THE SILICONE FILES

LET’S TALK ABOUT SILICONES FOR A SEC

Silicones get a bad rap, but they’re not inherently terrible – it’s all about how you use them, and what you believe they can (and can’t) do for you. “Silicone coats the outside of the hair, giving intense gloss. There is nothing wrong with this, except often the actual hair quality is left to degenerate if used too much,” says Shu Uemura Art Of Hair ambassador Paul Edmonds. When silicones build up over time, they can weigh the hair down, attract dirt and oil and lock out moisture. So if you’re going to use silicone products (no judgement here,

Cosmopolitan’s beauty team is certainly partial), make sure you’re also washing with a clarifying shampoo (and using a silicone-free hair mask) once or twice a week, too.