Silicones in hair? The myth of “suffocating plastic”

By Georgina Buscaglia, hair color and care specialist

@exhalapeluqueria

What you need to know to choose without fear.

When beauty is filled with warnings, understanding gives us freedom back. For years, “contains no silicones” became a reassuring promise. It appears in packaging, campaigns and beauty speeches as if it were an automatic guarantee of health. The message is repeated so much that it ends up establishing an almost unquestionable idea: that silicones “plasticize,” “suffocate,” or “ruin” hair.

But when something is repeated too much, it is worth stopping and asking yourself: what is really behind that fear? What is the origin of silicone?

Silicones are not born from petroleum, although they are often directly associated with it. Its base is silica, a mineral obtained from sand. So that this silica can be transformed into a stable, safe and usable ingredient in cosmetics, the industry uses complex chemical processes that include petrochemical inputs.

That does not turn silicone into petroleum or a “liquid plastic” applied to the hair. It makes it a designed material, like so many other ingredients that are part of personal care, cosmetics and health products. The industrial origin of a process does not, by itself, define how the final material works.

What do they really do in your hair?

Cosmetic silicones do not form rigid layers or hard seals. In the hair they act as flexible shields that accompany the movement of the fiber and fulfill very specific functions:
• reduce friction
• help preserve hydration
• protect against mechanical and thermal damage
• improve combability and feel

They do not wrap the hair like a bag or prevent it from “breathing” (among other things, because the hair fiber is dead and does not breathe). What they do do is reduce the wear and tear that the hair is exposed to every day: brushing, heat, rubbing, handling.

So why did they become so controversial? Rejection of silicones began to grow more than a decade ago, when “does not contain” marketing gained prominence. In this context, several factors coexisted:
• older, heavier formulas
• ineffective cleaning systems
• and simplified messages that needed a clear enemy

This is how the idea that “all silicones are the same” was established, when in reality there are different types, with very different behaviors and functions.
As with almost everything in cosmetics, the problem is not the ingredient itself, but how it is formulated and who it is intended for.

Can they cause problems? They do not damage the hair structure or “ruin” the fiber. The only thing that can happen—with silicones or any other ingredient—is cosmetic buildup if:
• the product is not suitable for that type of hair
• heavy formulas are used without proper cleaning

This may cause a feeling of weight or lack of response, but it is not real damage. It is a sign that the product is not the right one.

It is logical that today we want to consume with more awareness. But reducing the environmental impact of a cosmetic to a single ingredient is simplifying a much more complex discussion. Packaging, caps, labels, production energy and logistics are also part of a product’s total footprint. Real consciousness does not involve demonizing, but rather understanding the complete system and choosing wisely.

Choose with information, not with fear. Knowing how ingredients work allows us to leave absolute labels and make freer decisions.
Not everything “natural” is better, nor is everything “synthetic” harmful. In beauty, as in so many other areas, knowledge reduces anxiety and expands options.

When we understand, we stop choosing from fear. And beauty is once again a space of care, not guilt.