Hello everyone! As you may know by now we have a blog to do every week about various topics. This week we are talking about chemical hazards and human health. As an assignment we need to choose a personal or household product of our everyday life and research potential risks associated with chemicals found in them. I've decided to do mine on hairspray, because I use hairspray every single day. I didn't know how many chemicals are being used and how it affects my life.
Hairspray is a common personal care product used by millions of people everyday. There are various different brands that all have different ingredients but certain ingredients that most hairsprays have in common have been linked to negative health effects.
Hairspray contains a polymer called polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). This Polymer is what gives the hairspray its glue-like properties. PVP is known to cause allergic reactions on some people. Other polymers often found in hairspray are vegetable gums and gum Arabic. Hairspray also has alcohol and hydrocarbons that serve as solvents. Propellants are also present to force the solution out of the aerosol can’s nozzle. Until 1974, vinyl chloride was used as the propellant in aerosol spray. According to the National Institutes of Health, vinyl chloride is a known carcinogen linked to angiosarcoma of the liver in humans.
Although vinyl chloride is no longer used in aerosol cans, other risks still exist when using products like hairspray. According to Drug Information Online, inhalation of denatured alcohol, hydrofluorocarbons and other hairspray ingredients can lead to acute poisoning, which is marked by symptoms like low blood pressure, breathing difficulty and coma. Irritation of the skin, eyes or lungs may also occur in sensitive individuals.
If you want to be more eco-friendly(and safe) this is a way to do it! By making your own hairspray made out of lemons!
- First, get yourself a lemon
- Cut the lemon into wedges.
- Put the wedges into a pot with two cups of water.
- Boil until only ½ of the liquid is left.
- Let the mixture cool. Strain and pour into a spray bottle.
- The mixture will keep in the fridge for one week.
- Now that's how you make your own hairspray .
Wow... after reading this I sure am glad that I've never had the need to use hairspray... You did an amazing job on the post! I found the ending of your post to be very interesting. I'm definitely going to inform my mom and three sisters about the alternative to hairspray, though i'm not positive, it seems as if they all use hairspray way too much (and after reading this i feel like once is too much!).
ReplyDeleteNice topic. I know everyone always wonders about the effects of hairspray.
ReplyDeleteI use to spray on those harmful chemicals on my hair, yes i know weird, but it was interesting to find out that we can make actual hairspray at home. Now that i use pomade, you encouraged me to find out how to make home made pomade with out any harmful chemicals and found a good one that makes my hair smell "normal". it sucks though because it doesnt really hold the way i want it to :( boo!!!
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ReplyDeletethanks for showing how to use hair spray i found better results after knowing how to use hair spray