Wednesday, March 6, 2013

INGREDIENT CHECK: Panthenol? What is It?



Panthenol is a very popular ingredient in skin and hair care products which is a derivative of vitamin B5 products.  It is a humectant, emollient, glossifier, detangler and moisturizing agent. It is highly water soluble and is also easily removable with mild plant-derived oils or via conditioner cleansing (co-washing).  Panthenol can be found in shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners, leave-ins, hair lotions, etc.

Excerpt from Naturally Curly:

{...Panthenol is capable of penetrating the cuticle and entering the hair shaft as well, where it aids in moisture retention and provides volume.

It is important to note that sometimes penetration of the shaft by ingredients can create a rough cuticle surface and lead to frizz, due to swelling of the hair shaft. This may not occur for everyone and is dependent upon several factors, including porosity of the hair and the amount of the ingredient used in the product. It is a potential undesirable effect, so keep this in the back of your mind when using a product containing the ingredient.}

Ding, Ding, Ding...something hit me!  I have been currently battling with BG "S" hair being ridiculously frizzy and couldn't figure out why and then it all made sense.  I have been using a new leave-in with panthenol and although I love the product and it leaves the hair super soft and moisturized it would also be super frizzy, that's a big NO-NO!  And then I thought about past products that yielded frizzy hair and they all had one common ingredient...Panthenol.  This is obviously not something that will happen to everyone just like with other ingredients but just in case you may be experiencing a similar issue, check the ingredient list on your products!

So for now, I will discontinue using I will monitor "leave-in products" with panthenol and pay close attention to how the hair reacts since I can't completely avoid it as it is in most leave-ins (especially the good ones, lol).  Experimentation and listening to your hair is the best way to find out what works well on your own hair.  I'll keep you guys posted...

FYI..this is not to say panthenol is bad because it isn't, just for you to be educated on what may work or not work for your hair!

What have been your experience with Panthenol?


6 comments:

  1. Which leave it were you using?...I notice that all leave ins leave my daughters hair frizzy..I skip it bcause I dont like the feel...

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    1. Wow, interesting. I can't imagine skipping a leave in, especially for BG "S" hair...hmm. I was using the Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion which is really good btw, but I can't deal with the frizz. I also recognized frizzing when I used SM Restorative Conditioner as a leave-in but I wrote it off to the Shea Butter. I also experienced it with using SM Deep Treatment Masque as a styler...

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    2. What about the As I Am leave in?.Can other products be used as a leave in ?it seems like when I use a leave in,it leaves her hair hard after it dries,unless im using to much..

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    3. You could be using too much or there could be another ingredient that her hair doesn't agree with. I have used the As I Am leave in on BG "S" and BG "M" with no problems and with that product I use a dime size amount per section, so a little goes along way.

      Although a lot of people swear by coconut oil (I am one of them), some people complain of it making their hair hard, so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that products with Glycerin can be tricky during the winter months.

      Some hair milks can be used as leave-ins as well as moisturizers (liquid or creams) can be used as the leave-in.

      What other leave-ins have you tried?

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  2. Interesting I'll have to look at the ingredients of products that made my daughters hair frizzy in the past and see if this is an ingredient.

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    1. You'd be surprised Brooke, now that I recognize it, it appears to be in almost everything.

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