new thread
Hi Guys
Having recently had a number of discussions about products which cause build-ups and can dry the hair, and seeing a lot of people get paranoid about it, I figured I'd try to sum up everything I'd gleamed on the topic, much of this information is provided thanks to advice from Katherine & Ste, so credit where credit is due. Anyway, hopefully this will be of interest to some.
Silicones
Silicones are used in Shampoos & conditioners to make the hair smooth, sleek & shinny, they are perfectly safe do not cause irritation and are in pretty much every product on the market. The most common silione product used is called Dimethicone, you'll see on the ingredients list on the back of your bottle of conditioner.
Silicones tend to gradually buld-up on your hair, preventing real moisture penetration, as they are largely water resistant. This can leave your hair dry & dull. However, Siliciones are normally completely removed by Shampoos containing Sodium Laurel/Laureth Sulfate, so many shampoos (particularly the harsher ones) will completely remove the build-up caused by Silicones in conditioners. However there are some notable exceptions:
Example: Pantene - the shampoo & the conditioner both contain cones, so even though Pantene contains Sodium Laurel Sufate it doesn't completely remove the build-up caused by its conditioner, because the Shampoo itself contains Dimethicone. (They do however provide a separate "Clarifying Shampoo" perhaps this one doesn't contain any Cones.)
Protiens
Cones are not the only ingredients that can cause build-ups, so can Protiens. EG: "Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein", which you'll find in many Shampoos and Conditioners marketing a more "Organic" nature. These products include Garnier Fructis Shampoo & even MOP C-System (A cone free product recommended to me by Ste.) The MOP C-System Shampoo is also very mild as it doesn't contain Sodium Laurel/eth Sulphate. So I suspect that it will be pretty poor at removing any protien build-up.
The Solution:
You are really going to struggle to find any products out that that will not either dry your hair or cause a build-up of some kind. The solution for me seems pretty clear... You either a) reduce your usage of Shampoo & conditioner as much as possible, say 1-2 times a week. Or b) you wash/condition more regularly & accept that you are going to get a build-up. Which means you'll have to use a shampoo or a clarrifying rinse whenever the build-up starts to affect your hair.
Anyway - hope that info helps some people who were wondering what the hell they should be doing.
Sorted
PS: by way of working against my own conclusions I've found a conditioner which claims to not leave a build-up as it contains no Cones or Protiens, I must admit its not the best detangler, but its better than nothing and its designed for daily use. (MOP Burdock Daily Rinse.) I'm using this whenever I rinse my hair to aid with detangling, and I'm using MOP C-System Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner twice a week. We'll see how it goes...
Excellent post sorted.
Many thanks for the info.
Good info Sorted- and should be very helpful to people still seeking to understand what silicones, protein, and build-up are.
Personally, I'm still finding out what routine and products work the best for my hair... I feel like I'm almost there in perfecting the technique, and I'll post results once I figure it out.
That was some nice info Sorted. It really helped me to understand why my scalp was in such a itchy state. I am doing what you've reccommended here by only washing 2 times a week. The only problem now, is if I do this, it means I'm going to have to get use to oily hair. Mine gets very oily on the second to third day and then I usually have to wash.
Again thanks for the great info! and the others who've helped with the input of this.
Thee Longhaired Gal
