aerosol Hair spray
product research
BY emily sieme
Aerosol Hair sprays are a commonly bought product today, but few consumers are familiar with what goes into them and how they are made. These products have come under some scrutiny over the last 30 years because of the potentially dangerous effects on the environment from the volatile organic compounds, used as propellants. Many changes in regulation and formulas have occurred to improve the quality of this class of hair spray and how they are dispensed and used. One interesting product for the aerosol category is Aveda Air Control Hair Spray, which claims to have a net-zero impact on the environment.
Aerosol sprays were first developed by the United States Army during World War II to dispense insecticides over large areas, but after the war, this kind of dispensing was found useful in pains and personal care items. The packaging consists of a steel or aluminum can, where a solution of polymer resins and alcohol is dispensed through a pressurized propellant, commonly hydrocarbons like Butane and Propane in 55 % or more of the product. This kind of dispension method for hairspray allows for a continuous flow of product over a large area, that quickly dries after impact. One particular area of concern with propellants in the past, came in 1978 when the United States banned the use of chloroflurocarbons (CFCs) because these chemicals were reputed to have caused environmental damage to the Ozone. It was at this time that hydrocarbons replaced CFCs and reducing, but not entirely eliminating, the environmental threat.
Aerosol hairsprays use polymers in an alcohol or water solution that dispense and dry quickly when applied to the hair. This makes the products very lightweight and quick to use however, depending on the formulation, they can be sticky or even so hard and resistant to water that they can be difficult to shampoo out of the hair. What makes the Air Control product interesting is that it uses a type propellant called hydroflurocarbons, which makes up only 35% of the products contents.