I see so many comments on this blog after I recommend a product in the form of “OMG! It has alcohol in it! How can this be healthy for my hair?”
Totally understandable response, so I will endeavor to show y’all the difference between good and bad alcohols.
Cetyl Alcohol (good)
An emollient and emulsifier added to cosmetic products. It is waxy and has a low toxicity. It can sometimes be used as a laxative. Once made from whale oil, it’s now a derivative from a vegetable, coconut or palm oil.
Stearyl Alcohol (good)
A mixture of alcohols made from vegetable oils. White flakes that are insoluble in water. Can be an emulsion, emollient (skin softener), an antifoam agent, and a lubricant.
Ethyl Alcohol, Ethanol, Methanol, Isopropanol (baaad)
Clear, colorless, and flammable. Use externally as an antiseptic, internally as a hypnotic and stimulant. Alcohol can dry the hair and skin when used in excess. Methanol and Isopropanol are simple alcohols.
So I’m not a chemist at all, but that’s the breakdown! Hope that helps someone.
Resource:
A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients by Ruth Winter
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
What about benzyl alcohol, I was trying to research this because my aloe vera gel has this type of alcohol. I didn’t finding anything.
thanks for this post! i knew cetyl was a good alcohol, but I was never sure about the others. thanks again!
thanks for that! i’ve been looking at products lately and seeing cetyl a lot, but didn’t know that it was a good alcohol. Wasn’t sure about any of them. now i know!
Thank you soooo much this was a question i had that was not answered and you did JUST THAT!!!
Thanks Sis for this!
Thanks
I just dismissed several products w/o trying them because it had cetyl alochol listed in the ingredients–good looking out!