Hairdressers aim to shape hairstyles; typically, after drying the hair, they will spray a substance similar to foam onto the styled hair. This is known as styling spray. Once the styling spray is applied, the hair’s shape is fixed, unaffected by the wind, and maintains its style for a long time.
Hair spray is a polymer compound processed through chemical methods. Its molecular weight can reach hundreds of thousands, even millions. Among these, the number of carbon atoms can be tens of thousands, linking together to form long chains. Along these chains, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen atoms are also connected. These atoms are closely packed together, creating a material with high durability. If the chains are interconnected by certain atoms or chemical groups, they form a network-like material. This material will not soften or deform even when heated.
Hair spray primarily consists of polyethylene, pyron, alkanes, ketones (0.5%~4%), hydrocarbon propyl fibers, and trimethylamine hydrocarbons, with benzene at 0.5%. After that, 15% alcohol and deionized water (60%-65%) are added to the mixture, along with a very small amount of resin enhancers, waterproof agents, and essential oils. For convenient use, the spray also contains a propellant (15%); when the spray is applied to the hair, the dissolved substances easily evaporate. The polymer compound dissolves in water and, together with the positive ions of albumin, forms a polymer layer on the surface of the hair that helps maintain its shape and can be easily washed out.
Currently, there are increasingly more hair styling products available. In addition to hair spray, there are also styling liquids; besides shaping the hair, they also have nourishing effects that keep the hair soft, dark, and shiny.
