How bad is Amodimethicone?

[goldcopperbrown]

I heard somewhere that while 'cones can prevent hair from getting moisture, amodimethicone isn't as bad as the other ones. Is this true, and why?

[Mairéad]

-Cones aren't necessarily bad in the first place. It's all about preference. Some people get dried up velcro ends on -cones while others get hair like a sheet of glass with them. I think Amodimethcone is water soluble while many others need surfactants to be removed.

[Anje]

The reason it typically isn't seen as being so bad is that amodimethicone doesn't seem to stick to itself. It'll form a layer on hair, but it won't continue to build up past that point.

[Ostelot]

Quite surprising that amodimethicone wouldn't be as bad as the other cones. :confused: My hair stands cones in some extent very well, but amodimethicone makes it even flatter looking than normal. It's also very hard to make any updos for hair coated with that. Even one condition time makes the limp and greasy feeling. For example, the dimethicone and cyclopentasiloxane won't act like that.

But like it's already been said, it's up to your head. Someone can handle cones or even needs them desperately to cope, and someone can't use these ingredients at all. My hair acts like between those categories.

[luxepiggy]

Amodimethicone is my favourite cone of all! \(^(oo)^)/

Unlike other types of silicone, amodimethicone carries a positive charge, which results in targeted conditioning of damaged areas and the formation of a shine-enhancing nanostructure (ETA: Formation of nanostructure on hair surface (http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2007/cc058n04/p00283-p00294.pdf), Journal of Cosmetic Science). Once deposited, the positive charge helps repel further deposition, so amodimethicone does not build up on the hair.

[Tia2010]

Amodimethicone is my favourite cone of all! \(^(oo)^)/

Unlike other types of silicone, amodimethicone carries a positive charge, which results in targeted conditioning of damaged areas and the formation of a shine-enhancing nanostructure (ETA: Formation of nanostructure on hair surface (http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2007/cc058n04/p00283-p00294.pdf), Journal of Cosmetic Science). Once deposited, the positive charge helps repel further deposition, so amodimethicone does not build up on the hair.

luxepiggy: Is there a good coney serum and conditioner that contains just amodimethicone? My hair can live with or without cones but I would like to find a good one to use in winter.

[akurah]

Cones are neither good nor bad, or if they are one, they are both. They're good because they seal moisture in. They're also bad because they can also seal moisture out.

Amodimethicone is one of my favorite cones, too.

[gazelle]

I use an amodimeticone conditioner. Sometimes I CO wash with it and other times I use it with a very mild shampoo. It has never built up on my hair, but makes the hair moisturized

Maybe it will eventually build up, but I haven't experienced for months

[UP Lisa]

The reason it doesn't build up is because it is water soluble. You are always washing the old stuff away.

[gonzobird]

Reviving this....
Ive been super natural for well over 2 years, no cones, no sulfates, nothing. My hair is in fantastic shape..... I ran out of my Justnaturals spray detangled, so I used this.....(use to use it on and off long ago)

http://www.sephora.com/prep-P280528

And wow. My hair is like silk. Its usually almost like silk, but this is crazy. Just wondering, by the list of ingredients, does anybody see anything tat would be harmful to my hair? The only cone is water soluble.... and I don't spray it on my scalp. My hair is free of tangles and holy moly. Can I use this mostly all the time as my leave in without any negatives? My hair seems to love it! besides shampoo and conditioner, spray detanglers are the only thing I use besides oils on my ends. Will it block all my oils I put on? Am i being counter productive to all the goodness Ive been doing the last few years?

[Panth]

1) Cones are not the devil. Also, not all cones are the same.

2) When people talk about "sealing" it is not an all or nothing phenomenon - it means it impedes the movement of water in/out, not prevents it completely.

3) Cones do impart many useful qualities, e.g. anti-static, pro-slip, anti-tangle. They can also (temporarily) patch repair damage.

Amodimethicone is often considered one of the better ones. It is not water soluble (I made that mistake too). However, it is often grouped with water-soluble cones as, like them, it resists build-up. Luxepiggy has given you a great description of how this works.

IMO, the crusade against cones is totally unfounded - they do not trash your hair, it's just like any other thing that some people's hair likes them and some people's hair doesn't. They can hide damage, but this is only problematic if it enables you to ignore the fact that you are destroying your hair (i.e. not good if it makes you think daily flat ironing is fine until the day it isn't ... fine if it's hiding the inevitable damage seen on 6+ year old ends and thus making them more resilient and manageable). The only problem with them is the requirement with some (i.e. the non-water-soluble ones) to use sulphate-containing shampoos to prevent build-up, as SLS etc. is harsh and can cause damage when you're talking on the timescale of super-long hair. However, even that problem is removed if you either a) use cones sensibly, b) primarily select water-soluble or non-building-up cones, and c) reduce the harshness of your shampoo (e.g. use sulphates but dilute them, or use sulphate-free but clarify with sulphates occasionally, or use sulphate-free containing cocoamidopropyl betaine, which can remove cones but is much less harsh than SLS/SLES/ALS/ALES).

[Hairitic]

Reviving this....
Ive been super natural for well over 2 years, no cones, no sulfates, nothing. My hair is in fantastic shape..... I ran out of my Justnaturals spray detangled, so I used this.....(use to use it on and off long ago)

http://www.sephora.com/prep-P280528

And wow. My hair is like silk. Its usually almost like silk, but this is crazy. Just wondering, by the list of ingredients, does anybody see anything tat would be harmful to my hair? The only cone is water soluble.... and I don't spray it on my scalp. My hair is free of tangles and holy moly. Can I use this mostly all the time as my leave in without any negatives? My hair seems to love it! besides shampoo and conditioner, spray detanglers are the only thing I use besides oils on my ends. Will it block all my oils I put on? Am i being counter productive to all the goodness Ive been doing the last few years?

WOW, gonzobird; I'm no expert but that ingredient list looks fine to me. My Conditioning cleanser has Amodimethicone and I've had no problem with it. I will be ordering this stuff for myself if nobody says there's some big, bad ingredient in it. :p

[Tabitha]

I had occasion to Google amodimethicone and was led to this thread. I know it's 4 years old almost, but I'm adding a link I also found to a very informative article about it on Naturally Curly:

https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/curlchemist-amodimethicone-and-other-amine-functionalized-silicones/

[lucid]

An other positive thing is that cones provide more slip, thus reducing tangles and mechanical damage.

I have not yet tried a cone that doesn't build up in my hair to some degree. Or more correctly - I have experienced build up from products containing non-buildup cones. Of course, it could be build up from other compounds in the product.