Don't Blame it on the Alcohol

Don't blame it on the alcohol!

One of the things I love as a cosmetologist are my "Bootleg" cosmetologists. "Bootleg" cosmetologists are the people who know everything about the nothings, the wrongs, the myths and the incorrects of hair care. Bootleg cosmetologist can tell you about hair color, relaxers, weave and growing hair. They can even tell you about hair care ingredients. They are experts at warning about the dangers of alcohol in hair care products. This is one of my favorite "shut 'em" topics. I recall a time, I sold a guest a moisturizing mousse for her curly tresses. Her bootleg cosmetologist daughter had her return it because it had alcohol in it. When I used my ingredient book to show the guest what alcohol meant in scientific terms and what the source of that particular alcohol was; she was shocked!

Caring for hair; be it textured, straight, chemically altered, locked, weaved and everything in between can be something of an enigma for many (rather you have your bootleg cosmetology license or not). If it is not the styling tool, then it is the hair itself. The enigma in hair care for many lies not only in what to put on it but what is IN what we put on our hair. So the point of the bootleg cosmetologist who warns that alcohol is bad for your hair, there are varying kinds of alcohol based on their molecular weight and the source of the alcohol that determines if it is bad or good.

Regardless the texture, hands down, the top two ingredients people hate in hair care products are oils and alcohols. Now hold on before you start rubber necking and nodding your head in agreement, I can explain again. Some consumers are more lenient and is more willing to try a product if it has some oil in it. But, now if it has alcohol in it, that is the determining factor to ditch the product.

Before you place the product back on the shelf, do a little Google search on your phone and look up the alcohol you are concerned about. In case you did not know alcohols come in two categories. The categories are of course in molecular weight and source. And the molecular weight is based on the way the company extracts the alcohol (ingredient) from it's source. The two categories are short chain alcohols and fatty alcohols.

Short Chain Alcohol

The first are the short chain alcohols have more of the water molecules left on them and they are used to kind of like soak up or/and break down the waxy film from other ingredients in the care products. That explains why alcohols such as SD Alcohol, SD Alcohol 40 and Denatured Alcohols makes the hair feel very dry.

The second category of fatty alcohols are pretty much derived from coconuts or feedstock (corn, palm seed and the likes). These carbons and molecules are larger thereby making the hair care product thicker or creamier; which translates to easier to apply and get through your hair. It could also mean a few extra bucks. If ingredients like Cetyl, Stearyl or Cetaryl to name a few reads familiar, do not panic; these are the good alcohols. These fatty alcohol are what gives your favorite moisturizing conditioner or styling agent slip, they smooth the cuticle (the outer layer of hair); thus making hair shine. Other fatty alcohols such as lauryl, myristyl or behenyl actually hydrate hair! 

Fatty Alcohols

 

So as you can see when it comes to alcohol there are some bad ones and some good ones. Do your own research. Do not allow people who know nothing of what they are talking about tell you different. Always follow the manufacturers instructions. Purchase your products from stores who will take returns (not exchanges). Try your product out by rubbing all over your hands like lotion versus sniffing and smelling. If you do not like the way a product feels on your hands, then you will not like the way it feels on your hair (unless you want it a lil tacky in the case of certain gels and mousses). If you do not like it, then do not buy it. If you try it and do not like it, then return it. But whatever you do; don't blame it on the a-a-a-a-alcohol!