Silicon is great for hair. It has excellent conditioning and anti-frizz properties and, when used correctly, does not leave hair greasy nor weighed-down. When you have curly hair, especially if it is fine or color-treated, you want to keep it moist but you also don’t want to weigh it down with heavy conditioning products and lots of goop. Also, you want to have curls, but you don’t want to use products such as curling creams and gels which weigh-down hair and also make it stiff.
Lately I’ve been foregoing the use of all curling cream styling products in favor of a lighter approach. What I’m finding is that I actually don’t need gels nor creams to induce and hold curls. My hair, when properly cared for, has its own curl which doesn’t need to be induced. What I need to worry about is keeping it moist, and nothing seems to be working better at this than silicon-based leave-in conditioning spray products.
Here are some new products I’ve been using:
Often if will be the first product I apply to my hair the morning after washing it. I use One United judiciously. I find that large amounts are not necessary nor desirable to use. It is a very powerful product.
Main ingredients: Coconut oil, Amodimethicone, Polyquaternium-37
Frizz Dismiss Smooth Force does exactly what it says and it does it exceptionally well. Spraying only a small amount onto my frizzy hair is enough to produce a substantial, immediate reduction in frizz. I like to keep a mini of this product in my purse.
Main ingredients: Cetearyl alcohol, Polysorbate 20, Behentrimonium chloride
Lately I’ve been using Soy Tri-Wheat Leave-In Conditioner after I cleanse my hair and it is still wet. I spray it onto the ends or else spray some into my hands and scrunch well into the ends before clipping my hair and letting it dry. Also makes a great touch-up conditioner.
Main ingredients: Quaternium-18, Amodimethicone, Polysorbate 20, Propylene Glycol
I have to say, if I have one overall favorite conditioning spray, Daily Provision is it. It seems to be the right blend between being conditioning but not overly so. It works miracles on second-day hair that is tangled and needs to be smoothed-out and conditioned.
Main ingredients: Cetrimonium chloride, Amodimethicone, Polyquaternium-11 (Mixture of quaternized VP and Dimethylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer), Hydrolyzed Silk
Moist Repair is the product that got me started. They happened to have a special sale on it at one of my beauty supply stores and so I got it on the recommendation of one of my favorite consultants. I ended up really liking Moist Repair except for one thing: The scent is just way too irritating and intense. Aside from that, which unfortunately is a show-stopper for me since I’m basically allergic to the strong fragrance, it is a great conditioner and can work miracles on tangled, dehydrated, frizzy hair.
Main ingredients: Trisiloxane, Alcohol denatured, Panthenol, Benzophenone-4
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