Help!!! Silicone products

Okay, so I heard silicone products can dry hair and break the hair off if you do not clarify every few weeks.  Well, I had severe breakage after I used an anti-residue shampoo, so now I am weary of using it again.  So my question is, should I continue using silicone products and try clarifying again or is there products that will work the same without silicone ingredients.  Are silicone products bad?  It seems every product out there contains them.  I've used the Frederic Fekkai Protein RX conditioner, and used the Frederic Fekkai Protein RX treatment mask only to realize that they both contain silicones!!!  I also used the glossing cream, more silicones!  I also have been using Phyto 9, which I dont think have silicones, hard to tell from the ingredient list.  Today I bought Redken Smooth Out Butter Treatment, which, I just read contain Silicones!!!  ok, soooo are these products bad?  I dont want more breakage, and just need a good regime to get my hair back in shape.  The girl at Sephora said the frederic fekkai products had no silicones, but they do.   Any feed back would be greatly appreciated:)  thanks!!!!

I would save the clarifying shampoo in the cabinet until my hair was in better condition.  Until it grows out in good condition again, I'd lay off the silicone products or be careful how I used them in the future (for example, I only use them after preconditioning with a jojoba oil conditioner, and only on the last inch of my hair so it gets trimmed off sooner). I probably wouldn't use that clarifying shampoo either (until your hair's healthy) because it made your breakage so much more noticeable.  The cones are great because it's hard to find stuff that's cone free and really detangles as well, but the clarifying is really important from the start before buildup occurs.   

Hi Amy,

AnaisSatin & Susan have provided fab advice.  I thought I would jump in w/a few add-on thoughts.  Not all products have "cones" & some products have the newer, improved versions that have been evolving through the years due to hair care product chemists discovering the impact of long term cone use to some hair care consumers.

The real truth of the matter is that one size of hair care product never fits all.  As Anais pointed out, some hair textures can handle cones better than other.  This is so true.

In reality, the hair care products most likely to have the highest concentration of cones are the ones that are mass marketed in grocery stores since the average hair care consumer wants "quick fixes" for their hair.  They want lots of foam, even though it is not necessary to clean hair, they want lots of shine, which requires heavy cones and they want the hair from the billboards and TV ads, which are not true life.  A few years back I interviewed a Pantene hair model and the things that they did to her hair to make it look shiny, well trust me, it was totally unrealistic.

Bottom line, some hair care products that work fantastically for some, don't work at all for others.

So how do you find the products that you are best for you & your hair? Well the first step is to research as much as possible because while hairdressers, as a rule, do try to help their clients, it is virtually impossible to expect them to spend the time researching products for their clients, especially if they sell certain hair care product lines in their salons and must remain loyal to those brands.

When possible, it helps to buy the smallest versions of the products you are interested in trying. Some companies specifically offer samples (Phyto, Robert Hallowell, Mine) or small sample kits.  Some companies may provide samples or sell scaled down starter kits.

The other thing to consider is that you may do well to back off using full strength shampoo or related hair care products.  Many people find instant relief when they start to dilute their hair care products.

I used to not believe it would good to dilute until I went through a rough patch with my own hair getting dry and icky and so I backed off from shampooing 7 days a week to 1-2 times with really great results.  I also started diluting 1 teaspoon of shampoo to 1 quart sized empty bottle of Evian that I filled up with regular warm water & then mixed. 

I found that when only shampooing 2-3x a week & doing diluting, I can use shampoo more efficiently on my hair.

Finally, keep in mind that some hair care products that have the recent types of cones may not be harmful to your hair or may act differently than the original types of cones.

Below is a partial list of some companies that offer more natural hair care products that either have minimal or no cones or cones that are designed not to harm the hair.

1.  Paul Pender products - Paul was one of the first to do an all natural hair care and skin care line.  I have met Paul some years ago and he is dedicated to creating as natural as possible ingredients. 

2.  Robert Hallowell - Robert is a celebrity hairdresser and for years he would make secret hair care formulas in his kitchen for his clients such as Jennifer Love Hewitt, Faye Dunaway, Geena Davis & Lucy Liu.  He created his Kitchen Beautician line for the public and oversees the complete manufacturing process.  His products do not have traditional cones and his products are mixed in a special manufacturing process to provide as natural an experience for hair care as possible.

3.  Philip Pelusi products - Philip has been a hairdresser for something like 20 years.  He personally researched all the formulas for his line, which is fabulous.  Many of his products have state of the art ingredients that offer some of the advantages of older ingredients w/out the potential damage.  I have talked to him on the phone and he spends a lot of his free time traveling to visit with chemists to research better ways to improve his products for the health of his client's hair. 

4.  Ken Paves - Jessica Simpson's hairdresser.  His product line - Paves Professional - was created by a chemist specifically for Ken to make sure that it was 100% "sulfate" free and used minimal artifical products.  Oprah uses his hairspray and has talked about how much she loves how light it is on her hair on her show.  Jessica uses the shampoos and her naturally curled hair assistant Cacee uses Ken's mousse that was created just for her.

5.  Paul Brown of Hawaii - Paul personally developed all of his hair care formulas that use natural oils from Hawaii such as Kukai nut.

6.  Peter Lamas - His hair care products are carefully created by Peter working with a chemist to provide as natural of a product as possible.  His shampoos are wonderful. 

7.  Aubrey Organics - I hear mixed reviews of these products but many are still free of chemicals that would be harmful.  Some natural ingredients can be as challenging as chemical ingredients so keep in mind again that one size does not fit all.

Some other more "natural" product lines to consider - Jason, Ecco Bella, Giovanni, NoPoo.

There are also other brands that are free of cones or at least have minimal amounts.  Some high end brands do have cones but the latest versions that are much less damaging...although more expensive to use in hair care formulas......

One last thing.....keep in mind that clarifying shampoos can do their own damage because they are design to strip everything off the hair cuticle, much like a paint remover.  So consider diluting any clarifying shampoo as well.  Also, use very sparingly.

Just my 2 cents but I hope it helps you find your way.

Best wishes,

Karen Shelton

 

 

Hi Anais,

Thank you for your kind words.  It is great to read your posts.  Always so wonderfully informative.

Best wishes,
Karen

Thank you Karen  : )

Amy, Yup!!! You CAN use it for shine, as long as you're using a regular rinse-out post-shampoo conditioner. Jojoba oil is available at HB by brand name, and also available by bulk from Mystifyyoursenses.com. Brenda sells soapmaking supplies and jojoba oil is one of them. If you get the oil anywhere else, just make sure you're getting:

100% jojoba oil, scientific name simmondsia chinensis, expeller pressed or expressed, "golden".

HTH : ) Anais 

what about aphogee, ive heard somewhere on this board that this is good for breakage...any ideas on this or if its good or what it is...

thanks!!!!

Hello All,

Thanks so much for all the responses and support...Last night I washed with a little biolage hydrating shampoo, then deep deep condioned with biolage hydrating balm(no silicones i dont think)  and before i washed i oiled my hair with the jojoba oil (desert beauty???) it said in the ingredients 100% jojoba.  after wards i put a little bit of phyto 9 in, then let air dry over night.  this moring i put a little more oil in to smooth, and let me tell you it looks better..the breakage is less noticebable. I love the jojoba oil...hope there are no side effects from that...

ok again thanks so much and will keep you update, im sure i will be posting more questions as i always have some:)  thanks!!!!!!

Not to sound dumb, but I know the Paves line doesn't have sulfates, but did you include it in that list because it doesn't have silicones either?  Just checking. Thanks.