Are All Alcohols Really So Bad for Natural Hair?

In the search for Natural Hair Products without Alcohol, Black Hair Management sheds light on the good Alcohols already there.

Courtney Henry

Published in

Black Hair Management

6 min readNov 10, 2020

Alcohol. We know it leaves your mouth dry the morning after but does it always do the same to your hair?

Mainstream loves to #trend. Quick to cancel people, careers, entire food groups even to make way for the next hottest thing.

If you don’t do your research it’s easy to be miseducated real quick.

The fact is, there are both good AND bad alcohols for your natural hair. What makes them better or worse is the substances they are derived from and how many carbons inside.

Let’s talk chemistry for a bit, shall we?

Below are the chemical structures of your common alcohols used mainly for drinking and antiseptics. The harsh stuff.

The OH part is what makes these chemicals to be known as alcohols. The number of carbon atoms © is referred to as the chain length. In the harsh, consumer product alcohols, the chain length is very small. As the chain length increases, the harder it gets for the alcohol to evaporate or dry out. Some can get as dense as wax. These long-chained alcohols are more commonly referred to as fatty alcohols in the cosmetic world.1

So unlike the latest runway model, when it comes to your natural hair it wants fatty alcohols. This gives your hair that slip, slide, and moisture without going full jerry.

The answer is yes and no.

We’ve compiled some useful facts about the good alcohols in your natural hair products and what makes them work. Breaking them down by the number of carbons each has, starting with the fattiest and working our way down to the slim thicks.

Behenyl Alcohol22 carbons

The largest fatty alcohol in this group, it is made up of 22 carbon atoms. Plant-derived from corn, Behenyl Alcohol performs as an emulsifier consisting of a water-loving hydrophilic head and an oil-loving hydrophobic tail. By reducing the surface tension, these opposites attract to ultimately stabilize and beautifully mix.2

*Relationship much?*

At the end of the day it works in your natural hair product to thicken, increase moisture, provide slip, and ultimately improve manageability. Behenyl Alcohol is one of the more nourishing alcohols to look for in your favorite brands.

Stearyl Alcohol18 carbons

This alcohol serves primarily as an emollient, meaning it softens and smooths both skin and hair.

It usually thickens the product too which provides additional hydration and moisture. This “gentle alcohol” is used as an oily additive for allowing the conditioner to more easily spread throughout your hair which is always good news for detangling on wash day.

Cetyl Alcohol 16 carbons

Derived from saturated vegetable fats such as coconut oil and palm oil, Cetyl Alcohol in hair products is used to make creams smoother and products thicker. Also an emulsifier, it then prevents your creamiest conditioners and hair masks from separating into oils and liquids.

While this Alcohol is used alone, it is also commonly combined with Stearyl Alcohol to create Cetearyl Alcohol. With 34 carbons total, you’ll find this to be a popular ingredient in your custards and thickest leave-ins.3

Cetyl Alcohol in hair products is both safe and non-toxic for skin and hair. However, it is advised to avoid these if you have VERY sensitive skin or scalp.

Myristyl Alcohol14 carbons

Made from myristic acid found in Nutmeg, also in coconut oil.

MYRISTYL ALCOHOL is classified as :

An Emollient (nourishing & skin conditioning)
Emulsion stabilizing
Foam boosting
Skin conditioning
Controls Viscosity or how thick/sticky the end product will be

What do these properties mean for your natural hair?

This “good alcohol” hydrates and moisturizes your locks while at the same time adds that tangle-free slip.

Lauryl Alcohol 12 carbons

Lauryl alcohol is both tasteless and colorless with a floral odor. Derived from Coconut and Palm Seed Oil, it is used as an emollient, spreading agent, and surfactant.

While most surfactants are found in your shampoos because of their cleaning purposes and foaming agents, they are not all used for detracting oil and debris. It often depends on the concentration and combination with other added ingredients that may change the final formulation.4

This proves that while it is classified as alcohol, it still has hydrating and moisturizing effects on hair. Further dispelling the myth of Alcohol as bad for your hair.

Butylene Glycol4 carbons

Butylene glycol is organic alcohol derived from petroleum and is water-soluble.

It is both:

A humectant
A Solvent
and an emollient

This means it retains moisture, dissolves ingredients, and improves application. As a solvent, butylene glycol works well with ingredients that are not water-soluble and are difficult to dissolve.

Butylene glycol is safe for daily use for those who do not have an allergy to it or very sensitive skin. The EWG rates it as 1out of 10 (10 being the most hazardous.) Because of this, it has recently become more popular in replacing slightly more stringent alcohols.5

Propylene Glycol3 carbons

Last but not least is the skinniest of the fatty alcohols and also the most controversial. This complex alcohol acts as a humectant, attracting much needed water to our hair.

Quite similar to Butylene Glycol, they are both derived from petroleum products, available in the form of a colorless liquid, and used in product formulations for the same reasons. Propylene Glycol tends to be slightly more irritating to folks rating a 3 out of 10 according to EWG.5

While it is 100% non-toxic, it has recently gotten a bad rap because of its presence in antifreeze.

While yes, this is true, when used in low concentrations it is chemically:

Water-soluble.
Synthetic.
Non-toxic.
Easily metabolized.

The word anti-freeze is frequently used to alarm consumers and is simply a scientific term used to describe the lowering or depression of the freezing point of a liquid. An example is the application of salt to roads and walkways in a snowstorm.6

Like our hair and bodies, the products we use to nourish our curls is as varied as our shades of melanin. Formulation Matters! At Black Hair Management we encourage our subscribers to Read The Label and know the truth about alcohol in natural hair products.