Ladies - I have noticed that my natural hair has gotten really cripsy lately. The Loreal Vive Intense conditioner was one culprit, although I couldn't figure out why. Then I noticed that my beloved NTM Conditioner would give me the same feeling. But lucky for me I was reading my latest ELLE magazine and came across an article about Silicone ... Here are the details:
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"Silicone - a slippery, flexible synthetic polymer - coats individual strands, thereby sealing damaged spots, boosting shine and loosening tangles. "It works because it repels water, but that means it can disrupt the moisture balance and give hair a dry, crispy feeling over time," says hairstylist Stuart Gavert, the owner of the Gavert Atelier salon in Beverly Hills. "It's addictive - the more you use it, the more you need it."
And the more you need to wash it out. River Lloyd, a hairstylist at the Peter Coppola salon in New York City, compares silicone to double-stick tape because it adheres to hair while attracting dirt and oil. Hair can end up lackluster and limp if buildup isn't washed away with a clarifying shampoo. On the other hand, "for hair that's already dry or color-treated, cleansing too vigorously can take away some of the shine and bounce you were going for in the first place," says Lloyd, who recommends using the ultragentle Neutrogena Clean shampoo every few days. But for those with even remotely dry or processed hair, Gavert suggests restricting deep cleaning to once a week and advises following with a conditioning mask to keep hair moisturized and supple.
Silicone is pretty hard to avoid. "Almost all products contain it," Gavert says, "often in the form of dimethicone or trimethicone." The key to minimizing the fallout from daily use? Start by examining the formula's texture. "Slippery serums tend to be pure silicone and will dry hair more quickly than cream formulas," says Gavert, who likes Phyto 7 Plant-based Treatment creams and Phyto 9 Botanical Hydrating Cream, which hydrate split ends while sealing them.
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Now, I know ELLE's audience is white females but I think the information about dry hair is valuable.
HHG !!
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"Silicone - a slippery, flexible synthetic polymer - coats individual strands, thereby sealing damaged spots, boosting shine and loosening tangles. "It works because it repels water, but that means it can disrupt the moisture balance and give hair a dry, crispy feeling over time," says hairstylist Stuart Gavert, the owner of the Gavert Atelier salon in Beverly Hills. "It's addictive - the more you use it, the more you need it."
And the more you need to wash it out. River Lloyd, a hairstylist at the Peter Coppola salon in New York City, compares silicone to double-stick tape because it adheres to hair while attracting dirt and oil. Hair can end up lackluster and limp if buildup isn't washed away with a clarifying shampoo. On the other hand, "for hair that's already dry or color-treated, cleansing too vigorously can take away some of the shine and bounce you were going for in the first place," says Lloyd, who recommends using the ultragentle Neutrogena Clean shampoo every few days. But for those with even remotely dry or processed hair, Gavert suggests restricting deep cleaning to once a week and advises following with a conditioning mask to keep hair moisturized and supple.
Silicone is pretty hard to avoid. "Almost all products contain it," Gavert says, "often in the form of dimethicone or trimethicone." The key to minimizing the fallout from daily use? Start by examining the formula's texture. "Slippery serums tend to be pure silicone and will dry hair more quickly than cream formulas," says Gavert, who likes Phyto 7 Plant-based Treatment creams and Phyto 9 Botanical Hydrating Cream, which hydrate split ends while sealing them.
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Now, I know ELLE's audience is white females but I think the information about dry hair is valuable.
HHG !!
I didn't know anything about these 'cones' before. Now I'm off to go check the ingredients of all my products.
I just deep conditioned with miraculous recovery just last night! I kept thinking "my, this hair feels smooth". 
