Amodimethicone: Good or Bad?

I have been seriously contemplating switching to a low-silicone product line-up lately. It's not because I think silicones are the devil, it's because my hair has not been getting along with shampoo lately.

So, I'm about ready to go back to WEN. I used Sweet Almond Mint last year and LOOOOOOVED it. Ooooh wee! Hairgasm!

But I digress...as I checked what I could find of the ingredients, I noticed Amodimethicone. After doing some research, I found an incredible article by Tonya McKay called CurlChemist: Amodimethicone and other Amine-functionalized Silicones.

This article is very technical and breaks down the chemistry of popular silicones.

In a nutshell, popular silicones like Amodimethicone and Dimethicone do coat the hair. Here's the catch, there is an "electrostatic attraction" to damaged areas of hair and will coat that area of hair also providing selective conditioning agents to last through a few washes.

Here's a quote from her article:

"Once the amine-functional silicone is deposited onto the surface of the hair, it spreads out and forms a cross linked film when it dries. This cross linked film can last through several washings, which is considered to be advantageous in most applications. A unique property of these polymers is that once in place on the surface of the hair, they repel further deposition of amine-functional polymers on top of the existing layer, preventing buildup. This cross-linked film seals moisture inside the hair shaft, holding the cuticle flat and providing excellent wet and dry comb-ability. An additional benefit of these silicones over other cationic polymers (such as polyquats) is their high refractive index, which gives the hair a high degree of gloss and shine."

According to this article, some silicones can provide benefits to our hair. I believe that products that contain silicones further down the ingredient list are still better for textured hair than those that contain silicones in the first 5 ingredients.

Click the article title for a direct link to the article.

Posted in: Natural Hair,Relaxed Hair