Silicone "murder" hairline? You may not know the truth about these shampoos
"No silicone oil, no irritation!" "Natural extracts must be better than chemicals!" In recent years, rumors about "silicone oil added in traditional shampoos will clog pores, cause hair loss, and even cause cancer." The shampoo is "out of favor". Silicone-free shampoo quickly occupied the market, even though the price is much more expensive than silicone-containing shampoo, it still caused consumers to pursue it.
So, what exactly is silicone oil? Is it really the culprit that causes hair loss, skin irritation and even cancer? Are consumers going to buy high-priced zero-silicone oil care products? The reporter visited Sun Jie, the pharmacist in charge of the Nanjing Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences with these questions, and heard what the professionals said.
Silicone oil can effectively relieve hair damage
"Silicone oil is an organosiloxane, dimethyl silicone oil is used more in the care and cosmetics industry." Sun Jie told the Science and Technology Daily reporter.
In the chemical industry, silicone oil is actually a general term for dimethicone, cyclomethicone or derivatives thereof. Silicone oil is a non-volatile, transparent, non-toxic and non-corrosive liquid with stable chemical properties and high safety.
In the shampoo, the scientific name of silicone oil is "polydimethylsiloxane", which has good viscosity and ductility, that is, it is very similar to the oily substances extracted from natural plants.
Our ancestors originally used natural plant extracts to cleanse hair and skin. With the development of the chemical industry and the increasing demand for shampoo products, silicone oil has been used in shampoo products for 70 years.
Why add silicone oil to the shampoo? This starts with the structure of the hair.
Our hair grows out of the hair follicles of the scalp, and its main component is keratin. There are many scales on each hair. The outermost layer of hair scales is 7-10 layers of dead cells, covering the surface of the hair to protect the core. The healthy hair scales are complete and snug, so the hair surface is smooth and looks shiny and bright.
Sun Jie told reporters that when shampooing, the grease that protects the hair scales for lubrication will be washed away, and the hair scales will lift when combing hair, which increases the friction between the hair and makes the hair easy Entangled together, thereby exacerbating the damage to the hair scales. If the hair is dyed and permed, the scales will be opened and the hair will look dry and dull.
The silicone oil can be absorbed with the hair, fill the unevenness caused by the protrusions of the hair scales, reduce the friction between the hairs, make the hair easy to comb and have smoothness, and effectively alleviate the hair damage.
At the same time, silicone oil is also a kind of skin moisturizing ingredient, which can cover the skin to form a protective layer to prevent the skin from losing water. It is often used in moisturizers.
Serious hair loss is not the fault of silicone oil
All along, there are many misunderstandings about silicone oil, such as skin irritation, allergies, and even hear the rumors that silicone oil is toxic and carcinogenic.
"Silicone oil is widely used in cosmetics or skin care products, and it has been approved by regulatory authorities around the world and can be used in cosmetics." Sun Jie pointed out that silicone oil itself is non-toxic and odorless, causing less skin irritation and allergies.
There have been rumors that “silicone oil causes cancer, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned silicone oil.” The reporter checked the FDA official website and found that dimethicone coded 009006659 is dimethyl silicone oil, which is clearly used by FDA for cosmetics Ingredients, and many internationally renowned brands are clearly marked as containing silicone oil.
In addition, the reporter consulted the literature, and found no reports of cancer caused by silicone oil.
“The American Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Group evaluated the safety of silicone oil preparations in 2003. The silicone oil concentrations of the products evaluated were mostly ≤15%. The expert group believes that silicone oil has a large molecular weight and will not be absorbed by the skin. Animals or humans have carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic toxicity. "Sun Jie said that in 2014, the CIR expert group evaluated 62 cosmetics containing dimethyl silicone oil cross-linked polymers, and considered them safe and non-carcinogenic. Sex.
In addition, the reporter consulted China's national standard on shampoo and shampoo "GB / T29679-2013", which did not restrict the use of silicone oil. Therefore, there is no need to "look at the silicone oil and change color."
In recent years, many people have a "Mediterranean" hairstyle before they are thirty years old. Therefore, some people think that this is caused by the use of shampoo containing silicone oil.
"It is normal for an adult to lose 70-100 hairs a day, and it is obvious that a lot of hair is lost, or it needs to be paid attention to in pieces." Sun Jie said.
Silicone oil is insoluble in water. Long-term cleaning will not block scalp hair follicles, but the concentration of silicone oil in shampoo products is only about 1%, and only 0.1 grams of silicone oil (about 0.1ml) in 10ml of shampoo. On the surface of the hair, the hair follicles may be blocked very little, and there is no report of silicone oil blocking the hair follicles.
Sun Jie introduced that in recent years, the application of improved water-soluble silicone oil in the care products, so that when shampooing, silicone oil can be more effectively attached to the hair, and less residue on the skin.
In addition, a person's scalp can secrete up to 1 gram of oil per day, and 0.1 grams of silicone oil is really dwarfed by the amount of scalp oil produced per day. And the grease is constantly drained out, even if a little silicone oil enters the pores, it is easy to drain out with the grease.
Sun Jie told reporters that in modern society, people working overtime, emotional stress, endocrine disorders, irritating diets, dieting, etc. are all causes of hair loss. Silicone oil undoubtedly bears a "big black pot" in this regard.
Hair care products purchase depends on hair quality
In recent years, silicone-free shampoos have quickly occupied the market. Even if the price is 5-10 times more expensive than silicone-containing shampoos, consumers are still rushing.
Intensive advertising campaigns, the "recommended" when online celebrities live and bring goods, focus consumers' attention on silicone-free shampoo, but many consumers have not yet figured out what silicone-free means, and see others use their own Follow along. As a result, some people produce more oil, and some people worsen the dryness of the scalp and split ends.
"Zero silicone oil shampoo is also developed by manufacturers to meet the needs of Western consumers. Most people in Europe and America have soft hair and do not need to add a lot of lubricating grease." Sun Jie explained, but yellow hair is hard, many people often Hair dyeing, so how to choose depends on the hair.
In addition, even though many products claim to have no silicone oil in the shampoo, they also add other lubricating vegetable oil ingredients. These vegetable oils may also block hair follicles. At the same time, some people may irritate the scalp after use and produce allergic reactions.
Therefore, Sun Jie suggested that consumers should choose the appropriate shampoo according to their own situation. If you often perm and color your hair and have hair care needs, you can choose a silicone oil-containing shampoo; if you have oily skin, fine hair and hair volume are less , You can choose a shampoo without silicone oil to produce a relatively fluffy hairstyle effect.
For people with dry scalp, less oil secretion, rough hair or long-term permation, which can cause hair damage, you can use a silicone oil shampoo to make the hair smooth and easy to manage; some hair is dry and often permed Women, it is more appropriate to choose shampoo containing silicone oil.
Sun Jie pointed out that whether it is a silicone oil-containing shampoo or a silicone oil-free shampoo has its own advantages, and it is best to suit your hair quality. Therefore, you can choose shampoo with or without silicone oil according to your needs.
Tips
Wash your hair properly, don't step on the pit
Is it better to use hot water for washing hair?
Excessive water temperature can easily damage hair scales and scalp. For people with oily hair, high temperatures can also stimulate the sebaceous glands and make the hair oily.
Recommendation: The water temperature should be similar to the human body temperature.
Apply the shampoo directly to the head?
Pour the shampoo directly on the hair, it will cause great irritation to the scalp, and even cause inflammation.
Suggestion: Rub the shampoo into foam, then rub it on the hair.
How much more moisturizing conditioner?
Applying too much conditioner or staying on the head for too long may put a burden on the scalp and aggravate the problem of hair scalp.
Suggestion: Just apply it to the rough end of the hair. After applying the conditioner to the hair, when the hair is dry and split, you can wear a shower cap to help absorb nutrients.
Should I dry my hair after washing?
After washing the hair, the scales of the hair are opened. At this time, the hair is very fragile. If you rub the hair hard, the scales will be damaged and the hair will become rough.
Recommendation: Wrap your hair with an absorbent towel to absorb moisture.
Air dry after washing?
Many people worry that hair dryer may damage hair. In fact, hair is more prone to bacteria when it is semi-humid and semi-dry.
Suggestion: After wiping with a towel each time, use a hair dryer to blow dry, short hair to more than 90% dry, long hair to blow 70% dry.
(Source: Popular Science China)