Our mission at Hello Joyous is to create functional beauty products that harness the power of plant botanicals to nourish and protect your hair and skin from head to toe. Each product we create is not only great for you, they’re also kind to the planet. Every single one of our skincare, hair care, and body care products are free of chemicals of concern, including silicones. 

Luckily, every day is a new opportunity to use products that nourish and support our bodies, inside and out. There are hundreds of chemicals and additives used in the conventional beauty industry that we avoid since we are natural and clean beauty junkies! Today we are highlighting an ingredient that is used industry wide in everything from cosmetics to haircare products: silicones and their relatives siloxanes. The first step to making a change to your beauty routine is learning about what ingredients you want to avoid, why you want to avoid them, and how to spot them.

What are Silicones? 

Made from silica, silicones and siloxanes are synthetic polymers that are used in products for their occlusive properties. That means that silicones seal the skin and/or hair to prevent moisture from getting in or out. They are commonly used because they’re easy to manufacture and low cost. When added to products they create a silky smooth feeling when used. Siloxanes are another silicone-based compound that are used for the same effects across the cosmetics and beauty industries.

Unfortunately, they aren’t the best choice if you’re looking to truly nourish and moisturize your hair and skin because they provide a superficial smoothness. We consider them fillers since none of the benefits last after you wash them off, if you even can. 

Why Are Silicones Used in Beauty Products? 

Since roughly 1950 silicones  have been used in the cosmetics industry and have made their way into hair and skincare products. They create a synthetic velvety feeling and smooth application in hair, skin, and cosmetic products by creating a film. Far from nourishing the skin and hair, this film can build up and cause damage down the line.  

In fact, aside from helping speed up wound-healing, the only benefits of silicones are truly superficial. If your hair or skin are dry, figuring out the root cause and supporting their health inside and out will have much better long term effects than applying a synthetic product designed to mask the issue. 

What Are the Negative Effects of Silicones?

1. Silicones don’t break down over time

Silicones and siloxanes are classified as persistent environmental chemicals, meaning they don’t break down over time causing a build up in the environment. As you will see below, these chemicals can negatively impact hormones and fertility, so this is absolutely not a chemical we want hanging around our environment long-term.

2. Silicones can impact hormone health 

There is some evidence that cyclotetrasiloxane can impact hormone function and may negatively impact fertility. According to the David Suzuki Foundation, the European Union has classified it as a known hormone disrupting chemical. 

You’ll often find this form of siloxane in shampoos, so if you struggle with hormonal issues make sure you look for a siloxane-free shampoo and conditioner. You can learn more ways to avoid hormone disrupting chemicals in your life in this article. 

3. Silicones can block pores

The occlusive properties of silicones prevent air and moisture from entering the skin, but that means they can trap impurities in the pores. If you regularly use products on your face or body that contain silicones, you could be inadvertently contributing to breakouts. Combine the pore blocking action with the need for strong cleansers to remove the silicone film left behind leading to damage to the skin microbiome and you’ve got a surefire recipe for acne. 

To get a soft, smooth look that is anything but superficial, try our two-ingredient Hella Hydrating Serum. It’s made with a combination of organic cold-pressed rosehip oil and hyaluronic acid to moisturize and hydrate the skin while infusing it with antioxidants for an all natural glow.

4. Silicons are hard to wash off

Silicones are extremely hydrophobic, which means that they repel water making them incredibly difficult to wash off. In order to completely cleanse them from your hair or skin you may need to rely on harsh cleansing products that can end up stripping your hair and skin’s natural oils, leading to dryness, damage, or breakouts. 

5. Silicones can damage hair 

Silicones are most commonly used in hair care products because they create a sort of barrier on the outside of the hair shaft that makes hair seem soft and smooth. However, as with its use on the skin, this barrier provides superficial softness and prevents moisture from penetrating your hair. This can lead to brittle, damaged, and dry hair that breaks easily. 

Rather than relying on the illusion of soft silky hair from synthetic ingredients, try deeply nourishing and moisturizing each strand with an all-natural shampoo and conditioner. Both products are made from a base of aloe vera and infused with jojoba oil, lavender and rosemary essential oils for hair that truly shines! 

6. Silicones weigh down hair 

The hydrophobic nature of silicones makes them difficult to rinse out of your hair. If you are regularly using products loaded with silicones it can make your hair feel heavy and weighed down from the buildup. It’s often recommended that people who use these products regularly use a clarifying shampoo, which removes the silicone build up but which can also strip your hair of the natural oils that keep it soft and healthy. 

Our Hello Joyous All Natural Shampoo and Conditioner with Aloe and Lavender provide shine and moisture without weighing you down!

How to Spot Silicones on Labels

In order to avoid products that contain silicones, keep a look out for the following:

• Amodimethicone
• Cetearyl Methicone
• Cetyl Dimethicone
• Cyclomethicone
• Cyclopentasiloxane
• Cyclotetrasiloxane
• Dimethicone
• Dimethiconol
• Dimethicone Copolyol
• Lauryl Methicone Copolyol
• Pheryl Trimethicone
• Stearyl Dimethicone

Avoid any ingredient on the label that ends in the suffix “cone” or that uses the prefix “PEG” as that indicates that it contains or is a variation of silicones or siloxane. 

Clean Beauty Alternatives to Silicones

Silicones and siloxanes, such as dimethicone, are found in everything from deodorants to cosmetics to moisturizers and hair products. Unfortunately, their benefits are completely superficial and can be harmful to hair, skin, and the planet. Hello Joyous is passionate about creating products with real beauty benefits that contain truly moisturizing ingredients that deeply nourish the skin and hair. 

Our flagship product, the Ultra-Moisturizing Body Butter is made with a blend of ultra-moisturizing shea, coconut, and cocoa butters to truly nourish the skin. 

Instead of loading our hair care products with silicones that give the illusion of soft, silky hair, we use organic aloe vera juice and jojoba oils to truly hydrate and moisturize the hair from root to tip. You’ll get silky soft locks without weighing your hair down with heavy silicones. But we didn’t stop there. The addition of lavender and rosemary essential oils support a healthy scalp and can promote hair growth. 

And finally, our incredible skincare line is infused with the most antioxidant-rich, hydrating, soothing, and moisturizing ingredients that Mama Earth has to offer. Each product is designed to soften and soothe skin without stripping your natural oils and damaging the skin barrier for a complexion that truly glows. 

 In addition to being free of all silicones and siloxanes every Hello Joyous product is formulated without any harsh chemicals, parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrance, mineral oil, fillers, SLS, harsh detergents, GMOs or any other junk you don’t want on your skin or in your body. We’ve got your covered when it comes to thoughtful, organic skincare, hair care, and body care products. We promise not to use any of these potentially harmful ingredients so you can feel confident that each product you use is designed to protect you and the planet.