Why did you add alcohol to your products after saying in your book that it's bad for our hair?

Surely you would not think that I would say one thing and do another? I pride myself on being honest which is why we have been in business so long. In 2000 when I wrote my book, Ultra Black Hair Growth II, I stated that the use of hair spray should be avoided because it contains alcohol which tends to dry out our hair. The fact remains that the type of alcohol typically found in hair sprays – ethanol—does indeed have a drying effect on the hair. Products that contain this alcohol evaporate rapidly and are used in products to hold the hair in place. Thus, they have a tendency to dissolve very quickly while soaking up oil in the process. This causes the hair to dry out, giving the hair a frizzy, roughened look. This is especially true for our naturally coily hair that is robbed of needed moisture by the ethanol.

It has been over ten years now since I wrote Ultra Black Hair Growth II, and I have discovered that there are other types of alcohols that can be used in hair products without causing damaging effects. These are called fatty alcohols. So unlike ethanol alcohols which tend to dry out the hair, fatty alcohols have a creamy consistency and can actually provide additional lubrication, and prevent moisture loss while giving a smooth, soft appearance by helping the cuticle to lie flat on the hair surface. Some examples of fatty or (moisturizing) alcohols include: Stearyl alcohol, Cetearyl alcohol and Cetyl alcohol, but there are several others that you will discover if you decide to conduct some research of your own.

To answer the question, I still believe that hair products that contain ethanol alcohols are bad for our coily hair because of their tendency to cause drying and frizzing. However, this is not the case with fatty alcohols, which I added to my products because they help condition and moisturize our hair while making it smooth and manageable. So when choosing hair products, be careful that you select those containing the “good” or moisturizing alcohols and avoid the “bad” or drying alcohols. Making the right choice will make all the difference in the look, feel and health of your hair.