WHAT IS DIMETHICONE AND WHY WE USE IT

Neil Naturopathic uses a very small amount (1.8%) of a specific dimethicone to
provide lubricity and slip to the product’s ingredients through the hair. It is also
used to provide stability to the other more volatile ingredients from nature, which
are in a continuous process of expanding and contracting. The dimethicone is
extremely stable and resistant to heat and oxidation and therefore allows the
natural plant-based ingredients to remain stable and potent despite the high heat
and resultant oxidation caused by production.

There are over 500 dimethicone derivatives on the CoIng listing of the EU.
These ingredients vary in structure, function and properties. All silicones have
one thing in common which is: Si-O (silicone-oxygen) atoms in the backbone of
the molecules attached together in a polymeric chain with methyl groups
dangling from the silicone atoms.

The base of silicone derivatives is Si (Silicon or Silicium) metal. (In the Chinese
method of 5 element healing, metal is considered the fifth element.) The main
source of silicon is found in nature in the form of sand (quartz). In order to gain
the silicon that’s available in the quartz, it must be heated until it is molten hot
and then reacted to methylene chloride (CH3CI) which converts it. It is then
simply a series of polymerization and other reactions to attain the desired
functional groups to create tailor-made ingredients. Extracting the silicon from
the quartz to make it bio-available and usable in another form, depending on
one’s needs, intentionally making the right dimethicone for every single purpose,
by varying the polymeric chain length of the molecule.

Neil Naturopathic uses a dimethicone from a group, which is known as silicone
esters, it is a rinse-off dimethicone (as opposed to leave-on), which will not coat
the hair or scalp. The dimethicone used in Neil Naturopathic products when it
touches the skin allows the scalp’s enzymes and natural biome to hydrolyze it
into silicylic acid (known as water glass) and methanol. The silicylic acid
dissolves old dead skin cells and provides silicon (most humans are deficient in
silicon), which is a major structural component for skin and hair as well as bones,
connective tissue and many other structural components. Methanol occurs
naturally in humans, animals, and plants and is a natural constituent in blood,
urine, saliva, and expired air, and is excreted by the kidneys without being
converted into the very toxic metabolites formaldehyde and formic acid.

Silicones have sand or quartz as a starting material and foundation and
dimethicone is the end product of this. There are a small amounts of
petrochemicals needed to manufacture dimethicone and even when attached to
the natural plant oils in our product they could possibly have an eventual bio-
accumulative and build-up effect on the environment. It is essential to note, the
toxicity level of the dimethicone depends only on the functional groups attached
to the dimethicone and is not related to the dimethicone itself. Therefore except for D4 (cyclomethicones) with proved toxicity, there is no scientific proof that
dimethicone is harmful, dangerous or toxic.

Neil Naturopathic is always looking for ways to improve our formula, as well as
our global footprint. We source our ingredients from nature based on the concept
of the 5 elements of healing-earth, water, fire, air, ether. Currently we are
experimenting with plant based dimethicone alternatives but so far they need to
be combined with other ingredients to get the same mildness, effectiveness,
stability, and performance.

Please see our product pages for a full list of ingredients.