LorieA asks…Brains please correct me if I am wrong but I believe the way fine hair products work is by adding a chemical that does not allow your hair root to absorb moisture thus it does not get weighed down. A popular ingredient used is polyvinalpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate copolymer or VP/VA copolymer which is a powder [...]
LorieA asks…Brains please correct me if I am wrong but I believe the way fine hair products work is by adding a chemical that does not allow your hair root to absorb moisture thus it does not get weighed down. A popular ingredient used is polyvinalpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate copolymer or VP/VA copolymer which is a powder that absorbs moisture and promotes holding in the hair. Its also used in cosmetics to keep the caking of eye shadow form in the container and staying power once applied.
The Beauty Brains respond:
Sorry Lorie but that’s NOT correct. Moisture absorption by the the hair root is not the cause of problems for fine hair.
Ingredients for fine hair
The chemicals that you referenced (known as PVP and PVP/VA for short) are styling resins that work by making hair fibers stiffer and stick together in configurations that provide more volume. They do absorb moisture which means they don’t hold well in high humidity but that has nothing to do with blocking moisture absorption by the hair.
For proof we refer you to “The Chemistry and Manufacture of Cosmetics,” Vol II. 3rd edition, 2000. The chapter on hair gels explains how PVP and PVP/VA are used to provide hold. The confusion may be coming from the fact that this and other articles talk about moisture absorption of these polymers. They’re not talking about moisture absorption into the hair they’re talking about the polymer itself picking up water. That’s one of the deficiencies of this type of chemical it tends to absorb moisture from the air and become sticky. Again that has nothing to do with moisture in the hair itself. The primary purpose of these polymers is to HOLD the hair not act as moisture barrier to the “hair root.”
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Products for fine/thin hair do not work by stopping the hair from absorbing moisture. Instead, you should look for products that provide some degree of hold to give your hair more volume.
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Source: thebeautybrains.com
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