfate (the milder of the sulfates - milder than "lauryl sulfate")
  • Ammonium lauryl sulfate
  • Sodium coco sulfate
  • Sodium lauryl sulfate
  • C14-16 Olefin sulfonate or Sodium C14-16 Olefin sulfonate
  • Sodium carboxylate (soap)
  • Sodium cocoyl isethionate (mild)
  • Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (mild)
  • Disodium laureth sulfosuccinate (mild)
  • Sodium methyl cocoyl taurate (mild)
  • Sodium lauroyl glutamate (mild)
  • Sodium cocoyl glutamate (mild)
  • Sodium lauroyl Sarcosinate (on the milder side)
  • Sodium lauryl glucose carboxylate
  • Sodium methyl cocoyl taurate (mild)

Amphoteric detergents common in shampoos: These likely help remove silicones, especially in combination with anionic surfactants but may work alone or with non-ionic detergents also. These detergents tend to make a formula milder.
  • Cocamidopropyl betaine
  • Coco betaine
  • Cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine
  • Lauryl hydroxysultaine
  • Sodium cocoamphoacetate
  • Sodium Lauroamphoacetate

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Silica – Hair, Bones, Joints and More

Image
What can I eat or supplement to make my hair grow (fill in the blank) thicker, longer, stronger? There is no one answer for that question. First, you need a varied, nutritious diet, exercise, enough sleep - a healthy lifestyle. But there are some assists... ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 Silica (silicon dioxide) is a necessary nutrient – particularly for your skin, hair, fingernails, bones, and joints. It makes all of the above stronger when it is abundant in your diet. You get the silica in your body from plants, from the soil they are grown in, and from water. Plants take orthosilicic acid from the soil (this is the form which is soluble in water). Silica is deposited in various parts of plants. Some plants like grasses (grains), cucumbers, beans, take up more silica than others. Silica inclusion from a grass leaf. Silica in various forms has been demonstrated to make hair stronger and possibly thicken hair shafts, to make fingernails stronger, and to improve elasticity and smoothness of ...
Read more

What's Cookin': Flax-Free Hair Gel

Image
This recipe is a curl-enhancing, super-thick gel which doesn't require straining like flaxseed gel does. It encourages waves and curls and adds volume, but leaves hair very soft and has medium hold. Xanthan gum and Guar gum can be found in the gluten-free baking section of large grocery stores, or in natural food stores (or online). Sometimes natural food stores have bulk spices and you can buy these products in small amounts. This is a good product alone for soft hair, or can be used under a strong-hold gel as a curl enhancer, or mixed with it for more hold. It's very much like my flaxseed gel recipe #1 (mid-page) - but without the flaxseeds. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 Time to make gel: About 10 minutes. It must cool a little before adding the final ingredient. Freshly made gel, cooling in the sink. You need a double boiler for the best result - put a metal or glass bowl into a saucepan with water (water should touch the bottom of the bowl, bowl should not touch the bottom of t...
Read more

Update to the Gelatin Protein Treatment

Image
I decided that I wanted to be able to make my gelatin protein treatment for hair in less than a minute (and not wait for it to cool) because I'm always rushing to get in the shower. Impatience can be a virtue if it means you come up with a faster way to mix up a PT! You need a microwave oven for this. Here's what you do: Mix gelatin and about 3/4 of the   cold  water you plan to use in a microwave-safe cup. Let it sit for about 30 seconds. Then microwave for 20-40 seconds. Long enough to dissolve the gelatin so there are no tiny gelatin grains (or flakes) visible. Add the remainder of the water to help cool down the mixture before adding other ingredients and applying. Recipe is in the link below. ------------------------------------------- This protein treatment recipe is STRONG! Not for the faint of heart nor for the hair protein-treatment-newbie. If you're not yet sure about how your hair reacts to protein - use a much smaller amount of gelatin than stated. This recipe d...
Read more