What to look for in hair-shine products.
YOU PINE for
To a certain extent, your hair texture is predetermined at birth. Some of us naturally have thicker, shinier hair but even those can turn dry, brittle and dull in humid weather or from exposure to chemical processes like hair coloring, perming, gelling and heat styling.
New high-powered potions promise to change all that with the help of silicones. Silicones, primarily cyclomethicone and dimethicone, arenŐt new. These ingredients give products a smooth glide, and can be found in everything from foundation to moisturizers. Added to haircare products like shampoos and conditioners, they help give shine. These new shine products simply have much higher concentration of the silicones.
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This is how it works. Oil-based cyclomethicone and dimethicone, which also have reflective properties, attach themselves to the edges of a cuticle, causing them to lay flat and reflect light. That simple. Many companies offer these silicone products. Some may claim to contain more natural ingredients than others but cyclomethicone and dimethicone are vital if the product is to work. And the degree of flatness of the hair is at the core of any differences among products. For example, some products will maintain some volume in the hair while some can bring on relatively more flatness.
So pick your shine product carefully and remember to use a clarifying shampoo once in a while to remove the residue from pomades and silicones and restore hairŐs natural, clean brilliance.