Are Hair Spays Harmful?

Hair sprays keep hair in place and protect it from moisture. They are used by both men and women to look good and presentable. But are they safe to use? Do they have any side effects?

The old types of hair sprays were made of lacquer (shellac dissolved in alcohol) while the newer ones contain polymer or elastesse – a liquid elastic that keeps the hair stiff and firm without snapping. Other ingredients are a solvent (often alcohol), conditioners and perfumes.

Aerosol sprays have propellants. Those used in the past were chlorofluorocarbons 11 and 12 which are not flammable. However, both were banned by the US Food and Drug Administration because of the threat they pose to the Earth's ozone layer.

Ozone is a form of oxygen which protects us from the harmful rays of the sun. The ozone layer is found about 30 miles above the earth and blocks the sun's ultraviolet rays which are responsible for sunbu
and skin cancer.

Scientists believe the use of hair sprays is a factor in the thinning of the ozone layer. This, they said, explains why skin cancer has become more common and why sunbathing is more harmful now than before.

Because it is very unstable, ozone is easily destroyed by pollutants like methane, nitrogen, oxides and chlorofluoro¬carbons (or CFCS for short). The latter was widely used in aerosol cans, air conditioners, refrigerators, cleaning solvents and plastic foams.

In view of this, manufactures have sub¬stituted CFCs with other propellants but that doesn't make hair sprays safe either. The reason: the new propellant gasses are flammable and may explode in your face. They should never be used when you're smoking or around an open flame.

"Hair sprays may make your hair more flammable both by depositing a layer of potentially flammable ingredients and by increasing the amount of flame-supporting oxygen cir¬culating through your (teased or bouffant) hair," according to Carol A

Rinzler in “Cosmetics: What the Ads Don’t Tell You.”

“Hair spray is extremely flammable, more so before it is dry. The result of ignition is moderate to serious burns to the hair and upper torso, sometimes resulting in death,” added the editors of Wikipedia.

The perfumes and films in some products can cause allergic reactions in the form of skin rashes, itchy, burning eyes and sneezing. In¬haling propellants can be fatal while plastic films can damage the eyes if you accidentally spray them.

The long-term use of hair sprays has also been linked to various lung conditions like thesaurosis - the accumulation of unusual amounts of normal or foreign sub¬stances in the body.

To be on the safe side, use hair sprays sparingly and in a large, well-ventilated room. To complement your beautiful hair use Lumnaderm, a whitening cream that eliminates freckles, unsightly age spots, sun spots, blemishes and hyperpigmentation. When used as directed, Lumnaderm will balance uneven skin tones and illuminate your skin. For more information, visit http://www.lumnaderm.com/. n