Is glycerine good for my hair?
I recently bought glycerine to put in my do-it-yourself moisturising spritz. Is it good for natural hair? PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- The problem with glycerine is that as one of the strongest humectants on the market, it can have the opposite effect on your hair. If you live on the beach or in areas of strong humidity, glycerine will keep your hair soft and curly.
Q: I recently bought glycerine to put in my do-it-yourself moisturising spritz. Is it good for natural hair?
A: Glycerine is an ingredient in a number of hair products, treatments and conditioners. It is a humectant.
Humectants are substances that attract and retain moisture from the air. These include honey and aloe vera gel. They work well in humid environments to keep natural hair moisturised.
The problem with glycerine is that as one of the strongest humectants on the market, it can have the opposite effect on your hair. If you live on the beach or in areas of strong humidity, glycerine will keep your hair soft and curly.
However, if you live in dryer parts of the country, glycerine will remove precious moisture from your hair and put it in the environment.
The result will be dryer hair that feels like straw or steel wire.
Therefore, glycerine can be an excellent ingredient to add to your spritz bottle, or it can be a terrible ingredient. It all depends on where you live and what else you are using on your hair.
