Hair product with Cyclopentasiloxane, should I use it?

[pinklemonade]

Hello LHC:)
I was recently given a bottle of ''oil'' that can be used as a leave in or as a pre-wash treatment. It contains argan oil and linseed oil BUT it also contains cyclopentasiloxane which I just discovered is a silicone!!!
I did a bit of research and it seems to have a negative effect on many, some say it's super drying or very coating. I have been so good at avoiding cones and now I'm really into coconut oil, so what should I do?? Is this cone a real bad one or is it light? Now that it's summer and my hair is even more prone to splits should I just go ahead and use this? Or would it just make the situation worse? Has anyone had any sort of experience with this cone? TIA and happy growing everyone!

[1953Diygal]

OOH!!! I wouldn't worry about the cyclopentasiloxane as much as I would worry about the linseed oil. Linseed oil? Really? My dad used to use linseed oil to paint the fence every summer. It hardened into this ambery, waxy resin.

I'm assuming it's a different grade of linseed oil. :o

[ericthegreat]

The only way for you to find out if to try it for yourself. :)

Silicones actually work very well for many people's hair, it allows their hair to lie smoother and makes it much more shinier. Silicones can even help to detangle your hair, in fact silicones are very popularly used as a lubricant.

For some people, the concern is that silicones might buildup on their hair. So they prefer to not use any products with silicones in them. But silicones in themselves are not at all harmful to your hair. In fact, many members here on LHC use conditioners and other products with silicones in them.

[Tiina]

We have a thread on silicones, their water solubility and what exactly they do here http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=974598&postcount=2 :)

Seems like cyclopentasomething is usually used along with some other ingredient and that changes how hair is affected.

[virgo75]

I agree wtih ericthegreat - You'll only know if it works for you if you try it.

My hair likes some cones, so I wouldn't be phased by it. :shrug: I also shampoo regularly so if I didn't like it, it would be out of my hair with the next shampoo.
I guess it would be more of a concern if you CO wash only because conditioner may not be able to remove it if it causes build-up for you. Then you'd have to shampoo to get it out.

Hope that helps. :flower:

[jera]

Argan oil supposed to be very good for hair. It's poplular in the middle east. I've never tried it yet so I can't tell you from experience, but I'd give that stuff a try. Not everyone reacts negatively to cones. You might find it's a product you really like. :)

[Bluegrass Babe]

OOH!!! I wouldn't worry about the cyclopentasiloxane as much as I would worry about the linseed oil. Linseed oil? Really? My dad used to use linseed oil to paint the fence every summer. It hardened into this ambery, waxy resin.

I'm assuming it's a different grade of linseed oil. :o

It's just flax seed oil. It is safe. (and edible!) The stuff your dad used is mixed with other chemicals. When linseed oil dries it gets firm but not brittle. That's why it's used in varnish.

Pinklemonade -
You could use it only on a hank of hair at the nape of your neck for about a month (include it in your normal routine) and then compare it to the rest of your hair.

It wouldn't show if there were any negative effects and you can definately compare before and after objectively and side by side.

[pinklemonade]

Thank you for the feedback 1953diygal, ericthegreat, tiina, virgo75, jera and BluegrassBabe! :)
Yes I should probably try it but...I'm just worried about the result! I wash only once a week and I always do this: apply coconut oil the night before, wash out with conditioner, a bit of shampoo and condition again. Maybe this cone won't allow the coconut oil to penetrate, or maybe the shampoo (sls-free) won't work in washing off the cones when they build-up....I really need to limit using shampoos and washing my hair in general because of dryness/splits.

Ericthegreat, you're right, many people use cones successfully. I just have this sort of ''uh oh'' reaction when I read cones because I was using them for years and years, until one day I stopped and I found a million splits in my hair! All the damage that was hiding! Yet, this product contains cyclopentasiloxane AND argan oil so maybe it could actually help prevent all the breakage I have. Maybe I could just apply this oil AFTER I wash my hair this week, that way I would have applied coconut oil etc before? Will I get rid of the cones after my next wash or does it take a while?? Thank you again!

[HintOfMint]

Cyclopentasiloxane is a very thin kind of silicone (not hyper viscous like dimethicone) and evaporates. It is often used in conjunction with other substances (often dimethicone) to make the product spread more evenly and smoothly. If cyclopentasiloxane is the only silicone in that product, I wouldn't worry. It doesn't cause buildup on its own since it evaporates (which is the real concern behind the avoidance of cones).

Oh and here is the beauty brains article:
http://thebeautybrains.com/2006/09/27/what-is-cyclopentasiloxane/

[HairColoredHair]

Linseed oil scares me... (It can spontaneously combust, for one...)

[Carolyn]

I'd give it a try and see what happens. If you don't like the results you might have to wash sooner than planned. I don't see that that's such a big deal :shrug:

[Anje]

I don't see why you couldn't use it, unless you're doing no 'cones. As others have said, I'm pretty sure cyclopentasiloxane is one of the volatile silicones, and it'll evaporate. It's probably there mostly to help spread the other ingredients in your bottle through your hair.

I tend to find silicones drying (not sure whether it's the cyclopentasiloxane or dimethicone that does that for me), but certainly not everyone experiences that.

[clichepithet]

Offhand, I've used linseed [flax] oil with great success for pre-wash heavy oilings. Didn't feel like quote RE:ing and that's really all I had to add.

[1953Diygal]

It's just flax seed oil. It is safe. (and edible!) The stuff your dad used is mixed with other chemicals. When linseed oil dries it gets firm but not brittle. That's why it's used in varnish.


See.....that's why this site is so awesome! I would have never thought flax and linseed oil were the same thing. Thank you for clearing that up!

[OhMyCurlz]

What you have to take into consideration is that, there is a lot of "scare" about ingredients. And that "scare" has given birth to a lot of "ingredient hypochondrias". When they go off spreding the word that a certain ingredient is the devil, it makes it so people who are truly interested in getting healthy hair become tainted by their propaganda and assume that it's true (it always seems that there is truth in numbers..right?). Another word for the cone you are referring to is cyclomethicone and it is literally so light (a dry oil as some call it) that unless you have peach fuzz for hair I have a REALLY hard time believing it would cause hair to become weighed down. It's hardly an "oil". It has no weight and evaporates. It adds softness to hair and allows the good ingredients to penetrate the hair shaft, so it's actually a valuable ingredient and there really is nothing else like it. It's very unique. I believe I have even read chemist try and ...rationalize the scare that comes with this ingredient. It's not even chemically capable of doing some of the things people who are avoiding it says it does.

Bottom line, use it and see how it works for you. All the ingredients in there are good, and cyclomethicone helps makes the other oils perform better. :)

Hello LHC:)
I was recently given a bottle of ''oil'' that can be used as a leave in or as a pre-wash treatment. It contains argan oil and linseed oil BUT it also contains cyclopentasiloxane which I just discovered is a silicone!!!
I did a bit of research and it seems to have a negative effect on many, some say it's super drying or very coating. I have been so good at avoiding cones and now I'm really into coconut oil, so what should I do?? Is this cone a real bad one or is it light? Now that it's summer and my hair is even more prone to splits should I just go ahead and use this? Or would it just make the situation worse? Has anyone had any sort of experience with this cone? TIA and happy growing everyone!

[glossyshine]

Hello LHC:)
I was recently given a bottle of ''oil'' that can be used as a leave in or as a pre-wash treatment. It contains argan oil and linseed oil BUT it also contains cyclopentasiloxane which I just discovered is a silicone!!!
I did a bit of research and it seems to have a negative effect on many, some say it's super drying or very coating. I have been so good at avoiding cones and now I'm really into coconut oil, so what should I do?? Is this cone a real bad one or is it light? Now that it's summer and my hair is even more prone to splits should I just go ahead and use this? Or would it just make the situation worse? Has anyone had any sort of experience with this cone? TIA and
happy growing everyone!


This sounds like Moroccanoil. If it is, I'm also considering using it. My hair seems to love cones, so my only hesitation is that I don't want to hide any damage.

My hesitation about Moroccanoil is that Argan oil is the 5th or 6th ingredient. If you use it, I'd love to hear how it works for you.

[virgo75]

What you have to take into consideration is that, there is a lot of "scare" about ingredients. And that "scare" has given birth to a lot of "ingredient hypochondrias". When they go off spreding the word that a certain ingredient is the devil, it makes it so people who are truly interested in getting healthy hair become tainted by their propaganda and assume that it's true (it always seems that there is truth in numbers..right?). Another word for the cone you are referring to is cyclomethicone and it is literally so light (a dry oil as some call it) that unless you have peach fuzz for hair I have a REALLY hard time believing it would cause hair to become weighed down. It's hardly an "oil". It has no weight and evaporates. It adds softness to hair and allows the good ingredients to penetrate the hair shaft, so it's actually a valuable ingredient and there really is nothing else like it. It's very unique. I believe I have even read chemist try and ...rationalize the scare that comes with this ingredient. It's not even chemically capable of doing some of the things people who are avoiding it says it does.

Bottom line, use it and see how it works for you. All the ingredients in there are good, and cyclomethicone helps makes the other oils perform better. :)


Thanks for this post.

I agree 100% with all that you said and tend to get a bit tired of certain products or ingredients being 'evil' when they can actually help some peoples' hair. I tried no-cones and co-washing. Both were a disaster for my hair and scalp. :shake:

Plus, everyone I know in real life who has long, healthy hair(past waist and a few past classic) shampoo and use drugstore products(a LOT of TreSEMME and Pantene). There's no breakage or damage. Just thick, shiny, healthy hair. ;)

And :lol: at the bolded.

[dropinthebucket]

I got the Argan Oil from Sally's, only to discover it had a silicone additive, too.

[spidermom]

That cyclopenta.... stuff evaporates; it is there to help the other ingredients do their jobs. Not a problem.