How "bad" are these ingredients?

[nytquill]

Cyclopentasiloxane, and dimethiconol. I've been looking for a coney serum that might help with winter dryness and static. The Loreal EverPure anti-frizz serum has these in it as ingredients.

I did look them up in the list in the article on cones but I'm a bit confused. It says that cyclo. (&) dimethiconol is somewhat water soluble - but in the product I'm looking at they are not listed together but as two separate ingredients. Individually it looks as if they are NOT water soluble?

On top of that I have read things about cyclo. being very bad...I know cones are not in themselves inherently bad but in the sense that it often interacts badly with a person's hair or builds up and is hard to remove.

I'm willing to use cones if they help my hair, but it's the clarifying that can cause me problems, drying out my hair and scalp, so ideally I'd like one that's easy to remove or that doesn't build up too quickly so that I don't have to do a ton of clarifying to be able to use it. Does this product sound like it would fit in those criteria or should I keep looking?

[daaisychains]

Oh oh oh, i'm so following this thread, i'd love to know the answer to this too.

[luxepiggy]

What I've found works best for my hair is the amine-functionalized silicones: amodimethicone and bis-aminopropyl dimethicone are the most common. The amine-functionalized silicones still deposit on hair to create a smoother cuticle surface, but once deposited, they actually resist additional deposits on top, so buildup shouldn't be as much of a problem as with traditional silicones (^(oo)^)v

[ktani]

They are both fine. Like a natural oil, it is about how much you use of the serum and if you need to, clarify every so often. Silicones do not seal the hair.

I would choose using silicone on my hair which I know can be removed fairly easily, over a drying oil, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=190, which I know can be more problematic to remove and can cause the same kinds of problems if it is not, any day.

[Anje]

They will build up sooner or later, and they won't just rinse off with water, if that's what you're asking.

For me personally, using a serum like that results in dry-feeling hair after about 2 days. I think cyclopentasiloxane's evaporation is drying for me. You may or may not find the same thing to be true. My hair's not particularly fond of silicones in general, though.

[nytquill]

Thanks for the responses guys :)

I wasn't expecting it to just rinse out, no. But I was wondering how strong of a wash it would take to remove it.

But I think in the end the proof is in the pudding, regardless of the washing issue... I used the stuff once, hair felt nice and smooth while wet/drying. Fully dried it feels...okay, not great. But I can tell that if I use a lot of this it will feel dry and crunchy and grabby before too long. And it makes my hair look kind of limp (although it's pretty limp on its own, if it weren't my own hair I probably wouldn't notice). I know everyone's hair is different, but I'm glad to know others have had similar experiences and I'm not imagining it!

I think I'm better off with deep moisture treatments and maybe a little oil in my hair while it's still damp. I don't remember having so much static last winter! But maybe I just didn't care as much either ;)

[spidermom]

The cyclo...stuff won't build up. It's there to help you avoid damage to wet hair and evaporates while your hair dries.

I use a coney serum, CHI Silk Infusion, once a week and clarify with regular shampoo massaged all the way through the ends every 3-4 months. No problems.

[cataphract]

Generally when I can't decipher (through suff/prefixes) what something is or if I'm not sure of its uses or effects I will look it up here: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

It usually shows studies and bodily effects on a health scale though, not necessarily how your hair will turn out. I like it because I'm one of those 'herbal only' granola types :)

[In2wishin]

All I can say is that I use a tiny amount of straight dimethicone on my ends after washing and it really helps my hair hang together better. I have never had any buildup but, of course, that could easily be because I only put it on my ends.

[Khiwanean]

Just from personal experience, my hair seems to especially like cyclopentasiloxane. According to The Beauty Brains (http://thebeautybrains.com/2006/09/27/what-is-cyclopentasiloxane/), it does evaporate. I can't say anything specific about dimethiconol though.

[nytquill]

What I've found works best for my hair is the amine-functionalized silicones: amodimethicone and bis-aminopropyl dimethicone are the most common.

You may be on to something there. Last night since I knew I was going to clarify anyway I dug out my old Pantene detangling/leave-in spray from under the sink (it's...seriously...go in there at your own risk I swear, it's like a nightmare maze of hair-care stuff I've tried once or twice and don't really use). I used to use this stuff all the time when I lived up towards the mouth of the St-Lawrence and it was soooo windy!

Anyway its major ingredient is amodimethicone. I tried it on my hair and it was PERFECT! Felt great, looked great, everything I want a coney product to do without looking weighed down or stringy. I think perhaps I will use this up during the winter. After nearly a year's break from SLS my scalp seems to be more tolerant again as long as I balance it with enough moisture. That opens the door to more frequent clarifying which in turn opens the door to different hair products that will require me to clarify more often. Fine with me if I get the hair I want! :D

[Xandergrammy]

Just from personal experience, my hair seems to especially like cyclopentasiloxane. According to The Beauty Brains (http://thebeautybrains.com/2006/09/27/what-is-cyclopentasiloxane/), it does evaporate. I can't say anything specific about dimethiconol though.


Same here. My hair seems to like the cyclo- one.