Hairspray Product Selections
Recall a time when you were in the midst of getting ready for an event, a wedding, a party, or some other occasion that required you to dress up a little nicer than usual. Have you ever realized you have run out of a certain product that is close to essential in order to achieve your look? Well, I have to be honest, this happens to me pretty much all the time with hairspray. Because I do not really use hairspray all that often, whenever I get to the bottom of the can I tend to just shake it even harder and hope and pray that even the tiniest bit will come out so that I do not have to go to the store to buy more. (Also, who else makes mental notes to pick up certain items like hairspray for the next time you go to the store and then always forgets to pick it up? I am guilty of this for more items than just hairspray.)
I was sitting at home this weekend thinking about writing this article, when I heard the sound I am so accustomed to hearing come from my mom’s bathroom: the spray of hairspray. I thought about how this is such an interesting thing — I grew up watching my mom do her hair every morning, and she always finished it off with hairspray. This was such a natural part of the process. However, as I started getting older, I never really used hairspray much aside from my gymnastics and cheer competitions, for which it was then required. This age difference in hairspray usage made me think of all the reasons as to why my own hairspray usage differs so greatly from my mom’s. First, my mom grew up in a completely different generation where “big hair” was all the rage. After using hairspray every day for years, it must be hard to break this habit. When I was growing up, straight and flat hair was the rage, so instead of using products and sprays to increase the volume of my hair, I would straighten my hair to try to minimize any volume or frizz it originally had. Now looking back, I would tell my younger self that I was crazy! The second reason I came up with for the usage difference is that my generation is more conscious about not only what we put on our hair and skin, but how these products might affect the environment as well. I think these two reasons are probably the biggest as to why people in my mother’s generation probably use hairspray much more frequently than people in my generation. Moreover, because current research (Dinh et al., 2015) has found that hairsprays contain the largest quantity of volatile organic compounds, I have decided to look into natural hairsprays that do not contain these VOCs or any other harmful chemicals; “in the spray products, 21.6–96.4% of the VOCs were propane, iso-butane, and n-butane, which are the components of liquefied petroleum gas” (Dinh et al., 2015).
~~~
Since I have a tendency to run out of hairspray unexpectedly, I first wanted to review hairsprays that can be made at home with ingredients you probably already have lying around the house!
DIY Hairsprays
Both of these hairsprays are made with simple, natural ingredients that can be found in your own home! Isn’t it comforting to be able to say you know exactly what is going into your hairsprays and how it can impact the health of both you and the environment? Environmental researchers (Sahmel et al., 2009) would agree that since these ingredients are all natural, and do not contain chemicals like vinyl chloride that was banned in 1974 because it was a known carcinogen, this is a very safe option for people wanting to steer clear of chemicals. Additionally, as stated about starch as a substitute for hairspray, benefits to these DIY sprays include “low economical cost and non-toxicity” (Zheng and Loh, 2016).
I ended up trying both of these DIY hairsprays so that I could review them for you all, and honestly, I was very impressed! For the first hairspray that only called for sugar, water, and essential oils, I only had lavender and peppermint at my house, so I made one of each! The smell of the hairspray was wonderful and did not smell of chemicals like most store-bought hairsprays do. The hold of this hairspray was light but did a nice job eliminating frizz, which is the main reason I use hairspray anyways.
As for the second hairspray, there were a few pros and cons. Pros included that it was much stickier than the first, meaning that it had a stronger hold on my hair and could keep strands in place much longer. The essential oils also made the spray smell very nice. However, because this hairspray contained alcohol, I felt that it dried out my hair more than the first one that did not contain alcohol. This preference is up to the user, but since I do not personally need a strong hold in my hairsprays, I would suggest the first method!
~~~
Next, I will review a budget-friendly natural hairspray that you can find at stores so you do not have to go to the trouble of making it yourself.
Budget-friendly Natural Hairsprays
Josh Rosebrook Natural Hairspray
This hairspray is made from natural ingredients such as non-GMO corn, water, and essential oils, and is only $24! It has a pump to spray the hairspray onto hair, but it is not an aerosol meaning it does not contain the same chemicals that most aerosol products must use in order to have that continuous spraying effect. This means that this hairspray will not contribute to the “development of inflammation causing pulmonary changes after the inhalation of hair spray” (Kawajiri et al., 2004) which is a common side effect with aerosol sprays. Additionally, since this is not an aerosol product, there is no need to worry about ozone-depleting substances that are found in most aerosol products (Velders et al., 2007).
John Masters Organic Hair Spray
This hairspray is USDA certified organic and is made from aloe vera, acacia senegal gum, xanthan gum, and three other plant-based ingredients in order to give you a strong hold while also hydrating and nourishing your hair. For only $24 for 8 ounces, this hairspray will allow you to feel good about what you spray on your hair.
~~~
Lastly, for someone looking for a more expensive, cost-is-no-matter hairspray that might give you a better hold, or a better smell and easier application, this pick is for you.
Best Overall Natural Hairsprays
Rahua Voluminous Spray
This hairspray is made from water, organic citrus, lemongrass, and sugarcane, in addition to essential oils. This USDA Organic and vegan hairspray does not have any irritants that will dry out your hair or scalp, and is perfect for a light hold that you can brush your fingers through. For $32, this 6oz spray can be yours! Because this hairspray does not contain engineered nanoparticles that collect in water runoff and landfills (Zhang et al., 2015), this spray is a safe option for the environment as well!
Herbal Choice Mari Organic Hair Spray
This USDA Organic hairspray is comprised of 100% natural and chemical-free ingredients, including purified water, organic vodka, organic brown sugar, and several organic essential oils. This $37 6.8 ounce glass bottle on amazon, but $19 on Nature Brand’s website, is reusable and recyclable and since it does not contain plastic pvp that most plastic hairspray bottles contain, it is much better for your lung health when inhaled!
~~~
When selecting products for yourself and your everyday use, why not be picky? We owe it to ourselves to do the research and really dive into knowing which products we use are going to benefit our health and in turn the environment’s as well. I hope these natural hairspray product selections will help guide your search and even incentivize you to go do research of your own for other natural hairsprays and see what you come up with! I know I will definitely be testing out different homemade hairsprays for the next few weeks simply because now I have sparked my interest and am curious how the end results will actually turn out!
References
[Colorful Canary]. (2013 February 18). How to make your own natural organic hairspray — diy. [https://youtu.be/1FShG3DlFRU]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FShG3DlFRU
Dinh, T., Kim, S., Son, Y., Choi, I., Park, S., Sunwoo, Y., & Kim, J. (2015). Emission characteristics of VOCs emitted from consumer and commercial products and their ozone formation potential. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 22(12), 9345–9355. Retrieved from https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/10.1007/s11356-015-4092-8
Hair Spray Firm Hold — Josh Rosebrook. (2018). Josh Rosebrook. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=josh+rosebrook+firm+hold+hairspray&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiYsYOulILfAhWCyIMKHSELDZgQ_AUIDygC&biw=1167&bih=677#imgrc=2ZKJFOm21LdshM:
Herbal Choice Mari Organic Hair Spray. (2018). Nature’s Brands. Retrieved from https://www.naturesbrands.com/collections/organic-hair-sprays/products/organic-hair-spray?variant=434228428820
John Masters Organics. (2018). John Masters. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/John-Masters-Organics-Certified-Non-Aerosol/dp/B01DYTIKKK/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1544640291&sr=8-3&keywords=organic%2Bhair%2Bspray%2Bstrong%2Bhold&th=1
Kawajiri, T., Nagata, N., Morimoto, Y., Ishimatsu, S., Hori, H., Tanaka, I.,…Kido, M. (2004). Pathology and mechanism of lung toxicity following inhalation of hair spray in rats. Inhalation Toxicology, 16(3), 147–153. doi:10.1080/08958370490270954
Rahua Voluminous Spray. (2018). Naturismo. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=rahua+voluminous+hair+spray&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwji2qKZlYLfAhUJ6YMKHcSlBWgQ_AUIDygC&biw=1167&bih=677#imgrc=JJOuQ6yw7rbJ1M:
Sahmel, J., Unice, K., Scott, P., Cowan, D., & Paustenbach, D. (2009). The use of multizone models to estimate an airborne chemical contaminant generation and decay profile: occupational exposures of hairdressers to vinyl chloride in hairspray in the 1960s and 1970s. Risk Analysis, 29(12), 1699–1725. Retrieved from https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.utexas.edu/10.1111/j.1539-6924.2009.01311.x
Stogsdill, D. (2016 October 27). How to make homemade hairspray [simple and natural]. [https://youtu.be/eb9L3AaRVuo]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb9L3AaRVuo
Velders, G., Andersen, S., Daniel, J., Fahey, D., & McFarland, M. (2007). The importance of the Montreal Protocol in protecting climate. PNAS, 104(12), 4814–4819. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0610328104
Zhang, Y., Leu, Y., Aitken, R., & Riediker, M. (2015). Inventory of engineered nanoparticle-containing consumer products available in the Singapore retail market and likelihood of release into the aquatic environment. International Journal of Environmental Research of Public Health, 12(8), 8717–8743.
Zheng, Y. J., and Loh, X. J. (2016). Natural rheological modifiers for personal care. Polymers Advanced Technologies, 27, 1664–1679. doi:10.1002/pat.3822
