Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Hair Friendly Alcohols, Yes! They do exist!

When I first started on my better hair care journey I kept hearing over and over to stay away from products that contain alcohol. But to my discovery not all alcohols are bad for your hair. Here's the scoop:

There are a such thing as "hair friendly" alcohols. They are different from the ones that are found in various finishing sprays. These hair friendly alcohols are referred to as fatty alcohols They include: cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, and myristyl alcohol.

Cetyl Alcohol: is a fatty alcohol that, at room temperature, takes the form of a waxy white solid or flakes. The name cetyl derives from the whale oil (Latin: cetus) from which it was first isolated. Cetyl alcohol is used in the cosmetic industry as a surfactant in shampoos, or as an emollient,emulsifier or thickening agent in the manufacture of skin creams and lotions.

Cetearyl alcohol: a mixture of fatty alcohols, consisting predominantly of cetyl andstearyl alcohols; It is used as an emulsion stabilizer, opacifying agent, and foam boosting surfactant, as well as an aqueous and nonaqueous viscosity-increasing agent. It imparts an emollient feel to the skin and can be used in water-in-oil emulsions, oil-in-water emulsions, and anhydrous formulations. It is commonly used in hair conditioners and other hair products; it is an emulsifying wax, made by combining fatty alcohols from vegetable sources, such as coconut alcohol. It can also be made artificially. It is used in many cosmetics as an emollient, thickening agent, moisturizer, emulsifier, stabilizer, opacifier as well as a carrying
agent for other ingredients. It is a substitute for making lotions if you don't have emulsifying wax as well.

Stearyl alcohol: is a substance prepared fromstearic acid by the process of catalytic hydrogenation. It is a fatty alcohol. It takes the form of white solid granules or flakes which are insoluble in water, with a melting point of 60 °C and boiling pointof 210 °C; It has a wide range of uses as an ingredient in lubricants,resins, perfumes and cosmetics. It is used as an emollient, emulsifier, and thickener in ointmentsof various sorts, and is widely used as a hair coating in shampoos and hair conditioners. Stearyl alcohol is even used as a liquid solar blanket in swimming pools by forming a molecule thick layer on the surface of the water and slowing the evaporation rate of the pool water.

Myristyl alcohol: also referred to as 1-Tetradecanol; used as an ingredient in cosmetics such as cold creams for its emollient properties.

Resources
How To Select A Moisturizing Conditioner

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