Is silicone bad for natural black hair?

Written by Samara on March 12, 2010

Is silicone bad for natural black hair? That’s the question of the day. The answer to this question is both yes and no, because it depends on the type of silicone you are using and your own haircare regimen.

Silicone can create an illusion of silky, shiny hair because it smooths the hair cuticle making it appear healthy. Silicone can also  cause buildup in the hair, if the hair isn’t clarified of them on a regular basis, but to know how to clarify the hair, it’s best to know what kind of silicone you are putting in your hair. There are 2 types of silicone’s: The chemically modified water soluble kind, and the non-water soluble kind. The water soluble kind can be washed out with regular co-washes and water using a non-silicone containing shampoo and a good rinsing. On the other hand the kind that isn’t water soluble will need certain ingredients contained in a shampoo to remove it.

Below I have a chart that I borrowed from naturallycurly.com which breaks down the most common types of silicone used in hair products, and what ingredients to look for in your shampoo to remove them:

Silicone	Water soluble?	Recommended cleansing agents
Dimethicone	No	SLS, SLES, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, ALS, or ALES
Dimethiconol	No	SLS, SLES, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, ALS, or ALES
Phenyl Trimethicone	No	SLS, SLES, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, ALS, or ALES
Amodimethicone	No	SLS, SLES, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, ALS, or ALES
Cyclomethicone	No	cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, other mild surfactants, or conditioner washing
PEG-modified dimethicone	Yes	cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, other mild surfactants, or conditioner washing
Dimethicone copolyol	Yes	cocamidopropyl betaine, cocobetaine, other mild surfactants, or conditioner washing

If you want to view this chart on their website click here.