Is alcohol denat bad for hair?

[LadyJennifer]

I noticed recently that my favorite AO conditioner (Island Naturals) has alcohol denat. as the second ingredient. I love how smooth and moisturized my hair feels when I use it, but how can alcohol be good for hair?

[Anje]

When I searched for it, it's listed as the third ingredient.

Many alcohols, like ethanol and isopropanol, are drying. Others, like cetyl alcohol, are moisturizing. I suspect that this one might be one of the drying ones, but I'm inclined to say that if the conditioner makes your hair feel more moisturized, you probably don't have to worry about it. (To some extent, you have to consider the overall effect -- otherwise, for example, you might avoid a product with sodium hydroxide on the label, when the stuff was used to bring the pH to the proper range.)

I do wish they were more explicit about specifically what sort of alcohol it is. The denatured alcohol I can get at the hardware store isn't something I'd be inclined to put on my hair.

[LadyJennifer]

My bottle has it as the second ingredient.

[Athena's Owl]

denatured alchohol is drying to the hair. it's put into hair products to speed drying time.

[Kaileida]

It is drying, but if your hair feels amazing anyway, I think it's fine to keep using... And if eventually you decide you don't like it, you can always change, right?

[chloeishere]

Denatured alcohol is usually ethanol with methanol added. Ethanol is the alcohol that you drink, like in vodka. Methanol, aka wood alcohol, is poisonous, and is added to prevent people from drinking the stuff that contains the ethanol. Seems silly to use denatured in this case, but it is less expensive than pure ethanol most of the time.

It probably is to speed drying time, and yes, it is probably drying for your hair. But if it works for you and you aren't noticing any damage, then you shouldn't have a problem using it.

[LadyJennifer]

Why would they put it in a rinse-out conditioner? I could understand a leave-in would be beneficial to dry faster, but a rinse-out? Strange. The AO GPB doesn't have it at all.

[ktani]

It is used as a solvent in rinse off products. All of the ingredients are mixed together, so while the alcohol is 3rd on the list in terms of percentage, what is going on the hair is the entire formulation, which contains oils and shea butter as well as herbs, esters and extracts. If your hair is not feeling dry because of using this conditioner, I see no harm in it.

The ingrediebts for Island Naturals Replenishing Conditioner from the AO website, http://www.aubrey-organics.com/Produ...?productid=901
"INGREDIENTS INCI: Aqua, cetyl alcohol, alcohol denat. (38b, lavender*), triticum vulgare (wheat) germ oil, hydrolyzed sweet almond protein, glycerin, aloe barbadensis (aloe) leaf juice*, pimenta acris (bay) leaf oil, pimenta dioica fruit extract, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil*, citrus grandis (grapefruit) seed extract, jojoba esters (jojoba butter), butyrospermum parkii (shea butter)*, cocos nucifera (coconut) fruit juice*, salvia officinalis (sage) oil*, foeniculum vulgare (fennel) fruit extract, humulus lupulus (hops) extract, melissa officinalis (balm mint) leaf extract, viscum album (mistletoe) fruit extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria-German camomile) extract, tocopheryl acetate, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) water, ascorbic acid, achillea millefolium (yarrow) extract, equisetum hyemale (horsetail) extract, tussilago farfara (coltsfoot) leaf extract, glycine soja (soybean) oil, daucus carota sativa (carrot) root extract, beta carotene.
*Organic"

I think in this case while it may have more than one function, given the ingredients, it is primarily a solvent to keep the product well mixed.

Alcohol Denat.
"Why is it used in cosmetics and personal care products?
Alcohol and Alcohol Denat. function as antifoaming agents, cosmetic astringents, solvents and viscosity decreasing agents. In OTC antimicrobial drug products, Alcohol also functions as an antimicrobial agent."
http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredi...redient_id=503

[LadyJennifer]

My bottle ingredient list:

Maybe mine is older? I bought it from vitacost recently.

[ktani]

My bottle ingredient list:

Maybe mine is older? I bought it from vitacost recently.

LOL, they left out the water on the label, or what they refer to as aqua, which is the real first ingredient.

"INGREDIENTS INCI: Aqua, cetyl alcohol, alcohol denat. (38b, lavender*), triticum vulgare (wheat) germ oil, hydrolyzed sweet almond protein, glycerin, aloe barbadensis (aloe) leaf juice*, pimenta acris (bay) leaf oil, pimenta dioica fruit extract, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil*, citrus grandis (grapefruit) seed extract, jojoba esters (jojoba butter), butyrospermum parkii (shea butter)*, cocos nucifera (coconut) fruit juice*, salvia officinalis (sage) oil*, foeniculum vulgare (fennel) fruit extract, humulus lupulus (hops) extract, melissa officinalis (balm mint) leaf extract, viscum album (mistletoe) fruit extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria-German camomile) extract, tocopheryl acetate, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) water, ascorbic acid, achillea millefolium (yarrow) extract, equisetum hyemale (horsetail) extract, tussilago farfara (coltsfoot) leaf extract, glycine soja (soybean) oil, daucus carota sativa (carrot) root extract, beta carotene.
*Organic"

They do not list preservatives which should still be there, alcohol denat. or not. Both lists are incomplete.

Aubrey Organics has a bit of a "history" on this and more with the FDA. Looks like they are still not complying.
"Failure to maintain documentation of label examination, acceptance or rejection. ...
... We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October21, 1998, promising to correct the 19
GMP deficiencies noted during the Octobti 13-15, 1998 imp=tion. However, we note that
you have made similar commitments following inspections in 1987 and 1993, which were
not carried out."
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ICECI/E.../UCM067100.pdf