Good Alcohols and Bad Alcohols for your Hair

The limited body exposure, the duration of use, and the frequency of use were considered in concluding that the non-immunologic reactions would not be a concern. In one study, 5% Benzyl Alcohol elicited a reaction, and in another study, 2% Benzoic Acid did likewise. Benzyl Alcohol, however, was not a sensitizer at 10%, nor was Benzoic Acid a sensitizer at 2%. Based on these evaluations, International Fragrance Association Standards have been established. The IFRA standards restrict the use of Benzyl Alcohol and Benzyl Benzoate in fragrances because of potential sensitization.

By natural form, I just mean that you probably have had a drink now and then. The truth is that alcohol in moderation can be quite good for you, as long as it’s in small doses and not too often. Alcohol and its chemical derivatives can be found in such a wide variety of skin, hair, and cosmetic products, that it’s easy for our systems to become overloaded with harmful chemicals.

In some cases, it can even lead to death if the dosage is too high. It’s, therefore, best to be avoided by children under the age of 8, but avoiding this ingredient, in general, is probably a better idea. That being said, benzyl alcohol is considered safe for use in the right dosage and should never be higher than the 6th ingredient on the list . The ingredient is commonly used in bath products, makeup, cleansing products, shaving products, as well as other skincare products. No wonder many people wish to avoid alcohol-containing products. However, it’s important to recognize that there are other types of alcohol, like the longer chain fatty alcohols that can actually support healthy skin and hair.

Certain types of alcohol not only allow the hair to dry faster, but also dry it out and cause frizzy hair. But there are also alcohols that act as a conditioner for your hair, the so-called fatty alcohols. When it comes to your hair most of us have been taught that products containing alcohols can be extremely damaging to your hair.

However, not all alcohols are created equally, and there are in fact many types of alcohol that can be beneficial to maintaining healthy locks and technical stability. No, they are not and it is good that people are beginning to learn the differences. Doing a little layman’s research is all it takes, but we know you want the 411 on them so we decided to become super sleuths and do the work for you. Solvents blue roots purple hair allow other ingredients to dissolve into a solution and can be used to thin out formulas, making the product easier to spread. Solvents like benzyl alcohol can even increase the efficacy of active ingredients by enhancing their absorption through the skin. Brandelyn Green is the Founder of VoiceOfHair, a platform to help women of color find the best hair care products, regimens and hairstyles!

However, since silicones are water resistant it means it will need to be washed with a strong shampoo to strip out the product. This cycle of a harsh wash and product build up will cause your hair to become dry and brittle since no actual moisture is making its way into the hair. There can be a whole range of ingredients that are used in mainstream conditioners that you want to avoid. Here are the top 4 ingredients you need to avoid in your hair conditioner and why.

It’s important to know that alcohol is not a single chemical but a family of chemicals with different types of properties. Depending on the specific properties, the alcohol is either good for your skin and hair or bad. There’s a difference between drying alcohols and fatty alcohols. Drying alcohols have less than three carbon atoms in their structure.

This makes it much more hydrophilic (water-loving), so that it can attract and hold water to the hair. Due to similarities with water molecules, the very small alcohols are slightly miscible in water, while they can also dissolve oil and other ingredients that are not miscible with water. Thus, one function they can serve is to dissolve polymers or other additives prior to their addition to the aqueous portion of the formula. This apparent contradiction in performance is due to the structure of the alcohol.

There are some alcohols that can cause dry, frizzy hair, but there are others that can work to condition the hair. There are some curlies who find that their hair struggles to retain moisture when using certain ingredients, and others who like the way their hair feels when using those same ingredients. We know having curly hair isn’t always straightforward, so we created this guide to help you master your ingredient labels and figure out which ingredients your hair likes – and which to avoid. Benzyl alcohol can also be used as an antibacterial preservative in cosmetics and personal care products. Preservatives are an essential part of the cosmetics industry to prevent microbial contamination, especially since most cosmetics and personal care products have a high potential for contamination.