Fact or Fiction?: The Truth About Sulfates and Silicones
As far back as I can remember (after beginning my natural hair transition in 2013 and doing the big chop in 2014), there were two major ingredients that were always to be avoided: sulfates and silicones. But I recently became curious about why they were so bad. I don’t know why, but I’ve always been fascinated with the why of everything. Ask my parents about it and they’ll tell you that my “why” phase lasted longer than it did for most kids. As an adult, I still like asking why. I want to know why people believe what they believe or think what they think. So in a weird spillover effect, this interest in why has fully infiltrated most areas of my life, including hair care. So I did my research (of course) and there were some interesting finds. Let’s start with sulfates first (big thanks to Sister Scientist for the info).
There are lots of sulfates out there, and some of the things that have been said about them are true. But some of these generalizations or stereotypes aren’t totally true. The truth about sulfates is that some of them can be good when formulated well and used in moderation.
To be clear, sulfates are detergents, or surfactants, commonly found in products like shampoo, body wash, face cleanser, and toothpaste (in addition to household cleaning products, like laundry and dish detergent). Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) are known to be some of the harshest surfactants due to their potential to be drying to the skin and hair. However, the word sulfate is just a chemical designation for the chemical structure SO42-. According to Sister Scientist, the problem isn’t the structure; it’s the chemical process called sulfation that treats an alcohol with sulfur trioxide gas, leaving the newly formed alcohol sulfuric acid not stable due to sulfate’s negative charge, potentially leaving behind traces of dioxane (an odorless ether liquid that can be irritating to the eyes and respiratory system). So yes, this may be one of the reasons why sulfates get a bad rep.
A number of products claim that they contain “oil derived” surfactants. Although this may be true, it ultimately does not matter whether the source of the alcohol is from a natural source or not, it is the sulfation process that makes the surfactant potentially harmful. SLES undergoes the same sulfation process, but the only difference is that it is first ethoxylated to reduce the irritancy factor of the sulfation process; however, it too can still leave behind traces of dioxane.It ultimately does not matter whether the source of the alcohol is from a natural source or not, it is the sulfation process that makes the surfactant potentially harmful. That’s the part! Right there!
There are four categories of surfactants and a surfactant’s designation is determined by the type of charge on the polar end of the molecule:
Anionic surfactants
Anionic surfactants are typically used in shampoos because the negative charge of the surfactant repels the negative charge that exists on the surface of the hair while forming micelles (or a bubble-like structures) around the dirt, removing it from the surface. This process often has the ability to raise the cuticle slightly. Common surfactants in this category are SLS, SLES, and sulfosucciantes.
Nonionic surfactants
Nonionic surfactants are not ideal for cleansing, but are used primarily to modify the level of foam and aid in solubility. Cocamide MEA and coco glucoside are examples of this type of surfactant.
Amphoteric (or zwitterionic) surfactants
Amphoteric (or zwitterionic) surfactants are the mildest of the surfactant categories. They have positively and negatively charge groups that help to reduce the irritancy of other surfactants in a formulation. The most common surfactants that fall under this category are called betaines (these are frequently used in baby or no-tear shampoos).
Cationic surfactants
Cationic surfactants are most commonly used in conditioners and serve as great detangling and softening agents. Some of the more common cationic surfactants are monofunctional cationic compounds such as cetrimonium chloride or quaternary ammonium compounds such as dicetyldimonium chloride and behentrimoium methosulfate (BTMS).
Behentrimonium methosulfate
Behentrimonium methosulfate is less irritating and creates a more neutral/stable compound. It also has the ability to impart some great conditioning properties to the hair by increasing slip and helping to close the cuticle (one example of a seemingly bad ingredient that has some beneficial attributes, when used properly and in the right context).
Now, let’s move on to silicones.
Silicone is a mineral commonly used in hair-care products. It provides slip and shine and can help smooth and straighten hair. There are many different kinds, characterized by names ending in -cone, -col, -conol, and -zane.
People often use them because of the slip they provide (which is great for detangling) and their ability to combat frizz. However, they’re a common enemy because most of them aren’t water-soluble, meaning they don’t easily wash out of the hair. So naturally, they can cause build up and really weigh the hair down. The kinds of non-water soluble silicones are the bad ones. But there are good ones the don’t build up as easily and they’re water-soluble.
The water-soluble silicones are Stearoxy Dimethicone and Behenoxy Dimethicone. The non-water soluble silicones are
Trimethylsilylamodimethicone
Amodimethicone
Cyclopentasiloxane
Cyclomethicone
Dimethicone
Cetyl Dimethicone
Cetearyl Methicone
Dimethiconol
Stearyl Dimethicone
If you choose to use silicones, you most properly remove them from your hair every wash day.
The best way to do this is to get a clarifying shampoo and follow up with a deep conditioner because the clarifying shampoo will have a drying effect.
So there you have it! The truth about sulfates and silicones. Where do you stand, are you a friend or enemy of these notorious no-no ingredients for natural hair?