WEN

[jaxs mom]

Ok I know there are different types of alcohol products used in hair care. I noticed when looking at the ingredients of the Light Finishing Spray that the first ingredient is Alcohol denatured. 

Light by Chaz Dean Finishing Treatment Spray 

Alcohol Denat., Hydrofluorocarbon 152a, Water, Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl 
Methacrylate Copolymer, Polyurethane-14, Bamboo Water, Lavender Flower Extract, 
Eucalyptus Leaf Extract, Basil Extract, Bergamot Leaf Extract, Orange Peel Extract, Cedarwood Extract, Mandarin Orange Peel Oil, Green Tea Leaf Extract, White Tea Leaf Extract, Rooibos Red Tea Extract, Black Tea Leaf Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, L-Valine, L-Threonine, L-Proline, L-Isoleucine, L-Phenylaline, L-Histidine, L-Alanine, L-Serine, L-Arginine, L-Aspartic Acid, Glycine, Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5), AMP-Acrylates Copolymer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Glycerin, Triethyl Citrate, PEG/PPG-17/18 Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl  Methoxycinnamate, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, PCA, Phenoxyethanol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Lactate, Fragrance, Limonene, Linalool, Benzyl Alcohol, Gamma Terpinene. 

I went and looked up regular hair sprays and the ones I looked at all had Alcohol Denatured and Hydroflurocarbon 152a as the first two ingredients. Hasn't he been telling us all along that hairspray and certain alcohols are drying and bad for the hair? 

So can someone who knows more about haircare ingredients explain how this alcohol is one of the ok ones? Personally I don't want to undo all the good the last 5 years has done for my hair as it's no longer dry anymore. 

[bruingirl]

@jaxs mom If I recall correctly when talking about hairsprays and when he was formulating the VTS he replaced some of the "bad alcohols" with other ingredients such as witch hazel and added treatment ingredients so it wouldn't dry hair out.  I think the same thing happened with the FTS...yes alcohols are part of the formulation but Chaz added treatment ingredients. Hope this helps. also I've been  using the FTS for a few weeks and I havne't noticed any drying effects on my hair  

[jaxs mom]

Thanks bruingirl. I've only used the VTS so far but I ordered the TSV with the new spray that's why I was wondering. I really couldn't remember which ones were the "good" ones and which were the "bad" ones. 

I ended up looking around online and most sites seem to say that the fatty alcohols are good but those seem to mostly be used in conditioners and not styling products. 

The most common fatty alcohols that you will find in your hair products and which hydrate and which are highly beneficial to your hair are: lauryl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol and behenyl alcohol.

The bad ones are drying and include 

These are very small alcohols with less than three carbon atoms in their structure and they also have a low molecular weight. These alcohols evaporate quickly and so they are used in hair products as an additive to help decrease the time it takes for hair to dry. But the flip side to their use is that these alcohols also remove moisture and oil from the hair causing the cuticle to roughen, leaving the hair dry, brittle and frizzy, as a result these types of alcohols indeed tend to be damaging to the hair.

Some of the most common short-chain alcohols that you will find in hair products and which you should try to avoid are ethanol, SD alcohol, SD alcohol 40, denatured alcohol, propanol, propyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol

Everything I've found so far implies that denatured alcohol is drying for hair and skin. And it's the the first ingredient in the the spray. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of it. I'm growing my hair back out and I don't want to find out later that my hair was damaged. I spent the last five years using Wen to improve it's condition and chopped off the last of my shampoo hair 18 months ago. 

The biggest red flag for me was looking up the ingredients of regular hairspray and finding the same two ingredients as numbers one and two. 

[RipleyGirl]

I think your question would be an excellent one for Chaz' customer service peeps! 

I've seen differing opinions on alcohol (the short-chained ones). Some feel that in small amounts, it's ok and can help with absorption (and drying time) in skin and hair care products.

I'm pretty sure in the VTS, the alcohol content is cut by the witchhazel content. I use so little of it though, that I've never really worried.

I did look up the propellant in the finishing spray and supposedly it's less harmful for the atmosphere, unlike the old ones that could blow a whole in the ozone 

[jaxs mom]

Yes, I looked up the propellent also, I think most hair sprays have switched to this new one that's ozone safe. The alcohol thing is just so confusing. I haven't used hair spray in many years and I only use the VTS once in awhile. I'm sure they'll be doing lots of demos and discussion during the presentation of the TSV. 

[HappyDaze]

@jaxs mom that is what I didn't understand about his VTS when they came out- the first ingredient is the drying alcohol  SD alcohol, just another name for denatured alcohol. There are many complaints about it drying their hair out with daily use. I never did understand why Chaz says that about hair spray being so bad for your hair with the alcohols when his own products contain them. Sure, they may also have moisturizing properties but the first ingredient is always the main component of the product and if it is the drying type of alcohol that chances are it will be more drying than moisturizing. 

BTW, when I've brought this up in the past certain posters slammed me for simply stating facts, of course, but it is definitely a fact that these types of alcohols are drying and they are in a high percentage in the product.  So don't shoot the messenger, lol!

[HSB1204]

@HappyDaze  The VTS is definitely drying to my hair. Whatever else is in the VTS that is supposedly making up for the drying alcohol doesn't make any difference in my hair. The other thing I noticed that seems to be in the VTS is witch hazel. I may just be completely ignorant but I thought witch hazel was astringent and that's why Chaz put it in the CA CC.

I won't be trying the Light Finishing Spray. I don't care for the scent and never really used hair spray to begin with so it's not something that I'm interested in trying.

[HappyDaze]

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@HSB1204 wrote:

@HappyDaze  The VTS is definitely drying to my hair. Whatever else is in the VTS that is supposedly making up for the drying alcohol doesn't make any difference in my hair. The other thing I noticed that seems to be in the VTS is witch hazel. I may just be completely ignorant but I thought witch hazel was astringent and that's why Chaz put it in the CA CC.

I won't be trying the Light Finishing Spray. I don't care for the scent and never really used hair spray to begin with so it's not something that I'm interested in trying.

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Yes, @HSB1204 I wasn't even going to go there but yes, witch hazel can also be drying and is an astringent. My hair would not do well at all with both drying alcohols and witch hazel so that is why I've never tried the vts and try to avoid products with them in it, or at least high up on the ingredient list.  I've not tried any of the Light products because,  based on reviews, it seems to be you really like it or you really don't, not much inbetween. I also don't use hairspray. I think they last time I used hairspray was back in the late 80's when I'd tease my bangs a little and wanted them to stay put, lololol. Ah those were the days, lol. 

[quadmimi]

It is true hairspray I am sure is drying to the hair, but I use it due to my hair type  & style, (not that it is giant hair, but holds the curls better & my "strange crater part at the back of my head) I tried VTS but for me it was not a hairspray...

So I am probably the perfect customer for the new FLSpray, if it's at all better for my hair, and does what I need it to do then that for me would be a good thing...

*the queen may be able to depart from her  big "red" can?...lol

[HSB1204]

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@HappyDaze wrote:

Yes, @HSB1204 I wasn't even going to go there but yes, witch hazel can also be drying and is an astringent. My hair would not do well at all with both drying alcohols and witch hazel so that is why I've never tried the vts and try to avoid products with them in it, or at least high up on the ingredient list.  I've not tried any of the Light products because,  based on reviews, it seems to be you really like it or you really don't, not much inbetween. I also don't use hairspray. I think they last time I used hairspray was back in the late 80's when I'd tease my bangs a little and wanted them to stay put, lololol. Ah those were the days, lol. 

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@HappyDaze  I have a pretty oil scalp so I think something astringent works for that but my ends are dry so I definitely don't need something to dry them out even more which is exactly what the VTS does.

I received a sample of the Light EDP with my CA gallon last year and if the other Light products smell anything like it, they're definitely not for me. I do not like lavender but it was all I could smell. To me it just has this really off-putting chemical smell. My hair also seems to have a love/hate relationship with the rice based formulas so I can easily do without trying anything in the Light line.