Hair setting products are care products that make a hairstyle more durable. In contrast to hair sprays, they are applied to the still damp hair. Without rinsing, the setting lotion is applied to the hair. They create a thin, non-sticky film on the hair surface. The hair becomes easier to comb, more elastic and keeps its shape.
Hair setting agents are available in liquid form, as hair gels or as hair mousses. They are offered with different degrees of hair strength: weak, medium and strong.
Hair setting agents are often complex care products that often contain film and gel formers, softeners, emulsifiers, humectants, strengthening polymers, oils and waxes, hair care products and conditioning agents, perfumes, surfactants, opacifiers, solvents, dyes or glitter particles. Additives of UV filters and antioxidants protect the hair against environmental influences. In this respect it is important for the allergologist to know the individual ingredients of a product in case of hypersensitivity or real allergies. Strengtheners without alcohol and perfumes are recommended for people with sensitive scalps without alcohol and perfumes.
Conditioner: If the care effect of a hair setting lotion is in the foreground, the product is called a conditioner or blow-dryer lotion.
Liquid setting lotion: Liquid setting lotions are mostly used for inlaid hairstyles. They contain film formers (mostly synthetic resins) and softeners. The proportion of film formers depends on the degree of hair strength. Water and alcohols are generally used as solvents.
Foam strengthener: Their application and dosage is generally easier than with liquid hair strengthener. They contain a small amount of surfactants for foaming. As propellants, they contain the same products as the usual hair sprays (propane, butane, isobutane).
Tinting strengtheners combine styling with an additive of washable colours. However, they are only suitable for a short-term colour nuance or for deepening your own hair colour.
Hairdryers: With these products, the styling is done with the hairdryer brush while the hair is drying.
Styling gels are used to support or strengthen the hairstyle. They cover the hair with an elastic or strong strengthening film. Styling gels get their specific properties from thickening agents. A distinction is made between styling gels and wet gels (containing moisturizers such as glycerine). Styling gels contain solvents (mostly water or alcohols), gel formers, hair setting polymers, glycerine, regular fragrances, occasionally also dyes. Note: To prevent the hair from kinking at night, the gel should be washed out in the evening.
Besides the gel base,glitter gels contain glitter particles (often coloured, plastic-coated aluminium particles).
Hair waxes are styling products that are used mainly for styling short hairstyles and for shaping and accentuating individual hair strands. Here the hair wax is evenly distributed with the fingers on the individual hair strands. Main components are lipophilic products such as waxes (carnauba wax, beeswax, paraffin wax), various vegetable or technical oils (macadamia oil, almond oil, silicone oil) or paraffins.
Styling creams are mostly emulsions (oil-in-water emulsions), which are spread on the hair with the fingers or palms.
Hair sprays are styling products that are sprayed over the finished hairstyle for final treatment. Ingredients are proteins, vegetable and industrial oils, glycerine, polymers, perfumes. Butane, isobutane and dimethylether are used as propellants.