All of us are trying to achieve that pleasing, perfect, prim and proper appearance throughout the day. This comes as a package such as clothing, shoes and more importantly rightfully styled hair. This is also a vital element that adds to the individual’s look and personality.
Most of us would argue that hair gels and sprays are simply styling tools and are not meant to really cause damage. At the outset, the hair gel (or even spray for that matter) is applied to the hair and not the scalp and can even be washed out. Besides, there are several natural products available that virtually cause no harm. But for the purpose of understanding let us take a look at both the products separately.
Hair gel
Hair gels take care of the arduous task of styling the tresses and keeping them in place. Invented in the United States sometime in the 1960’s by Luis Montoya, the hair gel was initially sold as DEP a brand name that also symbolised diethyl phthalate, which was also its primary ingredient. This chemical is what gave hair its unique and non-sticky consistency. Even while modern hair gels look up to cationic polymers for the viscosity of the gel to make face and hair look neat, here are some of the side effects of excessive usage.
Hair spray
Hair sprays are meant to hold hair in place. They come with a different blend of ingredients and are available under brands with formulations that contain active polymers and solvents along with a few propellants. While solvents are used to dissolve the ingredients into a solution the polymers are responsible for the hairspray’s glue-like effects. The spray before the 1970s was composed of vinyl chloride that was primarily used in propellant cans. This is also a carcinogen that was linked to a form of liver disease in humans known as angiosarcoma. The chemical has long been discontinued since, but there are other ingredients that are still contributing to health degeneration such as propane, polyvinylpyrrolidone or PVP, and consequently alcohol and hydrocarbons, which act as solvents.
Problems with excessive use of hairspray
While the essentiality of styling and staying prim cannot be denied, it would only be best to limit the usage of chemical gels, sprays and other products lest they might harm or damage the hair.
