"No silicone oil, no irritation!" "Natural extracts must be better than chemicals!" In recent years, silicone oil-free shampoo has rapidly occupied the market. Even though it is much more expensive than silicone oil shampoo, it still attracts consumers. So, what is silicone oil? Is it really the culprit of hair loss, skin irritation and even cancer? Will the zero silicone oil washing and care products that consumers buy at a high price be applicable? Let's learn what silicone oil is? Is silicone shampoo harmful?

What is silicone oil? A substance that can effectively alleviate hair damage

"Silicone oil is a kind of organosiloxane. Dimethyl silicone oil is widely used in the washing, care and cosmetics industry." Sun Jie told Science and technology daily.

In the chemical industry, silicone oil is actually a general term of polydimethylsiloxane, cyclodimethylsiloxane or their derivatives. Silicone oil is a non-volatile, transparent, non-toxic and non corrosive liquid with stable chemical properties and high safety.

In shampoo, the scientific name of silicone oil is "polydimethylsiloxane", which has good viscosity and ductility, that is, it is very similar to the oil substances extracted from natural plants.

Our ancestors first used natural plant extracts to clean hair and skin. With the development of chemical industry and the continuous improvement of people's requirements for shampoo and care products, silicone oil has been applied to shampoo products for 70 years.

Is silicone shampoo harmful? Why add silicone oil to shampoo?

This starts with the structure of hair. Our hair grows from the hair follicles of the scalp and is mainly composed of keratin. There are many hair scales on each hair. The outermost layer of hair scales is 7-10 layers of dead cells, which cover the hair surface to protect the hair core. Healthy hair scales are complete and fit, so the hair surface is smooth and looks shiny.

Silicone oil can be adsorbed with hair to fill the unevenness caused by the bulge of hair scales, reduce the mutual friction between hair filaments, make the hair easy to comb and smooth, and effectively alleviate the damage of hair.

At the same time, silicone oil is also a skin moisturizing component, which can cover the skin to form a protective layer and prevent the loss of skin moisture. It is widely used in moisturizers.

Is it true that silicone oil can cause hair loss and cancer?

For a long time, there have been many misunderstandings about silicone oil, such as irritating skin, causing allergy, and even rumors that silicone oil is toxic and carcinogenic.

"Silicone oil is widely used in cosmetics or skin care products, and has been approved by regulatory authorities all over the world to be used in cosmetics." Sun Jie pointed out that silicone oil itself is non-toxic and tasteless, causing less skin irritation and allergy.