Dimethicone is present in almost every beauty product in the market. If you religiously go through the ingredients before every purchase, you are probably familiar with the term. Unless it specifies no-silicone on the packaging, you can assume that it will be there in all of your products. But what is dimethicone? In a nutshell, dimethicone is a type of silicone that allows the product to glide on the skin and give it that silky, matte finish. However, when people hear of the word silicone, most of them have mixed reactions. “Is it safe?” “Is it good for you?” “Will it break you out?” These are a few questions that have probably crossed your mind too. So, let’s learn more about it!
Everything You Need To Know About Dimethicone For Skin
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Dimethicone is a silicone-based polymer that creates an artificial coating on the skin. While it acts as an emollient to mildly moisturise the skin, it’s used to temporarily smooth fine lines and wrinkles. It is present in foundations, moisturisers, and primers after all. Now, the reason why it has a bad name is that once it’s applied to the skin, it traps everything under it. Sebum, impurities, bacteria, dirt – all of it. Hence, it is of utmost importance that you apply these products on squeaky-clean skin.
If your skin is unclean, you could run the risk of breaking out. However, if precautions are taken, dimethicone won’t clog your pores as it’s non-comedogenic by nature. It feels super light and great on the skin (even if you have oily or acne-prone skin type).
A cool fact about dimethicone is that it facilitates healing and prevents scarring. The only con about dimethicone is removing it. It’s not easy to remove and if you don’t clean your skin well, you could leave behind makeup residue and that will gradually lead to breakouts. Invest in a good micellar water for effective results in makeup removing.
Everything You Need To Know About Dimethicone For Hair
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When used for hair, dimethicone’s job is to coat your strands, make them silky, and weigh them down. It’s terrible if you have curly and fine hair. When used as a hair styling product, it glues the hair cuticles together to give them that smooth and silky effect. While that is great, in the long run, it can damage your locks by drying them out and stripping the hair and scalp of its natural oils.
However, it all depends on your usage. The reason why you have dry, frizzy, and brittle hair is probably not because of the monsoon but because of dimethicone. Post cleansing, make sure that you look after your hair properly. Use suitable conditioners and hair masks and apply hair serums–these will help keep your locks moisturised and nourished.
Remember, excess of anything isn’t good. Let that be something to think about when using products that contain dimethicone.
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