Hair spray is a cosmetic product that helps maintain various hairstyles over a long time. The first hair spray was made in the United States between 1920 and 1940. Since then, its popularity has not diminished but has steadily increased.
Yet, there is an argument about its gaseous components. So, now you may ask, is hair spray flammable?
Arguably hair spray acts as an inert gas, but no gas can ignite unless it comes in contact with an oxidizer. So, combustion will occur if it is brought close to any heat source.
Are all hair sprays flammable?
CFC (chlorofluorocarbons) were used in the early making of hair sprays. CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) were first used to make hair sprays. It was later replaced in every country due to its negative impact on the environment.
Volatile hydrocarbons are now replaced with CFCs such as Carboxymethylcellulose, Hydrofluorocarbon, Polyvinyl alcohol, Propylene glycol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and SD-alcohol-40. Unfortunately, these chemicals are simultaneously toxic and very flammable.
These ingredients are filled in a can by high pressure, so there is no oxygen in it. When this gas comes out and comes in contact with fire, it reveals flammable properties.
Is aerosol hair spray flammable?
Aerosol spray is a type of dispensing system that produces fog or gas of liquid particles. It is kept under pressure in a can. This can have a valve attached to it which releases gas when pressed. As you understand, gases are particles of a liquid filled in a special bottle or can at high pressure while maintaining balance.
At one time, CFC was used as the propellant of aerosol spray, as I mentioned earlier. However, environmentalists have identified gas as a cause of global warming.
Commonly hair sprays are made with flammable gases. But, due to the sub-negative effects of the environment, various hydrocarbons such as propane, butane, DME, alcohol, etc., have been used in place of CFC. However, these chemical particles are also highly toxic and flammable.
The most combustible ingredient in aerosol hair spray is SD-alcohol-40. For this, an aerosol hair spray bottle is accompanied by a warning.
Sadly, one woman died recently after she tried to light a cigarette after using a hair spray. So keep hair spray away from fire or any heat source.
Also Read: Check out our other article about Which Spray Paints Are Not Flammable?
Is hairspray flammable after it dries?
Hair spray will make your hair sticky and fluffy. It’s fair to say; clean, dry hair will actually burn in contact with the fire, but slowly.
Even if the hair dries after spraying, the spray remains in it. So even after drying, it is flammable. Hairspray should never be exposed to temperatures above 120 degrees as it is able to burn the used texture quickly.
Once the spray is dry, however, it will be able to withstand a little more heat. However, if you use a blow dryer or hair curler after using hair spray, your hair will be more likely to get rough or light burns.
Can you use hairspray to start a fire?
As I said before, hair spray contains alcohol which is capable of causing combustion. So, it’s possible to start a fire with hairspray. Here are the steps:
Step One:
If you do not have a matchbox or lighter, you can create a fire with the help of hair spray. For this, you need a magnifying glass and a piece of paper products like newspaper, tissue paper, scrap paper, etc., or cloth.
Step Two:
Now apply hair spray on a piece of paper or cloth, keep it under the sun’s heat, and hold the magnifying glass on it. Sunlight will continue to be concentrated through the glass, and the presence of hair spray will cause a fire very quickly.
Step Three:
Now, you can do your necessary work by lighting a candle on this fire. Basically, you can start a fire as soon as the hair spray comes in contact with any oxidizer.
What hair spray is not flammable?
All those hair sprays that are made with natural ingredients in the home environment are not flammable. Therefore, less combustible hair sprays have also come out on the market nowadays.
Yet why would you take the risk?
You can make a hair spray with some materials at home with a bit of effort. Here are the simple steps to make homemade nonflammable hair spray:
- At first, take a few slices of lemon, rose water, and lavender oil essence.
- Then put these ingredients in a container of water and let it boil for 10-15 minutes. Finally, you can add a little sugar to it.
- After a while, you will notice that the mixture has become light thick, and sticky. Now cool the mixture and put it in a spray bottle. You can use this mixture for 1-2 weeks.
This spray will give you the same results as the hair sprays made of harmful chemicals you usually buy from the market.
Also Read: Can Firefighters Have Long Hair?
Does hair spray make hair flammable?
There are two types of hair sprays available in the market. These are pump hair spray and aerosol hair spray. They are both flammable.
Every year many people get injured as a result of making a mistake in using these sprays. Most of the aerosol hair sprays contain alcohol.
Hair sprays but all types of aerosol sprays can cause injury or damage if they are brought in contact with fire erroneously. So be admonished when using hair spray. Even refrain from using hair straighteners or curlers after using hair spray. Otherwise, it will burn your darling hair.
What is flammable in hair spray?
The CFC and later Hydrocarbon became popular hair spray propellants in the 1960s. Hydrocarbons include polymers of propane, butane, isobutane etc. It also contains dimethyl ether as a solvent. On the other hand, plasticizers include citric acid and adipic acid.
However, most canisters contain isopropanol ethanol. Basically, these hydrocarbon propellants and SD-alcohol-40 are flammable components in hair spray.
What happens when you spray hairspray on fire?
Hair spray bottles do not contain any oxygen. When it comes out, it mixes with the oxygen in the air. As a result, it can easily form sparks of fire. If you want to experiment with hair spray, I would say, “Don’t try this at home” because it can cause accidents.
You can go out and experiment in an open place. Create a fire source and spray hair spray on it. In this case, you will see the fire blazing.
Again, if you throw the whole can onto the fire, the can will explode and explode loudly. Again, however, you must be careful
Many people have been injured, and people in the vicinity have been harmed due to not knowing the matter. Herein, I must say that this experiment should be avoided if you are not an expert.
Conclusion
Hair spray is a popular cosmetic, and can certainly not be denied. However, its excessive use is also harmful to the hair.
Hopefully, in this article, you have learned about the explosive nature of hair spray and its ingredients.
First, however, I would like to advise you to use homemade hair spray, the recipe I have already given. Concededly, I want to say, hair spray and all kinds of aerosol mist keep away from any heat source because I don’t want you to suffer any loss.
So always avoid chemical products and protect the environment from toxicity.
