Silicones aren't inherently bad. It's just that some hair types can only stand so much silicone-ness. Long term use without clarifying can also damage hair. It looks like your hair has been on silicones for much too long. ETA: the problem with silicones is that they build up tremendously. Then they come off in chips, like layers of paint chipping off a wall. That chipping could take your hair cuticle along with it down the drain or into your carpeting! This is why buildup is so horrible for hair, and causes breakage. Without the cuticle (or the outside covering on your hair strand) then the inside of the hair shaft is exposed. The hair dries, shreds, and normally breaks off at that spot.  

Most curly haired people can't use silicones successfully. Most fine-haired people (with hair strands that have very small diameter) cannot use silicones either. Silicone users tend to lean towards the medium-coarse end of the hair type spectrum, usually straight to slightly wavy.

Of course, some people are exceptions to the rule. If you think your hair is not reacting well to (sili)cones, clarify your hair and start fresh with a conefree product. Not all products have silicones. You'll just have to do lots of ingredient reading. If it ends in "-cone", "-conol", or "-siloxane", then it's a silicone. Some conefree products include Biolage Conditioning Balm, all the Suave Naturals, and the V05 moisture milks. More information can be found in my Medusa's Lair sig, buried in the Cleansing Methods page. Hope this helps : )

Anais

well i have thick course hair, but always has been very healthy looking until now...and its very long.  okay, so my frederic fekkai conditioner has silicone in it, and i need to wash my hair right now and dont have time to go out and search for silicone free products...my question is how can i use silicones safely..my hair looks alot better than it did after i used all this silicone after the breakage occurred.  what is a good gentle clarifying shampoo, that wont break my hair, how often should i use it to remove buildup, how do you know when build up has occured. and what is a good conditioner that does not have silicones but is ultra hydrating for thick hair?  oh, and jojoba oil...is this a conditioning agent, or just if you want shine, are there side effects with this, or is it safe for hair?

sorry so many questions, you guys have been so much more helpful than the stylist i contacted

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

Karen, what a great list! Thank you for gracing our company. We love the new upgrade too; you and Jeff and the mods have been doing a wonderful job with HB.

Amy,

some people report that their hair ends feel crunchy when they don't clarify often enough. Some people also report "gooey/sticky" or "dull" hair. Instead of a clarifying shampoo, you could also use a diluted apple cider vinegar rinse. A sample mixture could be 1/4 cup (or 1/2 cup) apple cider vinegar with 2 cups of water. Basically you'd use it as a rinse, pouring it through your scalp and hair after shampooing. Then you'd condition as usual.

Jojoba oil is closest to natural skin and scalp oils.. it's actually a liquid wax ester. Many people, especially longhairs, prefer this oil to moisturize their hair. Ideally, the scalp would be producing enough oil to distribute over the length. This isn't always the case. Sometimes with a dry scalp, or lots of length, scalp oils aren't enough. And scalp oils go rancid/develop that funny smell.

Additional oil will supplement the usual conditioner or leave-in treatment. Jojoba oil can be used on wet or dry hair. (1) For a leave-in oiling, 1-2 drops are massaged into the palms and stroked through the hair. Some people also oil their hair (2) heavily before a hairwash. That way, the oils can absorb (partway into the hair shaft but not completely) into the hair to add flexibility to the hair strand. The leftover oil on the hair surface is shampooed out during the hairwash. Hope this helps.

Anais

Hi Anais,

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

Best wishes,
Karen

thanks guys!!!  so can i use jojoba oil in replacement of my silicone shine sprays and glosses that i use to tame the fly aways and hide the breakage???  im assuming jojoba oil is safe for my hair?  is the vinegar safe?  where do you get jojoba oil?  im hoping the oil will help weigh down the flyways while smoothing and moisturizing as well...

thanks so much for helping me out, i really appreaciate

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 

Hi Anais,

So good to see you here.  Thanks for the HB mention.  You are always so generous with us here at HB.com and I appreciate it very much.

Yes...you are soooo right....it is so important to remind people to get the 100% jojoba oil.  I have had many people email with poor results from using jojoba only to discover that they are using a synthetic oil which will not come even close to doing what you need it to do.

Ditto with essential oils.  Make sure that they are 100% and not synthetic or a blend because they will not work the same.

You can ususally tell by the price but always ask and if they are unsure, don't buy unless you know 100% that it is the real deal.

Have a great day.

Karen

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!!!!!!

Hi all,

Listed below are the actual ingredients in ApHOGEE Treatment for damaged hair:

Ingredients
Deionized Water, Hydrolyzed Animal Protein, Magnesium Sulfate, Citric Acid, Ethylene Urea, Dimethylol Urea, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Magnesium Carbonate, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance.

Please note that the Citric Acid listed near the top of the ingredient list in this product will definitely act as a stripper on the cuticle and that Dimethylol Urea can act to coat the cuticle.

So if you do use the product, it is very important to remove shortly after you apply it so that it doesn't damage the hair and just acts to lift buildup and other gunk that needs to be stripped off.

Hope this helps.

Karen