Is hairspray damaging?

[elbow chic]

I did a search but nothing directly related came up. I have a bottle of Pantene Classic hairspray that I use pretty sparingly.

For whatever reason it helps disguise the look of greasy roots, so I'm thinking of using it on updos for that third/fourth day post-wash.

Damage-wise, would that better or worse than just going ahead and washing it?

[LittleOrca]

Ohh ohh ohh! *searches for Nightshade's images.*

Nightshade talks about hairspray in this article here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79). It's about halfway down and there are some shudder worthy pictures of what hairspray does to your hair.

[Angeletti]

I hate the fact that hairspray is so drying to the hair. Maybe you can do just a scalp wash to get your roots, that way you don't have to wash the length.

[elbow chic]

Oh! that was a pretty gross/fascinating article, LittleOrca! So... I'll lay off the hairspray. lol. Scalp-washing sounds like a brilliant idea.

Logistically I have no idea how to make THAT work. Where are my handmaidens????

[LittleOrca]

There are other things you can use though, like watered down aloe gel (clear, not green) that will act like a hair spray without the damage (as Nightshade stated) or, as I use, just a few drops of your favorite oil. It adds shine and keeps the frizzies away. :)

[SimplyViki]

I think hairspray is fine if you just make sure not to manipulate your hair a whole lot (especially brushing or combing) after you've sprayed it. If you wet your hair down (like when you wash it), it should soften the hairspray enough that you're not ripping strands apart from one another, which should prevent results like the ones in the scary pictures. Spraying your hair in the morning on wash day and washing it in the evening sounds like a good plan to me.

[Nae]

So, I was thinking, the next time I go on a camping trip I am SO going to invite Nightshade. I read her article a couple of years ago and I haven't used hairspray since. So, I figure if she can so deftly terrify me with hairspray how awesome would she be at telling ghost stories around the campfire?? Pretty darn awesome is what I would think.......

What do you say Nightshade? Up for some s'mores?;)

[jojo]

I have not used hairspray since probably before I had my first child in 1988! back in those days it dried my hair but it was rough stuff! dunno how they are these days, I hate the stuff in my hair and moose eurgh!

[elbow chic]

So, I was thinking, the next time I go on a camping trip I am SO going to invite Nightshade. I read her article a couple of years ago and I haven't used hairspray since. So, I figure if she can so deftly terrify me with hairspray how awesome would she be at telling ghost stories around the campfire?? Pretty darn awesome is what I would think.......

:laugh: Seriously, I'll probably never look at that bottle of hairspray without thinking about those pictures.

[BlueCanary]

Now I'm scared to open the article. I use about two squirts of hairspray a month. And I don't brush it afterwards. Just wash. Okay, now for the scary part--going to the article.

[MissManda]

Have you thought about trying dry shampoo?

[LotusFIre]

In the article, what does that even mean when it says it left an imprint of the cuticle? I dont see why that would permanently damage the hair? Is it pulling the hairs apart or what? If you just use it as a finisher then wash it out that night, I dont see how that can damage it.
Anyone want to explain?

[elbow chic]

I'm guessing that when the hairspray shell pulls away from the hair, it would pull up the cuticle with it? At least that's what the picture and text seem to be implying to me.

Probably not the most serious hair damage in the world, but right now I'm fairly OCD about preventing damage-- otherwise I wouldn't be stressing out about washing on the second or third day. :laugh:

MissManda, I have thought about it. My usual hair-product store didn't have any the last time I looked, so I'll have to try Wal-Mart sometime soon.

[BlueCanary]

Okay, so aloe vera gel it is! Can I just squeeze the plant into the squirt bottle and dilute then?

[Fingolphin]

I think it is damaging. I used to use it all the time, and my hair was quite dry. I never use it now.

[DoubleCrowned]

Okay, so aloe vera gel it is! Can I just squeeze the plant into the squirt bottle and dilute then?

The gel inside the leaf is quite thick. To get to it, slice off the spines (optional), cut the leaf open, and scrape out the jelly. It will not all be smooth enough to put in a spray bottle unless you whiz it in a blender. Part of it will be runny enough to use without whizzing, if you want to just plop the gel into a strainer and use what runs through. Refrigerate what you don't use.

(I have not tried aloe to hold my hair in place; but have used it on skin and as a hair treatment. Hairspray breaks my hair, so I think I will experiment with aloe spray, too. )

[BlueCanary]

The gel inside the leaf is quite thick. To get to it, slice off the spines (optional), cut the leaf open, and scrape out the jelly. It will not all be smooth enough to put in a spray bottle unless you whiz it in a blender. Part of it will be runny enough to use without whizzing, if you want to just plop the gel into a strainer and use what runs through. Refrigerate what you don't use.

(I have not tried aloe to hold my hair in place; but have used it on skin and as a hair treatment. Hairspray breaks my hair, so I think I will experiment with aloe spray, too. )
Hmmm...so I'm thinking three leafs of jelly, a splash of water and Oster away at it. Maybe two would be better. I see myself using up the plant way faster than it's growing. Maybe just buying it would be better for now.

[DoubleCrowned]

If you buy it, the juice might work better because it is already thin enough to spritz (at least some brands are).

[LotusFIre]

what about alcohol free hairspray? OH but I love my good old Suave lol
and aerosol is the only thing the works for me.

[elbow chic]

what about alcohol free hairspray? OH but I love my good old Suave lol
and aerosol is the only thing the works for me.

I dunno. I hadn't used any hairspray since I was a little girl in the 80s, with the double-layered Bangs of Doom.

So I bought the pantene hairspray from a clearance rack on a whim. :o

Anyway, I washed my hair tonight after having used the spray over a topknot... and detangling was quite a lot more hassle than usual. (Which, for me, is saying something.)

So maybe the hairspray-to-stretch-washes is a counterproductive idea.

Next stop: dry shampoo. It's not the flyaways that bug me. It's that my roots look really greasy by Day 3, and the spray makes it look less like plain old sebum and more like an intentionally product-laden sort of look.

[DoubleCrowned]

Next stop: dry shampoo. It's not the flyaways that bug me. It's that my roots look really greasy by Day 3, and the spray makes it look less like plain old sebum and more like an intentionally product-laden sort of look.

Beer rinse keeps my roots fresh-looking longer. Has anyone tried beer as a styling spritz?

[Nightshade]

So, I was thinking, the next time I go on a camping trip I am SO going to invite Nightshade. I read her article a couple of years ago and I haven't used hairspray since. So, I figure if she can so deftly terrify me with hairspray how awesome would she be at telling ghost stories around the campfire?? Pretty darn awesome is what I would think.......

What do you say Nightshade? Up for some s'mores?;)

:twisted:

Instead of a flashlight to hold under my chin I'll use the LED light on a flat iron ;)

[Mesmerise]

I think washing is definitely the less damaging of the two options! You can try to shampoo your roots only, or do a CWC or CO type wash (which would be less damaging than a normal shampoo). A lot of people report that washing more frequently doesn't damage their hair too badly.

Edit: and that is a SCARY article lol!! But good to read nevertheless ;) It helps me strengthen my goal NOT to straighten my hair, no matter how lovely it looks afterwards (*sniff sniff*).

[Nae]

:twisted:

Instead of a flashlight to hold under my chin I'll use the LED light on a flat iron ;)

Oh no!! The horror!!! :scared:

[Arya]

I'm just wondering, what are the ingredients that cause this damage? Are there certain sprays that are worse, and certain ones that are better? Anyone with a microscope and a bunch of old bottles of hairspray willing to check?

[ktani]

I did a search but nothing directly related came up. I have a bottle of Pantene Classic hairspray that I use pretty sparingly.

For whatever reason it helps disguise the look of greasy roots, so I'm thinking of using it on updos for that third/fourth day post-wash.

Damage-wise, would that better or worse than just going ahead and washing it?

Here are the ingredients unless they have been changed, http://www.amazon.com/Pantene-Pro-V-Classic-Hairspray-Flexible/dp/B001EKZ8NE
"Water, Dimethyl Ether, Alcohol Denat, Acrylates Copolymer, Panthenol, Potassium Hydroxide, Ammonium Benzoate, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG 12 Dimethicone, Fragrance, Diisobutyl Adipate"

The alcohol is there to help the product dry faster and possibly also as a solvent for the acrylates. It is the acrylates that build-up. They are a film former. They are less rigid than they used to be with new technologies that make them less sticky too and there is panthenol there to help offset dryness.

My mom used to use a lot of hairspray. If it is overused in general, it can build-up badly and cause breakage. My mom's hair is always kept short and the hairspray did not badly affect her hair in terms of any breakage being noticeable.

ETA: My mom as far back as I can remember has had her hair "done" or washed and styled at a salon, and still does at 90 years old, and I have no idea if the stylists clarified her hair. They most likely did before giving her a perm, which she still gets once in a while. She has enough hair at her age, to handle it all, although it is not thick.

ETA:2 Hairsprays these days tend to have less alcohol in them and can be alcohol free. There is some sort of film former used because that is the purpose of hairspray, hold.

Sugar water is an age old hairspray "stand in" and it washes out completely.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1798&dat=19711122&id=8fceAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FI0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4211,4071565

[Perelka74]

I never use hairspray just don't like the way my hair feels after .

[ktani]

Sugar water hairspray reviews and tips.

http://dkmommyspot.com/how-to-make-homemade-hairspray-that-really-works/

It would need to be kept in the fridge between uses.