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22 March 2012

Hair Styling and Fixing Gel/crème :



Styling and Fixing Gel/crème :

Hair gel is a hairstyling product that is used to stiffen hair into a particular style and or to give our hair a wet look. They are similar to, but stronger than, those of hair spray and hair wax.
It is used for grooming, styling and managing hair. The first hair gel was created in 1929 called Brylcreem; it was the first mass-marketed men's hair care product. Prior to the introduction of commercial hair gel, people used petroleum jelly to keep their hair in place till the end of the day.

Many types of hair gel is available in the market in numbered variants. Higher numbered gels maintain a greater "hold" on hair, while lower numbers do not make the hair as stiff and in some products give the hair a wet look. A category typically referred to as "ethnic" gels are designed and manufactured specifically for sculpting the hair texture common to African Americans.

Some types of hair gel contain temporary hair coloring for the hair, including variants in unnatural colors allied with various subcultures, and are popular within the goth and raver subcultures.


Mechanisms of action over Hair:

A hair styling gel is designed to help hold hair in a fixed shape. It is a clear product that is smoothed through the hair, coating it, and setting up a rigid film that inhibits movement. A well-formulated gel will remain flexible when initially applied but will become stiff when it dries.

Cationic polymers are one of the main functional components of hair gel. The positive charges in polymer causes it to stretch, making the gel more viscous. Hair gels resist natural protein conformations and allow hair to be styled and textured. This is because the stretched-out polymer takes up more space than a coiled polymer and thus resists the flow of solvent molecules around it. The positive charges also bind the gel to the negatively charged amino acids on the surface of the keratin molecules in the hair. More complicated polymer formulas exist; e.g., a copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone, methacrylamide, and N-vinylimidazole.

Frequency of application of Hair Gel and hair health :

Doctors advise against applying hair gel daily. According to them hair needs to breath.
  • Though hair is a dead cell, these dead cells can react in certain ways to the chemicals that are used on them. The regular application of chemicals can break, discolor and dry our hair.
  • Using a hair gel with a large percentage of alcohol, for instance, will dry the hair shaft and make it more prone to breakage.
  • Excessive usage of gels with harmful ingredients can harm the scalp skin damaging the hair eventually.
  • Avoid applying hair gel to the ends of the hair as this might weigh it down and reduce the motion.
  • Do not apply too much of gel on a particular area alone.
  • Hair gels are good on fine and medium hair. If your hair is thick, then you have to take special efforts to style your hair.
  • Every type of hair and hair style will require no more than a small chunk of gel, so do not use excess as this will give your hair a hard and crunchy look. The alcohol in the gel will dry up your hair if used in excess amounts.
  • Carry out a patch test to ensure that your skin is ready for the hair gel you are going to use.

Ingredients of Hair gel :

The primary ingredients of hair gel include humectant, plasticizer and a water-soluble polymer. They come include beeswax, alcohol and petroleum jelly. Other ingredients might include herb extracts, vitamins, nutrients and fatty acids for promoting hair growth. Most of these ingredients are listed by their chemical names. Here is a list of possible chemicals you might see on the labels of your hair gel and their possible adverse impact on your health.
  • Polyquaternium-11 : This is a possible carcinogen and a respiratory toxin.
  • Panthenol : Experiments conducted on animals show broad systemic effects at high doses.
  • Benzyl Nicotinate - These exhibit broad systemic toxicity in animals.
  • Zinc PCA : This has been found to be persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife.
  • Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate : This may contain harmful impurities.
  • Phytic Acid : Animal studies show brain and nervous system effects at moderate doses.
  • Dipropylene Glycol : Tests done on animal effect on sense organs at moderate doses.
  • Polysorbate 20 : Studies on animal show reproductive effects at high doses.
  • Methylchloroisothiazolinone : This has been found to be human immune system toxicant.
  • Tetrasodium EDTA : Animal studies show sense organ effects at low doses
  • Methylparaben : This is a possible carcinogen, neurotoxin and a skin irritant.
  • Fragrance : This could be an irritant for those with allergies.

1 comment:

  1. Great advises. Any improvement to our beauty routine is always appreciated.

    ReplyDelete