Can Silicone Hair Products Cause Hair Loss?

You may know about silicone gel used in breast implants. But do you know silicone is being used in hair products since the 70’s? Yes, it’s in your shampoo and conditioner. It has several benefits.

Yet, it’s one of the most controversial ingredients in your shampoo.

The controversy is so fierce that many shampoo manufacturers now put “silicone-free” words on their product labels.

So, what’s it that makes silicone so bad? And if it’s so bad, what is it doing in your shampoo? Also, can silicone hair products cause hair loss?

Let’s find out…

What is silicone?

Silicone is a synthetic substance, a polymer, to be precise, made of siloxane. It has applications in electrical, medical, cookware, household items, and cosmetics.

It is one of the favorite ingredients of shampoo manufacturers.

It may have happened to you that you bought a shampoo and it made your hair wonderfully silky, glossy, and smoother than ever.

Well, that’s silicone working!

How does silicone make your hair glossy and lovely?

Silicone coats and seals hair cuticles. This gives your hair a lovely shine and glossiness. While sealing cuticles, moisture gets trapped inside the hair shaft, keeping your tresses well hydrated. That’s why they appear all shiny and healthy. Hair become soft and silky to touch. They appear smoother with hardly any frizz.

Silicone-containing shampoo can be useful for people with hair that are more prone to frizz during high humidity.

Then what’s bad about silicone?

Silicone seals cuticles to trap moisture and keep hair hydrated. It is fine till here. But, if you continue to use silicone hair products, over time, silicone builds up on your hair and scalp skin. This can prevent the absorption of moisture by hair. It can also block nourishing elements from entering hair follicles.

In other words, regular use of silicone can form a thick layer or buildup on hair over time, leading to a blockage of nutrients and moisture and choking follicles.

This can lead to hair loss.

So, silicone itself is not responsible for hair loss, but its buildup over time can trigger hair loss through weakening of follicles and malnourishment.

This is not all.

The buildup of silicone on hair can make them drier and dull. So, the very ingredient that was supposed to make your tresses hydrated, shiny, and smooth now makes them drier, dull, and rough due to lack of moisture.

Dry hair become weak and more prone to breakage.

To add fuel to the fire is that fact that certain common forms of silicone are insoluble in water. This means you cannot wash them off from your hair! No matter how much you rinse hair, the silicone film will stick to your hair.

Now that sounds scary, doesn’t it?

Is silicone toxic?

There is a debate on this too. Many articles and reading material available on the internet suggest that silicone is non-toxic.

However, silicone has various types, grades, and forms. Toxicity depends on the type of silicone. Food-grade silicone is not toxic. It is safe to use this type of silicone in cookware

According to studies, smaller molecules of silicone can penetrate into skin. As per The Journal of Toxicology, silicone shots can lead to multi-organ failure. A research was gathered for the National Breast Implant Litigation by the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee. It suggested that silicone affected the liver and adrenal glands, led to chronic inflammation, and degraded into smaller molecules called silica.