The Truth About Silicones in Your Hair Care Products

What Is Silicone in Hair Products Used for?
Silicones in shampoos, conditioners, and styling products aim to give hair added slip and shine and make tangled or flyaway hair easier to tame and detangle. That’s because they form a protective barrier around individual hair strands.
As silicone is heat-resistant, you’ll find it in heat protection sprays, too.
Why Is Silicone Considered Bad to Use on Your Hair?
You may be fully aware of the silicone-free movement, with lots of hair care products now displaying a “silicone-free” label.
But with all the benefits of silicone such as heat resistance and styling, why do some people consider it bad for your hair?
Many people are flocking to more natural products to use on their hair and body for a gentler approach to beauty. As silicones are synthetic, they’re considered “fake” to some.
What Are the Risks of Using Silicones?
First things first, silicone in hair products is not toxic. It’s safe to use and won’t cause any bodily harm.
The biggest issue with some silicones is that because they act as a waterproof agent, they coat the hair and won’t let any moisturizing or hydrating ingredients into the hair shaft. Plus, with every use, it builds up on the hair, creating a residue that leaves the hair eventually looking dull and lifeless.
In the short term, silicones can help give hair a healthy, nourished appearance. Over time, hair may become weak and dehydrated, with silicone preventing your hair care products like conditioners from doing their job properly.
However, it’s important to note that not all silicones are created equal.
Chemists at Prose formulate our silicone-based products with PEG-7 dimethicone. It’s water-soluble and lightweight, meaning it’s less likely to build up or block moisture from getting through to your strands, resulting in hydrated, nourished-looking hair. But don’t worry! If you don’t want your custom Prose products to contain silicone, you can choose to easily remove them from your formula.

Are There Alternatives to Silicones?
Absolutely! If you’d rather not use silicones as part of your hair care routine, there are plenty of natural alternatives that offer the same manageability, shine and moisture. At Prose, we call them vegetable oils. Just don’t use them in your cooking!
We use capryloyl glycerin and sebacic acid copolymer, which derive from coconut and castor oils. They help enhance the softness of your hair. For hydrated locks, we use almond oil, among others. And to lock that hydration in, we’re big fans of hydrogenated palm glycerides.
Prose Silicone-Free Hair Products
For a gentle approach to caring for your hair, try Prose products from pre-wash to styling.
Our Pre-Shampoo Hair Mask and Pre-Shampoo Scalp Mask help bring back balance to your scalp and restore moisture in your hair, from root to tip. For regular washing, our shampoo and conditioner formulas are deeply cleansing without being too harsh for daily use.
To hydrate your hair before washing or styling, our hair oil preserves the condition of your strands and smooths away frizz. And to get rid of tangles, our custom leave-in conditioner helps make hair easier to style and quenches hair’s thirst with a shot of moisture.
Safe and Sustainable Ingredients With Prose Products
We create cruelty-free, ethical hair care, with no added parabens, sulfates, phthalates, dyes, mineral oils or GMOs. When you choose Prose, we craft products around your individual needs and leave out ingredients that haven’t worked for you in the past. Plus, we’re happy to formulate your custom blend to be vegan, silicone-free or fragrance-free.
I am fine with trying your siliCone; since it dosent sound like it will build up on my hair.
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Unfortunatèly you are incorrect regarding Dimethicone
It is not vwater soluble there are tons of references regarding how damaging this silicone is to hair. AND IT HAS TO BE REMOVED WITH CLARIFYING SHAMPOO HAIR PRODUCTS.
Bad” silicones (including dimethicone, cetyl dimethicone, cetearyl methicone, dimethiconol, stearyl dimethicone, cyclomethicone, amodimethicone, trimethylsilylamodimethicone, and cyclopentasiloxane) are the ones that are not water-soluble—meaning that no matter how much you rinse, they’ll stubbornly coat your locks …
One type of silicone in particular makes the list of dangerous hair ingredients: dimethicone. According to the hair experts. , “Dimethicone is a type of silicone that is used in a ton of hair products and contributes to product buildup that makes your hair feel greasy.”
“Since it acts as a protecting cover on the surface of the hair, it stops moisture and nutrients from coming in and instead collects dirt and residue and causes major hair breakage. It can clog the pores on the scalp and cause skin irritation,”
Please do your homework.
Heat plus silicone equates to grey hair turning yellow. Since stopping silicone products, all yellow is gone.
Hi! There are many reasons why gray hair can turn yellow. Gray hair has little to no pigment which means it can take on pigments from its environment. Things like chlorine, colored hair products, sun, and other factors can all attribute to yellowing hair 🙂
-Keely, Prose Community Manager
I just got my Prose box with the shampoo/conditioner and the hair mask! I am IN LOVE! I just tried it for the first time, and i chose Silicone Free, and let me tell you, I have long, course hair in need of hydration. Well, I found all the Hydration i need! I am absolutely in awe of the way my hair feels drying on its own, without a hair dryer. Usually, it dries frizzy and unmanageable, but it is drying right now without a dryer and my waves are more defined, it is smooth, soft and my coarseness has become softness. While this is my first silicone free, I may try it with the silicone next time just to see if I can tell the difference BUT I must say, i am so happy right now that I am letting it air dry and not worrying about FRIZZ! Thank you, Prose, for my custom shampoo and conditioner! I live in humid Texas, where the weather has its own mind and you never know what it will be. Well, now i don’t care what the humidity is because this Prose shampoo and conditioner will definitely keep my hair under control! Thanks, Prose! I’m hooked
Yay! We are so thrilled to hear this, Melissa! <3
-Keely, Prose Community Manager
I did not see dimethicone on the label. That is a silicone. Silicone with heat turns the hair yellow if you happen to be gray. I’m very sad, because I loved the mousse. I don’t want yellow hair. And I had no yellow in my hair prior to using this, as I have been avoiding silicone for three years now. I know other things can make your hair yellow, but silicones definitely do for me. And I’m not fond of purple shampoos, which everyone seems to think you should use if you’re gray. Stop listing silicone free products when they have silicones in them PLEASE! And, other than that, this is a great product.
Hi there! Thanks for this feedback. Could you be thinking of another brand? We do not sell a mousse and we always offer the option to make your custom products silicone-free if you prefer 🙂
-Keely, Prose SEO & Community Manager