Are fatty alcohols good for natural hair?  It depends. It is true that fatty alcohols are an improvement over short short chain alcohols like SD alcohol, alcohol denat and isopropyl alcohol.

Fatty alcohols like cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol – just to name a few – tend to have lubricating properties that in the short term, seem to make hair more pliable and more flexible.

In contrast, short chain alcohols are extremely lightweight and very drying. Additionally, these alcohols break up oils that they come into contact with. That is precisely why they are so pervasively used in hair products that are marketed for people who have oily hair. Unfortunately, short chain alcohols are also prominently featured in African American and natural hair care products, rendering hair that is already naturally dry and non-pliable even more dry.

Fatty alcohols may make your hair feel good for a while by providing lubrication, but they do NOT add moisture to the hair. In other words, they do not nourish hair or even replenish lost moisture that very dry natural hair needs.

The bottom line? Buy products that have a low percentage of fatty alcohols in their ingredient lists. After all, at the end of the day, alcohol is alcohol.

Using Natural Hair products you may find that your hair is able to grow longer, have less breakage, your hair may become more manageable and your curl pattern can become more defined. Using chemicals in products is a recipe for skin irritation and other allergic reactions. With organic products, you won’t have to worry about a painful negative reaction to a product. You can rest assured knowing that the product you put in your hair uses all natural ingredients. Unlike chemically enhanced products, organic hair products can even be a healthy choice for women during pregnancy. Of course, anyone who is pregnant should consult their doctor about which products are safest for them.