Friday, November 11, 2011

Sweet Hair Spray

I recently decided to return to a hairstyle I like, the flattop.  Having fine hair my biggest concern was finding the right product to hold the style.  In the past I used a commercial wax product.  My two concerns were the wax build-up in my hair (which also ruined many pillow cases) and the poisonous chemicals I would be slathering all over my scalp.  In the more recent past I used my home made hair gel (see my Hair Gel entry), which was very effective, yet required time to cool.

While that formula worked, I wanted something different that I could make in a hurry.   In the course of inventorying my cabinets the sugar bowl caught my eye.  I thought about how sticky sugar is when it gets wet and the idea was born.

Feeling inspired, I performed an online search where I learned that others have used sugar to make hairspray.  After reading several posts I decided to give it a try.  I kept it simple, just two ingredients, sugar and water.

After my first attempt, I realized that I needed to increase the hold so I added more sugar to arrive at my current formula.

Here it is:

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 teaspoons sugar
  • Boil the water
  • Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water
  • immediately remove from heat
  • WHEN COOL ENOUGH TRANSFER INTO SPRAY BOTTLE
The last point is very important, or else your spray bottle will end up looking like mine below.  





This is my hair before using the hairspray.


This is my hair after using the hairspray.
The benefits:

  • The spray really works.  
  • I am not coating my head with toxins that are soaking into my scalp.  
  • It holds all day.  
  • It washes out easily.  
  • It does not pollute the environment.
  • It doesn't damage my pillow cases.
  • It is inexpensive to make.
  • The formula can be modified to suit individual needs.
I encourage you to try this out for yourself and share your findings.