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common misconception that all of them arebad for our hair. But that is not true. Whilethere are two categories of silicones; one typeis not better than the other because siliconesdo not actually benefit the hair in any way.In fact, silicones only give the “appearance”of healthier hair. All silicones have theeffect of coating our hair with a thin waterproof(hydrophobic) covering which buildsup to create a slick layer around our hairwhich serves some good purposes at first.Silicones coat the hair to make it appearsleeker and healthier, and help it detanglewhen combing. For example, siliconesfound in conditioners, hair polishers andfrizz taming products coat the strands tomake them “appear” more polished andeasier to comb. They also add a bit of weightto give fine, fragile hair some substance.Another benefit of silicone products is thatthey protect the hair from heat used whilestyling (blow drying, flat ironing or pressing).In essence, silicone-based products onlyprovide a temporary smoothing effect.With Silicone-based shampoo we treatthe symptoms but not the problem itself.Simply because we can’t get to it becauseof the thick silicon coat preventing thegood substances from reaching the hair,especially curly hair that needs nurturingoil to avoid frizz, dull and dry curls.Decision time betweena quick fix or a more caring andsustaining lookIf you want to opt for a hair treatmentthat penetrates the hair, helps it torepair and gain strength, then youwill come across some alternatives.There are already silicone and sulfate freeshampoos on the market and maybe youhave already tried one, consciously orunconsciously. I suggest that you turn thebottle around and have a look yourself nexttime you choose a shampoo for your hair.Since we are quite familiar with liquidshampoo, let’s see why shampoo barshave recently become popular again.A lot of customers advocate shampoo barsbecause they are made from moisturizingoils and gentle cleansers. Shampoobars are a far more natural product thantheir liquid counterparts. Many peoplereport that they are extremely pleasedwith the results they are getting, citingbenefits such as increased softness,better curl formation and, in some cases,elimination of the need to use conditioner.Using them couldn’t be simpler - get yourhair very wet and then massage the baragainst your hair in a light circular motionuntil you work up a rich lather. Some of mytest subjects (I mean friends) said it waseasier to rub the bar between your hands towork up a lather then rub your hands overyour hair. Work the lather into your scalpand rinse thoroughly. Be sure that you reallyget a good lather and rinse, rinse, rinse!Not a quick fixThe change will not happen overnight. Afterchanging from silicone-loaded shampoosto natural silicone-free hair treatment(liquid or solid shampoo) it will take a fewweeks before you can proudly present thefinal result. Silicones are water-proof andtherefore you can’t simply wash them out.Freeing your hair from the coat takes severalwashes. While getting rid of the siliconeleftovers you may have some unpleasantexperiences such as difficulties in combingyour hair, but it’s just because you are in theprocess of rebuilding the hair’s own naturalprotection. Finally, once the thick layer hasbeen removed, the new product can reachthe hair and actually provide deep treatment.By Johanna Heil