DBA asks…Please do a look at the label piece on AG Deflect Fast-Dry Heat Protection plus cheaper options available on the
market.
The Beauty Brains respond:
The question is do quick dry sprays such as this AG product really help your hair dry faster. The answer is yes…at least to some extent. Here’s how they work.
Quick dry products work two ways
Typically these products contain a volatile, water insoluble silicone such as cyclopentasiloxane. The silicone coats the hair creating a hydrophobic surface which causes the water droplets to “sheet” away. It’s sort of like putting a coat of wax on your car and watching the water bead up. (Surprisingly the explanation on their website says the product does the opposite – it lets the water droplets collapse so the surface area is greater. That doesn’t really make sense since lowering the surface tension will actually help water penetrate into the hair.)
The other ingredient that can help dry the hair is alcohol. Water and alcohol form a mixture called an azeotrope which will evaporate quicker than the water alone.
The problem with this sort of quick dry product is that it only addresses the water on the surface of the hair. It doesn’t do anything to speed of evaporation of the water that’s absorbed by the hair. So it may speed things up a little bit but don’t expect miracles.
If you do decide to try a quick dry product you don’t need to $25 on this AG product since any product based on cyclomethicone/cyclopentasiloxane will provide similar benefits. For example TRESemme Smooth No Frizz Shine Spray is only about $5.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Quick dry sprays can help hair dry a little faster but don’t expect miracles. Look for cyclomethicone/cyclopentasiloxane as a main ingredient and you shouldn’t pay more than $5 or $10.
AG Deflect Fast-Dry Heat Protection ingredients
Water/Aqua/Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Alcohol Denat., Dimethicone, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Trifolium Pratense (Clover) Extract, Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract, Dianthus Cariophyllus (Carnation) Extract, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Pca, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Propylene Glycol, Peg-12 Dimethicone, Silicone Quaternium-16/Glycidoxy Dimethicone Crosspolymer And Undeceth-11 And Undeceth-5, Dimethiconol, Panthenol, Bis-Cetearyl Amodimethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol (And) Caprylyl Glycol, Fragrance/Parfum.