Hair sprays
Hair sprays are chemicals that are used to make the hair stiff and stand erect. Hair spray though more commonly used by men can also be used for women. Women use it more for making their hair. When the hair has been styled, hair spray can be used to keep the style from undoing. Sometimes fine hair is difficult to handle, they cannot be styled easily. Even when they are styled, they loosen. For such hair types, the hair spray can work wonders. This article begins with the discussion of the contents of the hair spray and the proceeds on to mention the different hairstyles that can be obtained by the use of hair spray.
What does the hair spray contain?
Chemical elastesse or polymer is the main ingredient of the hair spray. It is this agent which helps in keeping the hair stiff and prevents snapping of hair. The solvents used in the hair spray were a compound or compounds fluorine or carbon. But these compounds, it was realised, were green house agents which damaged the ozone layer when released into the atmosphere. Hence they were banned. These days, the carbon solvents have been replaced with alcohol. The mechanism behind the working of the hair spray is this. The hair spray increases the quantity of minerals at the root level of the hair. This causes the hair to stiffen and hence the effect.
Gum Arabic is another common agent used in hair spray. Many chemicals are used which make the frequent use of hair spray not very advisable. When the hair spray has yet not dried, it is better to stay away from any agent which can ignite it. This is because hair sprays are extremely inflammable. There have been cases reported where the hair has been completely burnt. In some extreme cases, the entire upper torso has been charred resulting in death. So be very careful while using hair spray.
Different styling techniques using hair spray
Men and women both use hair sprays, though for different reasons. Men use it more to make spikes or style their hair in some trendy way. Women use it to keep their styled hair intact before they head for the party or work or a simple night out with their girl friends. Hair spray can also be used to add a shine provided it is a good brand. This piece of advice for both men and women - When you go to purchase a brand new hair spray for the first time, make sure that the hair spray belongs to a good brand. Do not compromise on the quality.
There are a number of cheap hair sprays available in the market claiming to produce the same results as those marketed by Garnier or Procter and Gamble. Stay away from such products. They will end up causing extensive damage to the hair. Damage here can mean anything from itchy scalp, excessive hair fall to burnt hair. Either one or all of the mentioned damages are beyond repair! So beware of such dubious products.
Hair spray and styles
Have you been lately inspired by your favourite rock star of a famous boy band to experiment with spikes? Then a hair spray is all that you would need. Around fifteen minutes before you set out on a date or to college, apply some hair spray on your hair where you want to style it. The instructions on how far to keep the hair spray away from the hair when you are spraying etc will be mentioned on the product cover itself. A safe distance would be twenty five centimetres. After the hair spray has dried, style it the way you want. The effect of hair spray lasts for around two hours.
Hair spray poisoning
If you have inhaled hair spray by mistake, some harsh reactions may be caused. This is called hair spray poisoning. Some symptoms to look out for and seek immediate medical attention include breathing difficulty, blurred vision, burning sensation in the throat, burning in the eyes and severe rashes.
