“Silicone-free” is a label we’re seeing more and more in the clean beauty space. Whether you’ve recently decided to transition into clean beauty or natural hair care has been a part of your beauty repertoire forever, you’ve inevitably run into the ever-popular ingredient of silicones.

Silicones give our hair a glossy, silky appearance, they lock in moisture, add slip, protect the hair shaft, reduce unwanted frizz, and they’re hypoallergenic with a low risk of irritating the skin and scalp. With so much to love about silicones, why are so many clean beauty buffs swapping out their silicone hair care products for silicone-free options? 

When it comes to your relationship with silicones, we get it: it’s complicated. You want to invest in the best products and find eco-friendly solutions that you can trust on your hair care journey. Silicones are tricky—they certainly have their benefits and give us results we love—but you shouldn’t have to compromise when it comes to choosing the best ingredients for overall hair health and protecting the environment. 

No matter where you are on your clean beauty journey, there’s never been a better time to learn all about silicones, and why they may not be necessary on your healthy hair journey as you strive to achieve your shiny hair goals.

What are silicones?

Let’s start with the basics: Silicone is a polymer made from silica (sand or quartz), oxygen and hydrogen that is very similar to rubber and plastic. It’s often used as sealants or adhesives. It can protect hair from heat damage, seal in moisture and works well as an insulator. Many beauty products include silicones for their impermeable qualities and the added bonus of shiny, frizz-free hair.

Why do silicones get such a bad rap?

First things first: silicones are not all bad and they can definitely benefit the look of your hair:

-They give hair a silky, glossy shine
-They help minimize unwanted, unmanageable frizz
-They seal and smooth the hair cuticle while locking in hydration

Where do things get slippery with silicones? It’s all about the impenetrable shiny barrier. When you use hair care products that contain silicone, it forms a shiny coating—just like a shiny clear top coat of nail polish—around the hair shaft, giving off the texture and illusion of healthy hair. Over time, this clear shiny coating:

Produces a tough barrier of buildup on our hair shaft—nothing can get out and nothing can get in (like strengthening nutrients and oils that your hair needs to thrive) 

Prevents  your strands from the absorption of nutrient-rich ingredients, resulting in dry, brittle, weak and weighed-down strands that are nutrient deficient. 
The clear coating initially seems like it’s healing your hair, but what your hair really needs is lots of love from nourishing ingredients that can penetrate the hair shaft.

What are the environmental impacts of silicones?

Silicone is extremely durable (it was built to last) and it isn't biodegradable. Washing silicones down the drain and into the ocean poses a great threat to the environment and aquatic life. Studies have shown lethal concentrations of microplastics (very tiny silicone particles) in aquatic life. Microplastics are quickly absorbed by sea life, and research shows this makes them extremely vulnerable to reproductive and digestive issues.

Clean ingredient alternatives to silicones

Making the switch from silicone-based products to a silicone-free lifestyle doesn’t mean you’ll have to sacrifice healthy, shiny, frizz-free hair. All Briogeo hair and scalp products are  6-free™, clean and sustainable. We’ve removed unnecessary sulfates, silicones, parabens, phthalates, DEA and artificial dyes and added in our unique NOVA ComplexⓇ of Natural Oils, Vitamins and Antioxidants to all of our products—an incredible blend of ingredients gives your hair the foundation it needs for long-lasting, healthy results.

Instead of silicones, we enrich our silicone-free products with natural alternatives—like the Macadamia Nut Oil found in our award-winning Don’t Despair Repair!™ Strengthening Treatment Oil—to give hair that silky texture and shiny finish you crave. Without added silicones, your hair can properly absorb and reap the benefits of our hair healthy ingredients.

A clean detox routine

How to detoxify with our Scalp Revival™ charcoal + coconut oil micro-exfoliating shampoo

✨Wet your hair and massage the shampoo into your scalp through the ends

✨Rinse and repeat as necessary 

✨Finish up with your favorite nourishing Briogeo shampoo or a post-shampoo treatment. We really love our Don’t Despair Repair! super moisture conditioner and our Don’t Despair Routine! deep conditioning mask (scientifically proven to reduce breakage in two uses!) when we’re looking for a deep detox.