Are All Alcohols Bad For Our Hair??

(I promised you guys this Post a few months back so I kept my word even though it took awhile... here it is!)

As a newbie in starting a Healthy Hair Journey (HHJ) we sometimes become paranoid on what products to use especially products that have alcohol in them. I know when I started I felt all products that had ANY type of alcohol in them were bad, but the question is...Are ALL alcohols bad for our hair?? Well let's first talk a little about the structure of alcohols, the molecular structure of alcohol has a non polar carbon chain and a polar hydroxyl group connected to one of the carbon atoms in the chain. The alcohol's results and it's properties differ depending on the number of carbon atoms it has, even the molecular structure can make a difference as well. In hair care products there are two major alcohols used: 

1) Short Chain Alcohols (Drying Alcohols) and 2) Fatty Acids (Emulsifying Alcohols) 

Ethyl Alcohol

1) Short Chain Alcohols (Drying Alcohols)

     These alcohols are very small and contains less than 3 carbon atoms in their structure which their molecular weight is lower. These alcohols evaporate fast and are used in hair products as an additive in decreasing the time for hair to dry BUT it removes moisture and oil from the hair. This causes dry, brittle, and frizzy hair that can cause damage to the hair. So when looking at the ingredients in hair products avoid using these alcohols which are: Ethanol, SD Alcohol, SD Alcohol 40, Denatured Alcohol, Propanol Alcohol, Propyl Alcohol and Isopropyl Alcohol.

Ok so we see that the Short Chain Alcohols (Drying Alcohols) is the BAD alcohols, now what about the Fatty Acids (Emulsifying Alcohols)? Are they bad too??

Cetyl Alcohol

2) Fatty Acids (Emulsifying Alcohols)

     These alcohols are larger alcohols and contains more than 12 carbon atoms per molecule and are made from natural sources like for example vegetable oil. The higher the carbon amount the more safer the alcohol is in regards to its properties and results. Fatty Acids provides moisture and lubrication to the hair causing the hair to keep from drying out. It also contributes to gloss and softness to the hair. The most common fatty acids that is used in products that you should look for are: Lauryl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, and Behenyl Alcohol. 

(*Fact: Cetyl, Cetearyl, and Stearyl Alcohol derives from coconut oil found in most hair moisturizing and thickening products; also emollients)

As we conclude, "Are All Alcohols Bad For Our Hair?" according to this information, NO. If you didn't guess already by seeing key word "Dry" in Drying Alcohols, that those alcohols aren't good to use for the hair, especially in African American hair since our hair needs alot of moisture. We've learned that there are some GOOD alcohols that can benefit our hair greatly and can be found in some of the natural products we use. After learning this information we can now look at hair product ingredients without feeling petrified in seeing it having alcohol and  we know which alcohols to look for that won't be damaging to our hair...Isn't that a (sigh) of relief? :)