This is an archived article and the information in the story may be outdated. Please check the time stamp on the story to see when it was updated last.
If your hair is thinning and you can’t figure out what’s causing it, you may want to take a look at what conditioner you’re using. With hidden ingredients that can actually cause hair thinning and loss, it’s important to be eagle-eyed and pay attention to what could be causing the much-dreaded follicle fallout.
We let a haircare pro weigh in on what could be the conditioner culprit causing hair thinning.
Vanessa Thomas, cosmetic chemist, and founder of her company Freelance Formulations shared, “Certain ingredients can cause people to have reactions of varying degrees. Whether or not a specific ingredient causes hair loss is difficult to ascertain. However, overuse of some products with certain ingredients can cause problems of varying degrees to people depending on their hair type and the product type.” She went on to explain that a common cause of hair thinning in conditioners is silicone, especially silicones that are not water-soluble.
“This is because silicones form a barrier around the hair shaft, to protect the hair as well as improve the texture. Silicones can weigh down hair if used excessively, and some are considerably hard to wash out. Thinning hair does not hold heavy products well, and this can make thinning/fine hair look greasy and unkempt.”
Silicones can cause trouble beyond hair thinning—they can also lead to hair breakage, as your hair could become more brittle.
Thomas added, “Hair breakage can also happen when the hair is not getting enough moisture or being heated too much.” She cautioned that silicones don’t need to be removed completely, but that people that have hair that is already thinning out, should use these products less, if at all.
