Hair Preparations
Authors: Pohl Stanley , Varco Joseph , Wallace Paul , Wolfram Leszek J. 
Published: July 2004

Hair products are normally cosmetics and are thus subject to all laws and regulations that control the labeling and claims of all cosmetic products. There are, however, several significant variations to this premise, ie, hair colorants, professional use only products, and products that make drug claims.

The largest segment of the hair care market is the shampoo category. The primary purpose of a shampoo is to clean the hair and scalp. In its cleansing process the typical shampoo must be able to remove the various soils found on the hair and scalp. There are a number of factors in formulating an acceptable shampoo product. Synthetic detergents are now the backbone of most shampoo products. These surfactants are classified according to the electrical properties of their hydrophyllic groups in aqueous solutions. The anionics are used primarily in shampoo preparations because of their superior foaming and cleansing properties. Additives include thickeners, opacifiers, conditioners and preservatives.

The manufacture of shampoos is a relatively simple operation requiring a suitable stainless steel kettle, with provisions for heating and cooling and equipped with an appropriately sized mixer.

The term hair conditioner can be applied to such products as rinses, hair dressings and intensive treatments. Conditioners are used to provide different effects to the hair; primarily ease of combing, sheen, and soft feel. Fixatives are liquid products used to achieve a desired hairstyle and to temporarily hold the style in place. These products can be grouped into two classes, ie, styling products and finishing sprays. Styling products are used primarily on wet hair to make combing easier and to give the hair some tack so that the style remains in place as the hair is dried. Examples of this type of fixative include styling mousses, gels, lotions, and spray gels. Finishing sprays, eg, pump and aerosol hair sprays, are applied to the hair after the style is dried and set.

Finishing spray products generally have high alcohol contents which create a flammability hazard. In 1978, federal regulation banned the use of chlorofluorocarbons in hair sprays. This forced a dramatic change in the technology of aerosol hair sprays, requiring new formulations and new dispensing parts to accommodate hydrocarbon propellants.

Among the desired properties of a good hair dye, toxicological safety is of primary importance. Modern hair colorants can be divided into temporary, semipermanent, and permanent systems. These categories are characterized by the durability of the color imparted to the hair, the type of dye employed, and the method of application.

In the United States the classification of color additives is complex. All cosmetic colors must be the subject of an approved color additive petition to the Food and Drug Administration, but there is an exception for coal‐tar colorants used to color hair. Many of the approved color additives are restricted in their potential use.

Waving entails softening keratin, molding it to a desired shape, and finally annealing the newly imparted configuration. The reagent most frequently used for the reduction of hair is thioglycolic acid. Waving lotions frequently are formulated with a number of additives with the intention of enhancing the efficacy and the aesthetics of the process.

The principal active ingredient of cold wave neutralizers is usually an oxidizing agent. The most popular is hydrogen peroxide.

ForTemporary Hair Straightening. The most frequently used technique is hot combing.

ForPermanent Hair Straightening. The basic premise is similar to that adhered to in waving. It thus is not surprising that many hair straightening compositions are just thickened versions of permanent waving products.

Cosmetic products in the United States are regulated by FDA. Although most hair care products are cosmetics and are regulated as such, some products also can be drugs. If the product is intended to treat or prevent a disease condition or to affect the structure or function of the body, the product is a drug.