Before we get started we would just like to clear away some of the confusion that can be circulating in the air. There are different types of alcohol out there which we can find in our hair and beauty products. Some alcohol will dry out your locs, while others can work at actually moisturizing your hair.
Bad Hair Day Alcohols Include:
SD alcohol 40
Denatured alcohol
Ethanol alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol
Propyl alcohol
The short chain alcohols listed above are usually used in products to help the hair and skin dry faster. With that said, we can guess what the obvious consequences of this quick release can cause. These alcohols will cause the water in your locs to evaporate quicker, but will also pull up and out that moisture you want to keep richly inside your healthy growing locs. If you have an especially dry and sensitive scalp then you want to stay away from these ingredients, otherwise you may end up with a very thirsty scalp and skin. Another consequence of dry hair is frizzy locs, they sort of come hand in hand, partners we don’t want to invite over.
These short chain alcohols are often found in beauty products as they help creams and conditioners spread more easily. Unfortunately, these short chain alcohols will cause both the water and natural oils from your skin to evaporate leaving your skin and scalp more dry than you may have started with. These short chain alcohols can also damage the cuticle, causing frizz and more dryness.
Alcohols That Moisturize
Lauryl alcohol
Behenyl alcohol
Cetyl alcohol
Stearyl alcohol
Cetearyl alcohol
Myristyl alcohol
The alcohols listed above are larger chain alcohols, also known as fatty alcohols, that are usually extracted from nature. The shorter the chain of the alcohol the more damaging it is to the skin, hair and scalp. Long chain alcohols can help aid in loc smoothness, but you don’t want a product that overdoes it, because these alcohols are considered ‘oily’ alcohols. With that being said, you can imagine too much of this ingredient can cause oily, greasy roots.
These alcohols are mostly added to products to thicken the products consistency. They are much cheaper than other thickening agents, which reduce the costs and prices of these products on the market. This is why it’s important to learn how to read labels. Without knowing the proper information we may overlook products that are made thoughtfully and naturally for their customers.
Guess who has a Sale this month on their Alcohol-free locking Spray?! You guessed it! Dr. Locs Imani Locking spray is both alcohol free and on sale this August, yay!
