Hair spray (alsohair lacquer orspritz) is a commoncosmetichairstyling 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]
Hair sprays consist of the following components: concentrate,plasticizers, luster agents, andfragrances, as well as propellants.
Hair spray are a blend of polymers that provide structural support to hair. These frequently includecopolymers ofpolyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) andpolyvinyl acetate (PVAc). Vinyl acetate-crotonic acid copolymers give harder films. In this way hairsprays can be formulated as flexible, medium, and maximum hold.[2] The copolymer mixture is usually adjusted to achieve the desired physical properties (adhesive strength, foaming, etc.), usingplasticizers such asaminomethyl propanol,surfactants such asbenzalkonium chloride, and other agents likedimethicone.
Since the phase-out ofCFCs 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 reasondimethyl ether is often added as well. It functions both as a propellant and a solvent.[1] In addition to hydrocarbon propellants, fluorinated gases have been widely used as propellants to replace CFCs, with the most common gas being1,1-difluoroethane. It is often listed as hydrofluorocarbon-152a.[3]
Plasticizers used in hair spray include esters ofcitric acid andadipic 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]
Early hair sprays were developed in Europe in the 1920s. In the US, hair sprays were developed around the time of theaerosol can in the 1940s, and the first patents describingcopolymers for hair styling were published in the 1940s.[4][5]
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.[6] It thrived and became increasingly popular and mass-produced, asupdos and other such hairstyles were created. By 1964, it became the highest selling beauty product on the market.
In 1968 at the feministMiss America protest, protestors symbolically threw a number of feminine products into a "Freedom Trash Can." These included hairspray,[7] which was among items the protestors called "instruments of female torture"[8] and accoutrements of what they perceived to be enforcedfemininity.
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 theglam metal scene.
Prior to 1979, the most popular propellants in hairsprays wereCFCs. 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 will stay in place and won't ride up.
Media related toHair spray at Wikimedia Commons