For Long, Healthy Natural Kinky and Curly Hair - Your Dry Hair Days Are Over!
  • About
  • Queens
    • QueenOfKinks
  • Hair Blog
    • Magazine
    • Headbands
    • Scarf
  • TV
  • FreeInfo
  • Courses
    • HotOilTreatments
    • HairButters
    • DIYshampoos
    • DIYconditioners
    • DIYmoisturizers
    • DIYdetanglers
    • Property
  • Contact
    • FAQs
    • Advertise
  • About
  • Queens
    • QueenOfKinks
  • Hair Blog
    • Magazine
    • Headbands
    • Scarf
  • TV
  • FreeInfo
  • Courses
    • HotOilTreatments
    • HairButters
    • DIYshampoos
    • DIYconditioners
    • DIYmoisturizers
    • DIYdetanglers
    • Property
  • Contact
    • FAQs
    • Advertise
Search

Cetyl Alcohol & Cetearyl Alcohol. Fatty AlcoholsThat Detangle Hair And So Much More...

2/5/2014

 
PictureClick for Trenika's styles and regimen
Cetyl Alcohol is also known as Palmityl Alcohol.

Cetearyl alcohol is composed of cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. All of them are fatty alcohols (and therefore oil soluble). They are a great addition to conditioners and leave-in conditioners/ moisturizers.

The composition of cetearyl alcohol varies from supplier to supplier. It contains 30% or 50% or 70% cetyl alcohol and the rest is stearyl alcohol.

Emulsifying & Thickening

Cetyl alcohol is a thickening agent and emulsifier derived from vegetable oils, e.g. palm oil or coconut oil. Cetearyl alcohol emulsifies better than of cetyl alcohol.

Keep in min the fact that, on their own, cetearyl alcohol and a cetyl alcohol do not actually bind oils to water, however, once this combination has been made they prevent the fused molecules from separating.

Moisture & Conditioning

Cetyl alcohol is oilier than most other alcohols giving it a moisturizing quality; this is why it is also used in conditioners. It can make hair feel thicker and softer. This moisturizing quality especially makes it useful in moisturizing shampoos.

In conditioners, cetyl alcohol helps in producing a creamy texture that makes the conditioner easy to spread throughout hair.

Both cetyl alcohol and ceteryl alcohol are also used in making lotions because they help to moisturize skin without creating a greasy film. In a conditioner, the scalp gets this benefit.

Opacifier

Cetyl alcohol is also used as an opacifier in shampoos, i.e. to make them opaque and as a foam boosting and foam stabilising agent.

Detangling and slip

Importantly for those of us with mega tangling issues cetyl alcohol and cetearyl alcohol help to reduce tangles by apparently 50% (source: SwiftCraftMonkey). They also make a conditioner more slippery. This is a very important quality for those with kinky-curly hair. I can never have too much slip.

Finally, note that if you are using either BTMS-25 or BTMS-50 one of cetyl alchol or cetearyl alcohol is already in there but you can add some more.
  • BTMS-25 is behentrimonium methosulfate (and) cetearyl alcohol.
  • BTMS-50 is behentrimonium methosulfate (and) cetyl alcohol (and) butylene glycol.

I normally use BTMS-50 and have found that it plays much better with cetearyl alcohol than with cetyl alcohol. I get fewer separation when I cetearyl alcohol. As an additional advantage cetearyl alcohol is meant to be more emollient (i.e. softening) than cetyl alcohol.

Usage rate: 3-5%; the more you use, the thicker your formulation. Add either cetyl alcohol or cetearyl alcohol at half the amount of the cationic compound, i.e. if you’re using 8% BTMS, add 4% of one of these fatty alcohols to get the benefits.

Add it to the heated oil phase of a conditioner.

Other Fatty Alcohols

Other (less common) fatty alcohols you may want to look into include:
  • Behenyl alcohol
  • Myristyl alcohol
  • Stearyl alcohol

Picture

​Get your FREE ebook on How To Grow Long, Healthy Natural Kinky or Curly Hair.


You might also like: 
  • Neno Natural's DIY Hair Recipes
  • What Ingredients Go Into Making A Good Conditioner?


Comments are closed.
    I now blog about wealth creation - so if you have any money questions meet me there, you can do all sorts of cool things like leave me a voicemail.
    Follow @NenoNatural
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    By Heather Katsonga-Woodward

    I was a natural hair blogger and mixtress living between London & Chicago from 2012 to 2017. I always thought I was 4C but some say 4B; images below - you decide! Heather xx

    p.s. I now blog about wealth and personal finance on my personal website.

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    About
    Aloe Vera
    Bad Chemicals
    Bad Hair Practices!
    Baggying
    Big Chops
    Braids Weaves Wigs
    Brands
    Breakage/thinning
    Butters
    Carrier Oils
    Carrier Oils & Butters
    Children
    Color
    Conditioning Hair
    Co Washing
    Cultural Issues
    Damage
    Dandruff
    Detangling
    Detangling/combing
    Diet & Hair
    Dreadlocks
    Essential Oils
    Events
    Exercise
    Food For Hair
    Frizz Control
    Giveaways!
    Growth Phases
    Growth Stimulators
    Growth Tips
    Hair Type
    Hard Water Solutions
    Heat
    Homemade Hair Recipes
    Ingredients In Products
    Interviews
    Itchy Scalps
    Lice
    Magazines
    Makeup
    Matted Hair
    Max Hydration Method
    Microfiber
    Moisturising Dry Hair!
    Other Naturals
    Ph And Hair
    Porosity
    Pregnancy
    Press And Publicity
    Product Reviews
    Protective Styling
    Queen Of Kinks
    Random
    Regimen Building
    Salon Reviews
    Scalp Conditions
    Science
    Shampoos
    Shiny Hair
    Silicones
    Sleeping
    Stretching Hair
    Styles
    Swimming
    Texture Issues
    Thin Hair
    Tips & Challenges
    Tools & Products
    Transitioning
    Trimming
    Vitamins
    Washing
    Weather

    Picture
    Click for free eBook!
    Picture
    Check out the podcast!

    Archives

    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    October 2011

    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photo used under Creative Commons from robertivanc
  • About
  • Queens
    • QueenOfKinks
  • Hair Blog
    • Magazine
    • Headbands
    • Scarf
  • TV
  • FreeInfo
  • Courses
    • HotOilTreatments
    • HairButters
    • DIYshampoos
    • DIYconditioners
    • DIYmoisturizers
    • DIYdetanglers
    • Property
  • Contact
    • FAQs
    • Advertise