Silicones damaged my hair!

[LadyHazel]

Perhaps some of you clicked on this out of sheer curiousity, perhaps some out of past experience, but many because: 'silicones don't damage hair' they can and they did in my case, so if you please hear out my story of how silicones wrecked my hair:
I used a silicone serum everytime I washed my hair (every 2-3 days) and applied it onto the ends, at first it was a miracle and my hair looked smooth and good enough to eat (haha!) But then after some time, I noticed I was having to apply more to reach the same effects and I couldn't go without applying it else my hair would be a huge matt of fuzz (this has never EVER happened to me before) so to compensate I was using more.

Before anyone jumps to their guns and says 'that's build up! Not silicones' I clarified every time I washed and it is not the shampoo as I have been usingg this shampoo fo 8 years without these effects.

Isn't it funny now after I have had 3 months worth of growth cut off where I applied the silicone serum my hair feels back to normal? And I have stopped using it? Not only this but I was alternating between 4 serums so nobody can blame it in one company brand!

Now I know that most silicones evaporate partially after being applied, having the same rubbing alcohol effects as isopropyl alcohol and poison ethanol (yes, they put this stuff in hair products)

So to whoever is dubious about the use of silicones, if these same things happen to you AVOID them at all costs !

I ruled out every possible culprit and silicones were the last, then I did my research!

[Denebi]

I'm sorry to hear that you had to cut off your damaged ends. There are quite different types of silicones used in hair products, can you please list the ones you used? Some might be more dangerous than others. It'd be interesting to know which ones caused the damage.

[LadyHazel]

Thanks for your rapid response and support, all serums followed the general trend of having either dimethicone or cyclopentasiloxane as 1st or 2nd ingriedient

[SnowWhite]

Hmm I understand what you mean.. I used Biosilk Silk Therapy for quite a long time but I noticed the effect was only temporary and if I didn't use Biosilk, my hair became very dry...
So I skipped this serum and skipped cone conditioners.. Now I oil my hair, use SLS free shampoo's and cone-free conditioners and the condition of my hair is better than ever.

Everyone has different hair and some products or ingredients may work for some types of hair, but other are more sensitive to it and need to avoid those products...
So I'm not saying that cones are bad, but for my hair, they are.

[MinderMutsig]

Given the knowledge we have about silicone and what they do I have some doubts. I do not doubt that you had damage but I'm just not convinced the silicone is solely to blame.

First, there seems to be some confusion about what clarifying is. For instance, some think an ACV or acidic rinse is clarifying which it isn't. Similarly not all shampoos or even SLS shampoos are clarifying. The shampoo you used may have been too mild to remove the heavy duty build-up a silicone serum can cause or it could have ingredients that on their own do not cause problems but may cause problems when used in combination with another product. Also silicone serums basically all do the same thing and have a lot of ingredients in common besides silicone, which also may have been responsible for causing the build-up and/or damage.

And then there is the problem I run into very easily when using cones which is that the cones prevent moisture from penetrating the hair which dries my hair out and over time results in damage. I could blame the cones but that is hardly fair. The cones do exactly what they are meant to do, it's my hair that is the problem and if I adjust my routines and products accordingly I have no problems using them. For me that means only using certain cones (amodimithicone works for me, others do not), only using them after washing my hair so they seal in some moisture, not using them after every wash and washing my hair a day or two sooner than I would have to do without the cones. In return I can wear my hair down with less tangling, it reduces my detangling time and as a result I have less damage from wearing my hair down than if I wear it down without using cones.

Could you give us a list of your routine, what products you used (i.e. what shampoo, conditioner and what serums) and perhaps a list of what their ingredients are? I really don't think it's as simple as 'cones damaged my hair' and given that you loved how the cones made your hair feel at first, perhaps it's worth it to look into ways that could make them work for you?

[longhairedwolf]

Weird. I use dimethicone all the time without any problems. Your mileage does vary, I guess. Hope you find something that works for you.

[coneyisland]

I ruled out every possible culprit and silicones were the last, then I did my research!

Are you sure?

So i've got this situation. It's a rather awkward one as far as my "hair rules" go. I recently used: Charles Worthington Salon Results At Home strength and repair kit. It was on offer and it came with a hair repair oil which you left on for ten minutes under a shower cap, shampoo and a mask. Not worth the original twenty pounds mind you so glad I grabbed it on a bargain. Here comes the strangest part of all:
YOU HAVE TO PUT THE OIL ON DRY HAIR :O
I know! DRY hair. And then wash it!
So as you can imagine, It is the day after and I have build up because their heavily ladden SLS shampoo was drying the moment I applied it and I diluted it x100, ridiculous.
SO- My question:
It is the day after, should I clarify my hair to remove the product (it IS incredibly greasy) or just wait until the morning to avoid damaging my hair from a double clarifying process?
Really stuck here as it is greasy and I was always under the impression that product build up was bad, but so is washing your hair everyday? Had a similiar situation last week with an ethnic deep conditioner full of glycerin (which I didnt even see on the back of the packet) and I had to wash my hair FOUR times to get it out.
Thank you

Little hairs are snapping off all over the place and the product seems to be protein. Too much of it (hydrolysed cellulose), which is the adverse effect. I used silicones 24/7 I am very cone happy and I think over a prolonged period of time this oil + the siliicones have caught up on me leaving my hair somewhat limp, lack luster and lifeless. I may lay off protein treatments from now on unless my hair is breaking off from dying or something because this is ridiculous my hair never randomly snaps off and sheds. Ever. Thanks x

I wanted to go teal and black for years but the damage that bleach causes is not worth it IMO and due to previous colourings I would need to apply it several times at 40 percent peroxide to even get the lift to apply the teal. I wanted my sidefringe to be teal, with teal tips around the feathering of my face and then the rest of my hair to be black. You've done a really good job though I just can't bring myself to jeprodise my hair due to bleaching again, but cudos to you for having the bravery to do it, looks amazinnggg <3

DO NOT DO THAT!! From personal experience!! The first time I bleached my hair I thought: oh well its damaged now and did it a dozen times over a short period of time + dying it was falling out in clumps and oh my I was crying had to cut it...
Just an hour ? Such little time to do the damage and many years to reverse it. Your hair must be very delicate to say the least I am so glad because before I knew that honey contained peroxide I tried mashing it with avocado I left it in my hair for like ten seconds and the smell was enough to make me wash it off right away anyway (PHEW).

　

Boots naked range and organix have caused reactions on my head

I do not know about Naked Range, but I have seen that the Organix Conditioner is loaded with protein.

My hair is rather strange. It has mixed textures, some are fine, some are very thick and strong, but all in all I would judge it as fine/medium
Protein treatments really naff up my hair, I used a protein kit the other day and my hair was falling out a lot, perhaps I should go CO only, or no cones I just really want to know what I am doing wrong- is natural better? coconut oil? anything ;(
I use moisture treatments a lot, it was really after the protein treatment I did the other day that was when my hair started looking very, very bad, now it is all washed out and trimmed it looks a hell of a lot better and I swore to myself: never, ever again. LOL!
But thank you so much all of you, I don't think we have Ahopogee here in the UK? (I know, this country really hates good hair products, my local stores don't even sell SLS free shampoos.)

[MinderMutsig]

Oh yeah, protein overload will definitely give you dry and crunchy ends and can easily be mistaken for damage. Combine that dye and bleach damage and silicone use and it's very possible that your ends just weren't getting the moisture they needed. It's all about balance. A good clarifying and lots and lots of moisture treatments could possibly fix that.

[spidermom]

I've noticed with my hair that using a coney serum about once a week gives good results, but more often and my hair gets dry and tangly.

[LadyHazel]

I do blame silicones as even though I applied them to wet hair they trap moisture out too causing hair to become dry, brittle and prove to breakage and tangles. More tangles equals more brushing equals more split ends!