Just like there are hot and trendy ingredients, there are also those on the opposite end of the spectrum that has been, as some would say, unfairly demonized for years. The concept of alcohol-free hairspray, in particular, is a buzzword circling the industry for its purported non-drying benefits. But is alcohol really as detrimental as the public has condemned it to be? Or is this just another example of alternative facts?
Myth vs. Fact: Alcohol-Free Hairspray
To help shed some light on this well-contested issue, we had a good chat about the pros and cons with Unilever’s head R&D expert Leon van Gorkom. Scroll on for the lowdown on alcohol-free hairspray and whether or not it is something we should delete from our must-haves, or if it’s something to look out for on our next drugstore run:
Hi Leon! Okay, first thing’s first: Is there such a thing as alcohol free dry shampoo?
“Yes, we do have two alcohol free hairsprays in Unilever, One is Love Beauty and Planet Light Hold & Frizz Control Coconut Milk & White Jasmine Hair Spray and the other one is in the Suave Kids lineup; we went alcohol-free there. It’s a pump, not an aerosol. All our other hairsprays do have alcohol because the alcohol is used as a solvent to keep the styling polymers soluble.”
What exactly goes into a hairspray, or how does it work?
“This is how a hairspray works: You have styling polymers that have to be solubilized in a liquid. We use alcohol, and then we use a propellant. [Once you] press a button the propellant will jet out the alcohol solution with the polymers in very fine droplets—that’s what you want—then the alcohol evaporates very quickly. The smaller the particles (we’re talking microns here), the quicker it dries. We call those anhydrous hairsprays, meaning no-water-containing hairsprays, and they’re very efficient; they dry very quickly.”
What kinds of hold do anhydrous hairsprays offer?
“You can have low hold, medium hold, high hold, and extra high hold. They dry very quickly; they have a very fine mist and they feel good [on hair].”
What’s the difference between an alcohol free dry shampoo and a regular alcohol hairspray?
“Alcohol hair spray feels wet and dries slower. That is because you have to use a different kind of polymer to keep it solubilized when you replace the alcohol with water. The biggest problem is that you get bigger droplets and it dries slower, which makes it feel wetter and clumpier. The bigger the particles are, the clumpier your hairspray will be.”
Hmm. Not very appealing. Does alcohol free dy shampoo actually dry out your hair?
“No. The alcohol evaporates so quickly that there’s nothing that’s going to happen to your hair.” We hope this interview shed some light on the differences between alcohol free dry shampoo hairspray and product with alcohol in it. There are options for both formulas, so whichever you prefer, you’ll be able to style your hair and use hairspray to do it.
