Chinawhite asks…Is the alcohol in Gorilla Snot Gel drying to the hair and what effects does the sorbitol have on the hair used in conjunction with the alcohol?
The Beauty Brains respond:
I’ll be honest: the primary reason I’m answering this question is because it may be the only time in my life I will get to write the phrase ”Gorilla Snot Gel.”
Gorilla Snot Gel. Gorilla Snot Gel. Gorilla Snot Gel.
There! Now I feel better. The way I see it there are 2 or 3 problems with this type of hair styling product.
Alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems
Gels which are based on alcohol can be drying to both hair and skin. This doesn’t bother everyone but some people are more sensitive to this than others. That’s why you’ve seen in movement to alcohol free products over the last 10 years or so. (Plus, companies don’t like to handle alcohol if they don’t have to because it’s more expensive than water and requires special permits.)
Poor humidity resistance
The primary styling agent is this product is PVP (which is short for PolyVinlyPyrrolidone. PVP is used in stylers because its cheap and it gives a very hard crunchy hold. As long as there’s no moisture in the air. Because if there is the PVP will absorb it and become sticky. Some people love the PVP crunch but it’s certainly NOT a state of the art styling aid.
Sorbitol sucks
Sucks water that is. Sobitol is a polyol like glycerine which means it can bind water through hydrogen bonding. It’s probably added to this formula to help plasticize the PVP resin to prevent flaking. However, as noted above, PVP doesn’t do well when exposed to water and sorbitol is likely to only make things worse.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
If you’re looking for a strong hair styling product you’d be better of with a gel formulated with more modern styling polymers than Gorilla Snot Gel.
Gorilla Snot Gel ingredients
Water, PVP, Alcohol, PEG-150, Sorbitol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum (Guar), Fragrance, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Yellow 10 (CI 47005), Yellow 6 (CI 15985), Green 8 (CI 59040)