Hair spray
Hair spray (also hair lacquer or spritz) is a common cosmetic hairstyling product that is sprayed onto hair to protect against humidity and wind and have it stay in a desired shape. Hair sprays typically consist of several components for the hair as well as a propellant.[1]
Ingredients and operation
Hair sprays consist of the following components: concentrate,
Concentrate
Hair spray are a blend of polymers that provide structural support to hair. These frequently include
Propellants
Since the phase-out of CFCs in the 1980s, hydrocarbons are popular propellants. These include propane, butane, isobutane, and related volatile hydrocarbons, as well as other mixtures. Such hydrocarbons are poor solvents for the active ingredients such as the polymers. For this reason dimethyl ether is often added as well. It functions both as a propellant and a solvent.[1]
Other components
Plasticizers used in hair spray include esters of citric acid and adipic acid. Silicones and polyglycols are also used.
The concentrate comprises only a small volume of a can of hairspray. Most of a canister is filled solvents such as isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) and ethanol.[1]
History
Early hair sprays were developed in Europe in the 1920s. In the US, hair sprays were developed around the time of the
In the US, the first to package it was Chase products (an aerosol manufacturer) in 1948, as the beauty industry saw that the aerosol cans used in World War II for insecticides could be used as a dispenser for hairspray.
In 1968 at the feminist Miss America protest, protestors symbolically threw a number of feminine products into a "Freedom Trash Can." These included hairspray,[6] which was among items the protestors called "instruments of female torture"[7] and accoutrements of what they perceived to be enforced femininity.
Sales of hairspray declined in the 1970s as hairstyles became predominantly worn straight and loose. By the 1980s, hairspray’s popularity came back as big hairstyles resurged with the glam metal scene.
Prior to 1979, the most popular propellants in hairsprays were CFCs. Owing to environmental concerns, they were replaced.
Hair spray can be used for things other than hair. For example in the beauty world one might spray some hairspray on the leg and on the inside of the dress so that the dress won't ride up and stay in place.
See also
- Aerosol spray
- Copolymer
- Microbacterium hatanonis, an extremophile bacterium found to live in hairspray
References
- ^ ISBN 3527306730.
- ^ Victoria Sherrow, "Hairspray." Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History.
- ^ US patent 2305356, Luckenbach, William F., "Dressing of Hair", issued 1940-4-4
- ^ US patent 2464281, Peterson, Durey H., "Cream Hair Treating Preparations", issued 1945-3-7
- ^ Liz Suman. "The History of Hairspray." About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. <beautysupply.about.com/od/Hairspray/a/The-History-Of-Hair-Spray.htm>
- S2CID 143094250.
- ^ Duffett, Judith (October 1968). WLM vs. Miss America. p. 4.
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Sources
- Ben Selinger, Chemistry in the Marketplace, fourth ed. (Harcourt Brace, 1994).Abigail Saucedo (2008)
- Victoria Sherrow, "Hairspray." Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2006. 183-84. Print.
External links
Media related to Hair spray at Wikimedia Commons