Is alcohol bad for curly hair?

As a CG novice, you can often be shocked when you see the word 'alcohol' on a product label, but not all alcohols are harmful to your curls. There are two types of alcohol: drying alcohol and fatty alcohol. We avoid drying alcohols in the Curly Girl Method , while greasy alcohols can actually offer benefits for your hair. But what does alcohol do in hair products and how do you recognize which type of alcohol you are dealing with?

What does alcohol do in hair products?

Hair products contain both active and functional ingredients that are essential for their effectiveness. Alcohol is often added for several reasons:

Drying alcohol

Manufacturers use drying or 'short-chain' alcohols such as in hair sprays to achieve the quick drying effect. However, these types of alcohol can lead to coarse, brittle and frizzy hair with frequent and long-term use. The reason for adding it is that these alcohols help the product evaporate faster and shorten the drying time of the hair.

Types of drying alcohols to avoid in the CG Method:

  • Alcohol
  • Alcohol denat
  • Ethanol
  • Isopropanol
  • Propanol
  • SD alcohol

Oily alcohol

These ' good ' alcohols are added to thicken the substance of the product or to help ingredients mix better. They act as emulsifiers or thickeners . In addition, these alcohols help your hair to hydrate better

Examples of good fatty alcohols in hair products:

  • Lauryl alcohol
  • Cetyl alcohol
  • Myristyl alcohol
  • Stearyl alcohol
  • Behenyl alcohol
  • Cetearyl alcohol
  • Lanolin alcohol
  • Benzyl alcohol

These fatty alcohols are often extracted from natural sources such as coconut and palm.

Alcohol in hair care

Shop for alcohol-free hair products

It is important to check what type of alcohol your hair product contains. Fatty alcohols are safe and useful, while drying alcohols are best avoided. All hair products in our webshop are free from drying alcohols.