QuoteReplyTopic: Alcohol in hair products Posted: August 14 2003 at 7:43am
Hi everyone. A lot of people have asked for this massive ingredient list I currently have housed on my computer, and an oft-asked query is "will alcohol dry out my hair?" I want to help clarify this point. No, not all alcohol is bad for hair. There are essentially two types in hair products:
First, there are coconut derivatives or synthetics that are emollient and thus good for hair. They also thicken the product. That's why almost every conditioner in the world lists cetyl, stearyl or cetearyl alcohol high in its ingredient list.
Second, there are denatured alcohols usually found in products designed to dry quickly such as hairspray. Yes, they do evaporate quickly but they can also carry away moisture with them. Contrary to popular belief, these alcohols do not "suck the water out of hair" (I had a Sally Beauty employee tell me this once) but they aren't exactly nuturing either. Using an alcohol-based hairspray once a week will not ruin your hair. It won't do it any favors, either, so if your hair is very dry, I suggest finding an alcohol-free version.
Here is a breakdown of some of the most common alcohols found in hair products:
Denatured alcohols (not so good for dry hair): Benzyl alcohol Isopropyl alcohol Ethyl alcohol SD 40 alcohol SD alcohol 40B
Emollient alcohols (good for dry hair; some are derived from alcohol and hence don't bear its name): Behenyl alcohol Ceteareth - 5 Cetearyl Alcohol Ceteth - 2 Cetyl Alcohol Glycerin Laureth 2/3 Sodium Cetyl Sulfate Sodium Laureth Sulfate Steareth 21 Stearyl alcohol
Look for beauty, and you will find no intelligence. Look for intelligence and you will find both.Proud member of the Cult of All Soft
Monica, I use Ion Anti-Frizz Hairspray from Sally. It is the only alcohol-free one I've found in all my searching! It is around $5, so that's a real bonus too.
Look for beauty, and you will find no intelligence. Look for intelligence and you will find both.Proud member of the Cult of All Soft
Hey Lyris, how are the Ion products? I always see these at Sally's and am very curious to try out that line, especially the leave-in conditioner. Have you tried that or the shine sprays?
Hi Kgirl! In my experience, the Ion line is hit or miss. The hairspray is good, as the Glossing Spray, and the color defense leave-in. The deep conditioner, Effective Care, is actually very nice. I was not wild about the regular spray-in leave-in conditioner. It had an unusual smell and seemed way too light for my moisture-deprived hair. I would definitely avoid most Ion shampoos, as they use TEA-lauryl sulfate and other drying detergents.
Look for beauty, and you will find no intelligence. Look for intelligence and you will find both.Proud member of the Cult of All Soft
Yes, SG, you're right, sodium laureth sulfate would be more appropriately named a lesser of many evils in the haircare world, but since 99 percent of all shampoos contain a sulfate of some type, it is by far the gentlest. So since you're going to have to make a choice, you might as well go with the mildest available.
Okay, to my knowledge, ammonium lauryl/laureth sulfate is mild stuff, though not as gentle as sodium laureth sulfate. In my experience it's too much for my hair so I stick to SLeS only. But it's by no means as bad as sodium LAURYL sulfate.
And thirdly, I was probably referring to Biotera at Sally Beauty, which is essentially a Biolage knockoff. Although Nature's Therapy (the "yellow" brand) is darn good too! :-)
Look for beauty, and you will find no intelligence. Look for intelligence and you will find both.Proud member of the Cult of All Soft
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