Is alcohol drying for hair?
A question that we are asked pretty often is about alcohol in hair care products. People have been told that alcohol is drying for hair. This is an example of a case where a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. It has been commonly reported that alcohol in your hair products is bad for you. You’ve been told “alcohol is drying”. This is both true and not true.
Alcohol is a family of chemicals, not a single chemical. Instead of referring to a chemical as alcohol, it should be called an alcohol. Or, it should be referred to by its more descriptive name. Most of what you’ve been told about alcohol was probably people referring to ethanol. Ethanol is only one alcohol. It’s commonly used in hair spray products. It’s also quite handy in a beer or a margarita. Another alcohol you’re probably familiar with is isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol. While they’re fairly similar, if you were ordering a margarita, you’d definitely want ethanol, not the isopropyl alcohol. Technically speaking an alcohol is a substance containing an OH group attached to a hydrocarbon group. You probably don’t care about that. But, what you should know is that alcohols can have very, very different properties. Different alcohols are used in different products for different reasons. There are literally thousands of alcohols. Some are solid. Some are liquid. Some alcohols can be ingested. Other alcohols would kill you if you drank them. So, a blanket statement like “Alcohol in your hair products is bad” is inaccurate.
Many alcohols are downright healthy for hair. Others are not so good for hair and skin. Alcohols used to make a product more volatile (evaporate quickly) are not good for hair. Ethanol is one of those alcohols. However, alcohols that are “fatty” actually help add moisture to hair and skin and soften them. You will find these alcohols in the finest, hydrating (moisturizing) hair products. The following alcohols are some examples. They are waxy substances, not liquids. They are far from drying.
cetearyl alcohol- This alcohol is derived naturally. It is often found in hair conditioners. It provides the creamy consistency and makes it easier to distribute the product throughout the hair. This is an especially beneficial ingredient in Black hair care products because it also lubricates the hair making it easier to comb.
cetyl alcohol- This is a fatty alcohol that is derived from coconut and palm oils. Far from drying, this alcohol is actually an emollient (makes hair and skin softer).
stearyl alcohol- another fatty alcohol. It is nothing like ethanol, it is is actually a white solid and is insoluble in water. Stearyl alcohol is often used in conditioners and shampoos and acts as an emollient (softener).
So when you’re looking over those product labels, you’ll need to know a little more about the specific type of alcohol in the product before you can make an informed decision about the product. Many fine shampoos and conditioners contain some very good alcohols.
This was very helpful and informative!
thank you so much for this information, it has been so hard finding good hair products because i’m so hesitant to buy anything with alcohol in it. i am one who assumed all alcohol is drying, so it’s a relief to know that some of the products i’ve used are alright. thanks again for all the work you do!
This is why I love this website; the products are terrific and it is an excellent hair and skin care resource for women of color. Thanks for clarifying this this. I like many other consumers have been misinformed about this topic.
Thank you for this very educated explanation because I went through all of my current haircare products questioning the validity of the companies’ claims. I’d rather be all natural, but since my hair is going through transition and some of these products will help I wanted to know that the ingredients wouldn’t be a major concern. Keep up the good work!
This information was really interesting and quite informative. I was always told that hair products are “bad” when they contain “alcohol”-even by seasoned professional hairdressers, but apparently not! This really is going to help me make informed decisions as to what hair products are good and bad for my damaged hair. Thanks, Treasured Locks!
Wow i have just been educated on the so many different types of alcohol, thank you so much for your honesty and sharing off information with us. Always so helpful.
Love & Guidance.
This was very good information. It’s really refreshing to see such useful information on black hair products.
Thank you for clearing that up, because I myself just discovered the other day that Cetearyl alcohol was naturally derived, and since I am into a natural products that was good news to my ears.
Thank you for the education on alcohol. I found it very informative and useful, and I love your products!!!
Thank you for the information, when you know better you do better. I started my locking process two months ago and have been running around trying to make sure my products had NO alcohol. Now that I know the difference, it has really made me research and investigate all ingredients in products and get the real deal on the affects on black hair.
Thanks for starting the process.
Regards
Thanks for this article, it was very enlightening!
Thank you for your info. I have been disregarding products that I could have been using for over 6 months. I have thrown away products that I thought were harmful to my hair. Now I know, knowledge is Power! I shall spread the word. God Bless.
These have been found to be good for the hair but I am also concerned with what is washed down the sink and into the environment (think petroleum products), I wonder if theses are eco-friendly as well. Thanks for the information.