Dimethicone

What is "dime-what-a-cone"?!?!

Well, according to Wiki-pedia, it is also known as/called "Polydimethylsiloxane". Big word, I know. If that is not difficult enough to pronounce, try reading about it. I will try to simplify the article as best I can and put it into words that someone other than a scientist can understand; hence "normal" people.

Dimethicone is considered, for the most part, to be non-toxic and non-flammable. It varies from a thin pourable liquid to a rubbery semi-solid. It has an unusually high level of viscoelasticity; meaning sometimes dimethicone can flow like honey and other times it acts more like rubber. It can even be rolled up into a ball and bounced like a rubber ball.

This product has so many uses because of its ability to be liquid-like that is similar to honey or more solid like a rubber ball. Because of that, its uses are numerous. It found in consumeable and non-consumeable products.

This product is known for it's unusual flow properties and is, therefore, used in shampoos, lotions, contact lenses, lubricating oils, cosmetics, and heat-resistant tiles. Polydimethylsiloxane is an important ingredient in Silly Putty.



Dimethicone is also used in caulks, adhesives, and aquarium sealants. It can be found in defoaming agents, mold release agents, damping fluids, heat transfer fluids, polishes, cosmetics, hair conditioners and other applications. Kind of an interesting use for dimethicone is filler fluid in breast implants, although this practice has decreased somewhat, due to safety concerns, despite some evidence that it may be protective against breast cancer. It is in over-the-counter drugs to help with anit-gas and used as an anti-foaming agent. I assume the anti-foaming agent is for use when making and producing the over-the-counter drugs or preventing foam from forming in your system when you take the drug.

Dimethicone is used as a food additive for anti-foaming and anti-caking (no lumps) of ingredients (such as in McDonald's chicken nuggets). It is found in many processed foods. Read the back of the box next time you buy a pre-packaged food item. Dimethicone is also found in Rain-X (keeps rain from sitting on your car windshield when driving; it runs right off the window and makes driving in the rain much easier).

Did you know that this item is also used as an herbicide (weedkiller)? On one hand this item is found in McDonald's Chicken Nuggets and then on the other hand it is found in week killers. Wow, talk about being multi-functional!

It is good to know what is in your food so that you can decide whether to consume it or not. Is this a healthy product to consume? My answer to that would not be a "yes" or "no", but simply that the further we get away from purely-natural ingredients (meaning that it is coming from the earth & untampered with, which some might call "raw") we risk it being hazzardous to our health.

HERE is another article about Dimethicone in relation to skin and hair use.