Alcohol in hair care: how harmful is it?
- 4 min reading time
You have probably often heard about alcohol in hair care products. Often you hear that alcohol is very bad for your hair and that it dries it out. But the question is whether this is really true. What should you pay attention to when buying hair products with alcohol? In this blog, you will find out what alcohol does to your hair and whether it is really that bad for your hair.
Why is there alcohol in hair care?
To begin with, there are many different types of alcohol. There are many types of alcohol you want to avoid for your hair and skin because they can both dry out and/or even be harmful. But there are also types of alcohol that are oily and have the opposite effect.
Alcohol has various functions that are necessary for certain hair products to work properly. For example, without alcohol, it would be impossible to spray hairspray. Alcohol is often used as a solvent because the advantage is that it evaporates very quickly, which means it dries the hair faster. Alcohol is added to hair products to help other ingredients penetrate the skin or hair better.
What are the advantages of alcohol in hair care?
In some cases, alcohol helps water to be retained better, making your skin and hair soft and hydrated. Contrary to what is often believed. There are oily types of alcohol that actually hydrate the hair and skin! They form a kind of layer over your hair. This not only works as protection against bacteria and irritants but also as a barrier to prevent moisture loss.
What are the disadvantages of alcohol in hair care?
Certain alcohol can actually draw moisture out of your hair, which can cause frizz and dryness. Want to know how to repair dry hair? Then read our blog about it here. The tip to restore your dry hair. Especially with the Curly Girl Method, ‘bad’ types of alcohol are avoided because curls are often naturally very dry. Another disadvantage of alcohol is the fading effect on your hair color. So if you have a beautiful colored hairstyle and want to keep it? Then alcohol may not be very good for your hair.
Functions of ‘bad’ alcohol include being used as a preservative to make the product last longer and kill bacteria. It is also used, for example, to spray hairspray out of the can and distribute it well over the hair.
Which types of alcohol are good for the hair?
Do you want to know which alcohols are ‘good’ for your hair? Then look for the following ingredients on the packaging of your hair product:
- Behenyl alcohol
- Cetearyl alcohol
- Stearyl alcohol
- Cetyl alcohol
- Lauryl alcohol
- Benzyl Alcohol
- Myristyl Alcohol
- Isocetyl Alcohol
- Lanonin Alcohol
- Isostearyl Alcohol
- Propylene Glycol
Which types of alcohol are bad for the hair?
Do you want to know which alcohols are less good for your hair? Then look for the following ingredients on the packaging of your hair product:
- Alcohol
- Alcohol Denat. / Denat. Alcohol / Denatured Alcohol
- Butanol
- Ethanol
- Pentanol
- SD alcohol / SD alcohol 40
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Propanol
- Propyl Alcohol
- Witch Hazel
- Isopropanol
Which products are free from drying alcohol?
Do you prefer to use a product without alcohol or without drying alcohol? We have selected a number of products for you that you can use well:
Where can I ask questions about hair care products with alcohol?
Do you have any questions that have not been answered in this blog? Then ask your question by contacting the Haarspullen team. You can do this by calling 038-4582584 or by emailing your question to info@haarspullen.nl. We are happy to help you!
