Since becoming a naturalista, I’ve learned a lot about hair products and their ingredients. One of the first ingredients that I learned about is alcohol. Most of us are very familiar with alcohol and the majority of us understand it’s a no-no when it comes to natural hair products. But is this really true?
From my research, I’ve discovered that not all alcohols are not created equal. Some alcohol can be very drying to our delicate curls, and others not so much. For instance, isopropyl alcohol is drying and harsh to our natural hair. This type of alcohol is usually found in hair sprays and gel and it dries faster on your on hair. Constant use of this ingredient can leave your hair very dry, frizzy, and dull. On the other hand, some alcohols help with moisture and manageability of our hair. Cetearyl alcohol and Cetyl alcohol are two of the most common fatty alcohols in hair products. These particular alcohols are emollients and they are known to soften your skin and hair. They also provide slip to our favorite conditioners which allows us to detangle our hair better.
Here is a list of the most used fatty alcohols found in hair products: Cetyl, Stearyl, Cetearyl, Myristyl, Behenyl and Lauryl.
Avoid these: Alcohol denat, Ethanol, SD alcohol 40, Propanol, Isopropyl and Propyl.
During the beginning of my natural hair journey I found alcohol in almost every product and it terrified me. After learning more about the difference in alcohols I was able to select products that were ideal for me. It is very important that you research your ingredients and decide if the ingredient you are using is best for your hair type.
Jessica Lewis’s tutorials have received more than 22 million views on the MahoganyCurls YouTube channel, and nearly 500K follow the Macon, GA native via social media.