Why Does My Hair Product Have Alcohol In It?

Are all hair alcohols created equally?

Truthfully, not all alcohols are created equal. There are 2 major groups: the good (long chain or fatty) & the bad (short chain or drying).

Good alcohols (long chain/fatty) have larger molecules that are derived from natural sources like vegetable oils. Because they have a higher carbon content, they don't dry out the hair or skin. They actually provide lubrication and hydration that help absorb & lock in moisture. Hair products containing long-chain alcohols such as lauryl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, & behenyl alcohol will moisturize, protect, & hydrate the hair while locking the moisture in.

Bad Alcohols ( short chain/drying) suck out the moisture leaving hair dry and frizzy. Short- chain alcohols are lighter and only have 3 carbon atoms. This leaves it unbalanced where long-chains have 22-26 carbon atoms. Short-chain alcohols evaporate quickly which is why they are used in hair & skin products. Unfortunately, this rapid evaporation causes the product to also dry up natural oils & moisture from the hair & skin. Over time the cuticle will become brittle and rough, leaving the hair dry and frizzy. The short-chain alcohols you want to try to avoid are ethanol, SD alcohol, SD alcohol 40, denatured alcohol, propanol, propyl alcohol, & isopropyl alcohol.

So, before you avoid all alcohols in your skin and hair products, check to see which type are in the bottle first