new thread
I don't mean to bore everyone with a Sience lession, but I'v been reading messages that are drawing a correlation to brittle hair to the properties of glass. This, in itself, is nonsence and miss-leading.
Silicone is not Silicon. These are two very different materials. There is a big difference.
Silicone is an oil. It is a compound; a lubricant. It has nothing to do with glass.
Silicon is an element. (No "e" at the end.) It is a member of a family of elements in the "periodic table" known as "semi-conductors". When highly refined and processed it becomes a semi-conductor and can be used for various electronic purposes. Sand is Silicon Dixoide mostly. (This make Silicon probably the most abundant element on earth.) Glass is made of Silicon Dioxide or sand, with various other constituents used to alter the properties of the material.
If anyone concludes that Silicones on hair makes it brittle, it's not because there is any similarity or connection to glass.
I hope the above helps everyones understanding.
By the way; I use Pantene w/conditioner in it on my long hair and it works great. Their conditioner only product leaves it a bit oily.
I appreciate the acientific observations and want to know more? Is there no relationship between silicon and silicone. Does the lubricant have silicon in it? If it doesn't what are the ingredients? Is the name purely metaphorical?
Jim
Yes, silicones contain silicon. It should be made clear that silicones are a whole family of chemicals, and as such, it's probably overly simplistic to lump them all together in these discussions. Follow the link for a definition