Compared to other hair types, coils and curls are particularly fragile. That's because all types of curly hair are dry due to the bend in each curl. The area where the curl bends has less protective layers which means it is porous and can't hold on to moisture well. More kinks in a strand means more issues with dryness and breakage. With that in mind, the #1 goal of a good regimen for ethnic hair is to keep the hair moisturized and therefore minimize breakage.
To prevent breakage between washes, you'll need products that help seal moisture in.
When you apply a sealant to moisturized skin or hair, the moisture can stay in for a few hours, instead of quickly evaporating away. If you don't apply an effective sealant, the skin or hair will become overly dry within hours and you'll need to re-apply moisture over and over again. Many African American women with natural hair choose plant-based oils like coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, and shea butter. Those natural substances have many proven benefits for the hair, but they actually don't make the best sealants.
For many years, the best personal care sealant available was mineral oil, a byproduct of petroleum. In scientific studies, mineral oil was shown to provide a better seal or protective layer than other oils. Since African American hair is known to be porous, mineral oil and petrolatum began to appear in most ethnic hair care products. Even though the products created back then were very simple, they provided two crucial elements: water for moisture and mineral oil as a highly effective sealant (and pretty good heat protectant too).
Fast forward a few decades and moisturized hair is not enough. African American and Multi-Ethnic women want their hair to be soft, but not greasy - and strong, but not stiff. Customers also want their hair to be easy to comb, even if it hasn't been washed in days and thermal protection for flat irons that get as hot as 450°F. There is no natural oil that can meet all of those demands which explains why hair care companies began using silicones.
Synthetic oils protect your hair from heat and combing without leaving it greasy
Silicones are synthetic oils. They are made in science labs for use in hair care, pharmaceuticals, food, and hundreds of other products. The first popular silicone, dimethicone, has been used in skin creams and lotions since the 1950s. About 20 years ago, the cosmetic industry realized that dimethicone would be useful in hair products. In studies, dimethicone was found to condition the hair better than mineral oil.
Despite the proven advantages of silicones, some women make a big effort to avoid them. They are often choosing to follow the hair care method promoted by Lorraine Massey in her 2001 instructional book for curly-haired women, Curly Girl: The Handbook. Regarding silicones, Massey wrote: "I suggest that you avoid conditioners that use silicones. Although they do add temporary shine to the hair, I find they weigh down curly hair. (That means avoid using products with ingredients whose name end in -cone.) The ingredients you absolutely need in conditioner include emollients, humectants, proteins, and moisturizers."
Four years later, in a Q&A featured on NaturallyCurly.com, Massey admitted that her original book was written before she ever heard of more sophisticated silicones like amodimethicone. Unfortunately, misinformation had already spread across the Internet and to this day, silicones are wrongly blamed for drying out the hair due to build up when in reality the opposite is true.
Any oil, natural or synthetic, can build up on the hair, but you can easily avoid build up by cleaning your hair with shampoo. If you feel like shampoo is damaging, that's a sign that your shampoo needs an upgrade. Always choose a shampoo that says "dry", "damaged", "fragile", and/or "chemically-treated" hair on the label. A good shampoo gently removes build up from your hair.and conditions your strands at the same time. For more about how to choose the best shampoo for your hair, check out Coils & Curls The Hair Product Handbook: Helping the Product Junkies of the world buy SMARTER, sort through marketing HYPE and save MONEY!
by Nicole Harmon.
by Nicole Harmon.Help your hair stay moisturized by applying a shine or smoothing serum to finish your style
Silicones, especially dimethicone, are in many parts of our lives. You can find them in "oil-free" lotions, deodorants, skin medications, and even Chicken McNuggets. The reason thousands of hair products contain synthetic oils instead of natural oils is because they work extremely well to condition, soften, and seal the hair without weighing it down. It can't hurt to add a serum as a final step after you style your hair. Although, more women are becoming educated, you might still find advice that recommends a "no silicones" or "no shampoo" regimen to combat dryness. Feel free to experiment, but if you don't see the results you hoped for (the results should be softer, more manageable hair!) come on back to the other side.
Updated September 18 2012
Oh wow! This was very informative. Definitely making me rethink how I choose my hair products.
Great Article! Very Informative! I might start trying different products now to see if I get better results :)
So is it a disadvantage to have a no-cone regimen? I have finally found some staple products that I love and my regimen just so happens to be a no-cone one by chance should I try to switch out some products?
Hi QueenD, Only your hair can answer that question. If you love your products and your hair is not breaking, you may not want to change things up....this is literally a case of, "If it's not broke, don't fix it". But, if your hair is brittle or breaking, or basically not retaining length, you may want to start trying silicones in your rinse out or leave-in conditioner.
That definitely explains a lot in terms of the behavior of my hair. Thanks so much for this information.
How do you remoisturize with silicones?
Hi Anon, silicones are permeable just like natural oils. The moisture may penetrate more slowly, but it will still absorb into your hair. Just moisturize as usual and let it be.
Would using a conditioner with a silicone in it be enough to moisturize and seal my hair? Or would I have to use a serum on top of my hair with conditioner already on it?
Hi Anon, It depends on your hair. If it gets very dry easily, a serum will probably help, but start with a conditioner that has silicones and see how your hair responds. Also, make sure you're using a leave-in conditioner. If you do those things and your hair still seems to dry out quickly, a serum would be the next step.
Hi!
SUPER article! Regarding sealing your hair, what "breaks" the seal? For example if I shampoo, condition, put in a leave-in, styler and seal with oil, what will break that seal? When I refresh my curls the next day?
Thanks!
Hi BEU, Thanks for your question. The seal is never that strong. Silicones are better sealants than oils, but water and products can always get through. The seal just slows down how quickly your hair absorbs things, it doesn't keep anything from absorbing completely. Try refreshing your curls with just water or a little leave-in. If you've already used a leave-in, styler, and oil on your wash day, your hair won't be able to take much more before it starts to look stringy or weighed down.
I like this article...very enlightening. I wanted to know what does it mean when your ends are not as soft as the rest of your hair (its not unbearable but i just hate it). I knewly transitioned and cut the remainder of my ends & so far I have been enjoying my hair for the exception of this. Any suggestions on what to do.
Thanks in advance.
Hi anon3, It's really hard to say. Do your ends feel rough before you put your products on or only after when your hair is dry?
This article is very informative also makes me rethink how I pick my products; I have been using products since I was a kid that now as a natural youmg lady, I have stopped using. Now that I think about it, my hair was still heathy usong them and my hair still grew. I miss some of those products!
Hi Nila! I hear that a LOT. Glad the article was helpful :)
Some people are able to moisturize their hair by spritzing it with some water and sealing it with oil. When I try that method, my hair feels VERY rough and course when it dries. What causes this, and how can I prevent it?
Hi Anon,
The results you get from sealing with a natural oil depend on the type of oil and how much you use. Cut the amount of oil you use in half, even if that means you'll use a tiny amount. If you like the results better, then you know you were using too much for your hair. If you don't like the results after using less, try a different oil. Almond oil isn't as popular as some of the others, but I think it's the best natural oil for sealing.
Lorraine Messey has a new edition of her book "Curly Girl" which was edited after that feature on Naturallycurly.com. She still advocates the no cones, no sulfate method. I am so confused.
Hi Anon, Thank you for commenting. I completely understand your confusion! If the CG method gives you the results you want, there's no reason to change what you're doing. If avoiding shampoo and silicones isn't working for you, I want you to feel comfortable putting them back in your routine. Let me know if I can help you any further.
I was very into the "Curly Girl" method after I bought the book a few years ago. Unfortunately, my hair still experienced breakage and frizzies despite giving up all my hair products that contained silicones (I've been doing this for several years). I recently had two occasions to observe several representatives of the DevaCurl product lines (Lorraine Massey's products) and was sad to see that most of their "reps" had hair that looked greasy and droopy (their hair was very unnatractive with hard looking curls). This really got me to thinking about whether conventional silicone hair products were really so bad after all. Since I'm not experiencing any better hair by avoiding using silicones, I'm thinking of going back.