Soy Lecithin vs. Cetyl Alcohol in Condioner

[pinchbeck]

From what I have read Cetyl, Stearyl, and Cetearyl alcohols and can build up in hair. They are derived from natural sources such as coconut and palm oils, but when they are reacted with a chemical they become a chemical.

How many people have found or used a conditioner that uses Soy Lecithin instead of the above ingredients?

Are you aware that conditioner can be made at home. These emulsifying agents can be purchased online for cheap, cheap, cheap!

If you have used Soy Lecithin, please tell me the pros, cons, and include whether its properties are similar to the fatty alcohols mentioned. Basically, does it offer manageability and detangling?

Ah...now I am done.

[Roseate]

From what I have read Cetyl, Stearyl, and Cetearyl alcohols and can build up in hair. They are derived from natural sources such as coconut and palm oils, but when they are reacted with a chemical they become a chemical.

They were always chemicals. Water is a chemical. ;)

I haven't had a problem with buildup from these, and if I did, I'd just clarify... no biggie. My hair is a big fan of fatty alcohols, they moisturize much better than straight oils for me.

Lecithin is an emulsifier, so it would provide slip, but I don't know about the moisturizing properties.

[karli]

I make my own co with cetylalcohol, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, glycerin, oil and lactic acid. I have not noticed any build-up at all. After three or four days my hair starts to get oily but nothing the co can`t remove

[Flynn]

If you're worried about "chemicals" do you realise that you are not going any better by switching to soy lecithin? It is also a manufactured product. To give you an idea:

"Manufacture. Lecithin is obtained in the process of degumming crude soy oil, usually at the refinery of the company making commercial lecithin rather than at the oil mill. Crude soy oil contains an average of 1.8% (range 1.2-3.2%; Bailey 1951) hydratable compounds, primarily lecithin phosphatides. Roughly 1% of live steam or warm water is added to the crude soy oil at about 70*C, in a batch or continuous process. The emulsion is then agitated or stirred for 10-60 minutes as the phosphatides hydrate and agglomerate, forming a heavy oil-insoluble sludge, which is separated from the oil by use of a centrifuge. The sludge coming from the degumming centrifuge, a lecithin and water emulsion containing 25-50% water, may then be bleached once or twice, typically with hydrogen peroxide, to reduce its color from brown or beige to light yellow. Fluidizing additives such as soy oil, fatty acids, or calcium chloride can then be added?? to reduce the viscosity to that of honey and prevent the end product, on cooling, from being a highly plastic solid. Finally the product is film or batch dried to reduce the moisture to about 1% (Szuhaj 1980). Whether bleached or not, the finished commercial product is called "unrefined lecithin" or "natural lecithin;" it contains 65-70% phosphatides and 30-35% crude soy oil. The oil in unrefined lecithin can be removed by extraction with acetone (phosphatides are insoluble in acetone) to give a dry granular product called "refined lecithin." "

From http://www.soyinfocenter.com/HSS/lecithin1.php


"
Soybean lecithin comes from sludge left after crude soy oil goes through a "degumming" process. It is a waste product containing solvents and pesticides and has a consistency ranging from a gummy fluid to a plastic solid. Before being bleached to a more appealing light yellow, the color of lecithin ranges from a dirty tan to reddish brown. The hexane extraction process commonly used in soybean oil manufacture today yields less lecithin than the older ethanol-benzol process, but produces a more marketable lecithin with better color, reduced odor and less bitter flavor.7
Historian William Shurtleff reports that the expansion of the soybean crushing and soy oil refining industries in Europe after 1908 led to a problem disposing the increasing amounts of fermenting, foul-smelling sludge. German companies then decided to vacuum dry the sludge, patent the process and sell it as "soybean lecithin." Scientists hired to find some use for the substance cooked up more than a thousand new uses by 1939.8
Today lecithin is ubiquitous in the processed food supply. It is most commonly used as an emulsifier to keep water and fats from separating in foods such as margarine, peanut butter, chocolate candies, ice cream, coffee creamers and infant formulas. Lecithin also helps prevent product spoilage, extending shelf life in the marketplace. In industry kitchens, it is used to improve mixing, speed crystallization, prevent "weeping," and stop spattering, lumping and sticking. Used in cosmetics, lecithin softens the skin and helps other ingredients penetrate the skin barrier. A more water-loving version known as "deoiled lecithin" reduces the time required to shut down and clean the extruders used in the manufacture of textured vegetable protein and other soy products.9,10
In theory, lecithin manufacture eliminates all soy proteins, making it hypoallergenic. In reality, minute amounts of soy protein always remain in lecithin as well as in soy oil. Three components of soy protein have been identified in soy lecithin, including the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor, which has a track record of triggering severe allergic reactions even in the most minuscule quantities. The presence of lecithin in so many food and cosmetic products poses a special danger for people with soy allergies."


From http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/lecithin.html