Dimethiconol Cysteine is a complex of dimethylpolysiloxane with sulfur-containing amino acid. It is supplied as a milky white water-dispersable liquid with 36-38% solids content.
The reactive dimethylpolysiloxane fluid provides polymerization activity on hair. Its significant cystine content is attributed to the development of disulfide linkages and the strength and insolubility of hair keratin.
Cysteine amino acid contains two amino and two carboxyl groups. It can thus enter into two polypeptide chains linked together by disulfide bonds. Of the naturally occurring sulfur-containing amino acids in human hair, half cysteine, with its available sulfhydryl group (-SH), is the most functionally available in the above-referenced conditioning scheme and, thus, the most likely single moiety to achieve this reaction. Presumably, any other moiety that might be connected to cysteine, like silicone, would remain covalently bonded to the hair.
Dimethiconol Cysteine is used in shampoos, rinse-out and leave-in hair conditioners, after-permanent wave conditioners, creams, and lotions. Its use level is in the range of 1 - 3%.Related ingredients
