Is Cetyl Alcohol Bad for Hair?
There are many ingredients in hair care products, and some of them are bad. Cetyl alcohol is one of the ingredients that keep making people wonder. Then, does cetyl alcohol hurt hair?
Is Cetyl Alcohol Good for Hair?
Cetyl alcohol is a common ingredient in shampoos, conditioners, lotions, and body creams. It is long-chain fatty alcohol. It’s often added to help products spread better on the hair.
Cetyl alcohol is good for hair The US Food and Drug Administration has approved it as a skincare ingredient. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel also said that cetyl alcohol is safe, non-toxic, and won’t make people sensitive to it.
Now that you know cetyl alcohol is safe for your hair, here’s a quick rundown of what this article will cover:
- Where does cetyl alcohol come from?
- What’s its role in cosmetics?
- How does it benefit the hair?
- What else is it used for?
Read on to learn more about this fatty alcohol that is used in hair products.
Where Does Cetyl Alcohol Come From?
Cetyl alcohol comes from coconut and palm oils, among other plant oils. This fatty alcohol comes from natural sources 95 percent of the time, but it can also be made from petroleum or in a lab.
At room temperature, it looks like a waxy white powder, but it can also be in the form of white flakes. It is added to both leave-in conditioners and conditioners that you wash out.
It is thicker at first but thins out over time.
Since stearyl alcohol is more stable, it is often mixed with it. Cetearyl alcohol, the product of mixing the two, is stable and thick. Along with cetyl alcohol, you can add these other fatty acids that are good for your hair:
- Behenyl alcohol
- Lauryl alcohol
- Myristyl alcohol
Ethanol and other short-chain alcohols are bad for your hair. They are added to things like sprays that dry your hair. You shouldn’t use these other drying alcohols often:
- Alcohol denat
- SD alcohol 40
- Propanol
- Isopropyl
- Propyl
Companies can label their hair products as “alcohol-free” as long as they don’t contain simple alcohols like ethanol but do contain fatty alcohols.
Cetyl Alcohol Toxicity
Most of the time, it’s safe to use cetyl alcohol on your hair every day. It also doesn’t bother the eyes. When using products with cetyl alcohol, people with sensitive skin, eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea should do a skin patch test first.
Synthetic fatty alcohols like cetyl alcohol can slightly mess with the lipid bilayer of the epidermis, which can cause contact allergies. Can you drink cetyl alcohol?
Fatty alcohols can’t get you drunk like simple alcohols like ethanol. You might even make yourself throw up. It is harmful to people when they eat doses of 5g/kg or more.
When an animal breathes in 26 ppm of cetyl alcohol vapours, it irritates the mucous membranes in its eyes, throat, nose, and lungs. Don’t let your pet get too close to the cetyl alcohol. Safe amounts are smaller than these.
The Role of Cetyl Alcohol in Hair Products
Because of its good qualities, cetyl alcohol is often found in hair care products. One of its main jobs is to keep the oil and water in hair products from separating, which gives them the right consistency.
Cetyl alcohol is also used to do the following:
Emollient
Cetyl alcohol is a good emollient because it is an alcohol with a long chain of carbon atoms. It softens your hair and makes a lipid barrier that traps water and keeps it from evaporating.
The result is hair that is hydrated and smooth to the touch.
Thickening Agent
Cetyl alcohol makes hair products thicker and creamier by making the consistency, viscosity, and sticking power of the product better.
This makes them smoother and gives them more slip, so they can move between hair strands and spread the product evenly.
Surfactant
Cetyl alcohol is a surfactant that makes the water more likely to mix with oil and grease in the hair by lowering the surface tension of the water.
Dirt and grease are mixed together so they are easy to wash away.
Cetyl alcohol also makes shampoos foam more and helps make opaque shampoos.
Benefits of Cetyl Alcohol to the Hair
Cetyl alcohol is a common ingredient in hair care products like shampoos, conditioners that stay on your hair after you rinse them out, deep-penetrating treatments, and hair masks.
It is added to these hair care products because it has so many good qualities.
It feeds the hair, giving it bounce and life, and takes care of all your hair problems. What are some other benefits of using hair care products with Cetyl alcohol?
Hydrates Dry Hair
Harsh weather, heat, and chemical damage can all cause dry hair. Cetyl alcohol makes hair strands more hydrated, seals the cuticles of the hair, and keeps water from escaping.
Detangles Frizzy Hair
When hair is tangled, it is hard to comb because the hair strands are tangled together. Cetyl alcohol gives hair slip, which makes it smoother and easier to work with.
It makes the hair smooth and gives it a silky feel.
Cetyl alcohol makes hair smoother, shinier, and less likely to break from chemicals or heat. It also keeps the shampoo’s foam stable, which makes it feel more luxurious.
Other Uses of Cetyl Alcohol
Cetyl alcohol can be used for more than just making hair products. Because it melts at a higher temperature than the average human body temperature, it is used in body creams, bath oils, makeup, and lipstick.
So, lipstick and makeup don’t melt on the face.
Cetyl alcohol has become more common in anti-aging skin care products as the industry has grown. The reason for the rise in demand is that it helps keep skin soft and young.
Cetyl alcohol is a key part of many chemicals, fuels, and plastics used in industry.
It can be used to grease nuts and bolts, and it is also safe to put in cakes and candy. When you heat coconut oil, sodium hydroxide, and an alkaline solution, you get cetyl alcohol.
Cetyl Alcohol Bad for Hair Video
FAQ For Is Cetyl Alcohol Bad for Hair
⏩Does cetyl alcohol cause build-up on hair?
If you use too much cetyl alcohol, it will stick to your hair and make it look matted. Cetyl alcohol is more oily than other fatty alcohols, so it moisturizes hair more than other fatty alcohols. Add only small amounts to your hair.
⏩What does cetyl alcohol do to hair?
Cetyl alcohol puts moisture back into the hair that has been dried out by heat or chemicals. The moisturizing parts seal the cuticles of the hair, making it smoother and softer. It also smooths out frizzy hair by giving it a slip.
⏩Are cetyl and Cetearyl alcohols different?
One chemical compound makes up cetyl alcohol. It is used to make things thicker, mix things together, and make things smoother. Cetearyl alcohol, on the other hand, is a mix of fatty alcohols that is used as a surfactant and foam booster.
⏩Is cetyl alcohol bad for curly hair?
Your curls will benefit from cetyl alcohol. It adds moisture and keeps curls in place so they don’t go flat. Don’t use hair care products with alcohol that aren’t fatty because they will dry out your hair.
⏩Does cetyl alcohol have side effects?
Cetyl alcohol is safe to put on the skin, but it shouldn’t be used as a medicine. Do a patch test to see if you have an allergic reaction like redness, itching, or swelling. Don’t apply it to broken skin. Never use too much of it.
⏩Is Cetyl Alcohol Bad for Hair?
Cetyl alcohol is good for your hair. It gives hair moisture and has oils that soften rough cuticles and get rid of knots in frizzy hair. It is used in the making of hair care products as an emulsifier, a moisturizer, and a thickener.
Cetyl alcohol is not poisonous, but its vapors can irritate the mucous membranes of your pet. So be careful when you use it, and if you’re not sure if it’s right for you, talk to a licensed medical professional.
Happy styling!
Conclusion
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I am a beauty and hair specialist. I have been a hairstylist for nearly 4 years now. And love to explore different salons and their features. As a result, I decided to create a blog that tells people about the various salons and their pricing, services etc.