Silicones for High Shine and Hair Adherence

For a leave-on hair treatment spray that provides high shine and good adherence to the hair, several silicone options are available, building on the staff's suggestion of SiliWater.

Recommended Silicones

• SiliWater (Dimethicone Copolyol): As recommended by the staff, SiliWater is a clear liquid silicone that is directly soluble in water. This makes it ideal for water-based leave-on sprays. It provides excellent texture, softness, and helps prevent hair tangling without causing build-up. It can be used at concentrations up to 5% for dry or damaged hair.

• Silicones for Conditioning and Adherence (Water Dispersible): These types are designed to coat the hair effectively, providing conditioning and improving manageability.

  • Silicone Hi-Cond: A liquid silicone that mixes easily with water, offering maximum coating for softness and tangle prevention.
  • Silicone Micro-Cond (Amodimethicone Microemulsion): An Amodimethicone in microemulsion form that mixes clearly with water. Amodimethicone is known for its positive charge, which helps it adhere well to hair, providing long-lasting softness and preventing build-up.
  • Hair-Cond SM (Small Particle Dimethicone Emulsion): A small particle emulsion that mixes with water, improving dry combing, reducing tangling, and adding softness and shine.

• Silicones for High Shine (Oil/Silicone Soluble): These silicones are specifically chosen for their high refractive index, which imparts significant gloss and shine to hair.

  • Silicone Shine Max15 (Phenyl Trimethicone): Provides high gloss and a light texture, suitable for hair sprays and serums.
  • Silicone Bright (Phenyl Trimethicone blend): Offers shine, softness, and helps prevent static electricity.
  • Silicone Shine Ultra170 (Diphenyl Dimethicone): Provides extremely high gloss and is highly compatible with oils and silicones.
  • Silicone Shine Max5000 (Diphenyl Dimethicone): Similar to Ultra170, offering high shine but with a higher viscosity.

• Hair Silk (Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone): A silicone blend developed for a "hair silk" feel, providing instant softness and smoothness, often used in serums.

Choosing the Right Silicone

For a water-based leave-on spray, SiliWater, Silicone Hi-Cond, Silicone Micro-Cond, or Hair-Cond SM are excellent starting points due to their water compatibility and conditioning properties. If maximum shine is the primary goal, you might consider incorporating one of the Silicone Shine series into a suitable base (which might require an emulsifier if combining oil-soluble silicones with water) or formulating a silicone-based serum using products like Hair Silk or the Silicone Shine types.

Combining a conditioning silicone with a shine-specific silicone can help achieve both adherence and high gloss.