Is Cetyl Alcohol Bad for Hair? Are Other Hair Alcohols Good?
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Its ability to nourish, smooth, and moisturize the hair makes it a must-have for anyone looking to achieve gorgeous locks. It’s considered to be a non-drying alcohol and is often added to moisturizing products. But since both ingredients have “alcohol” in the name, it’s easy to see how the confusion started. As a combination of two naturally-found alcohols, cetearyl alcohol is completely natural itself. It’s a flaky, white, waxy solid that’s found in many different plants and animals.
Long-chain = ‘Good’ alcohols
If you want to use styling products like mousse or hair spray to create your style, avoiding drying alcohols entirely is impossible. However, if you have curly, dry, or damaged hair, it’s better to choose alcohol-free products if they’re available. Unless you have very sensitive skin, you probably don’t need to avoid products containing cetearyl alcohol. Not only is it considered safe and nontoxic for use on the skin and hair, but it’s also not drying or irritating like other types of alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is used to help soften the skin and hair and to thicken and stabilize cosmetic products, like lotions and hair products. As an emollient, cetearyl alcohol is considered an effective ingredient for soothing and healing dry skin.
How To Identify Heavy and Lightweight Curly Hair Products
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As a fatty alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, is well known to effectively condition and soften the skin and hair. For chemically color-treated hair lacking moisture, search for hydrating masks with ingredients like cetyl or cetearyl alcohol. At the same time, limit use of aggressive short-chain alcohols that could further dry out strands. These fatty alcohols derived from vegetable oils offer nourishing formulas that provide a moisture boost critical for hair restoration. Unlike drying alcohols, these conditioning elixirs penetrate the hair shaft to supply lasting hydration solutions. When searching for hair products, look for good alcohol ingredients like the ones mentioned above.
Which Alcohols Should you Avoid in Hair Products?
It’s toxic to humans when ingested orally at doses of 5g/kg or greater. However, people with sensitive skin, eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea are advised to perform a skin patch test when using products containing cetyl alcohol. It’s used in many baby hair care products to help keep their delicate hair soft and manageable. However, as with any new product, it’s best to perform a patch test and use products specifically formulated for babies to ensure their safety and well-being. Seek out volumizing mousses, root boosts, or texturizing sprays with mainly long-chain alcohols instead.
Short-chain alcohols
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Focus on fatty alcohols like cetearyl and cetyl alcohol for nourishing properties from their long carbon chains. Alcohols are particularly bad for curly hair, so always be on the lookout for hydrating surfactants and alcohols. Curlvana products have been formulated with ingredients that are scientifically proven to benefit curly and textured hair. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol that is found in cosmetic products. This white-colored substance is a blend of cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol, both of which are fatty alcohols.
Cetearyl Alcohol – How Fatty Alcohols May Be More Beneficial Than You Thought.
And if you have a known allergy to cetyl alcohol, you should definitely stay away from it. The alcohol can be derived from sources such as coconut oil or palm oil, which some people have adverse reactions to. In case you weren’t aware, there are two defined types of alcohols – short chain and long chain. Short-chain alcohols are alcohols that evaporate quickly and leave your hair feeling dry. Overall, cetyl alcohol is a valuable ingredient in any curly hair care product.
Recommended Hair Products
So, the next time you grab your preferred lotion, hair conditioner, or skincare item, stop to consider the potency of cetearyl alcohol. A study found that cetearyl alcohol effectively protected hair from heat damage. When applied to the hair, Cetearyl alcohol can create a barrier that shields it from the harm that heat styling, harsh chemicals, and exposure to the elements can bring.
Whether you have curly, wavy, or straight hair, the inclusion of Cetearyl Alcohol in your hair care routine can help tame unruly strands. In this article, we will delve deeper into the properties, uses, and benefits of Cetearyl Alcohol in hair care products, debunking any misconceptions along the way. Delilah Orpi is the founder of The Holistic Enchilada, a blog about curly hair and conscious beauty.
Fatty alcohols or long-chain alcohols are derived from natural resources like coconut oil and are too big to penetrate the hair shaft. This exploration into the science of fatty alcohols will provide a deeper understanding of their indispensable role in the realm of hair care. When selecting products, consider the evaporation dynamics, chemical structure, and resultant impact on styling, scalp health, and hair integrity.
Cetearyl alcohol serves this same purpose when it’s added to hair mousse. Regardless of what it’s called on the bottle, it’s used in cosmetic products to help soften both hair and skin. These components can both be found in trace amounts in plant oils, like coconut and palm oil. At one point in history, cetearyl alcohol was actually harvested from sperm whales!
Though cetyl alcohol is usually a safe and beneficial ingredient, everyone’s hair is different and will react differently to it. As with just about everything in life, not everyone will be able to use products with cetyl alcohol. Though most people won’t have any issues with this ingredient, those with sensitive skin should definitely be more cautious. So, in addition to its hair-loving benefits, cetyl alcohol helps improve the texture of a product by making it smoother and easier to apply.
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