Glycerine (glycerin) is like the less trendy version of hyaluronic acid that has immense significance in the pharmaceutical industry. Chances are that you are already using it either in your skin or hair care products. Although there are multiple sources of glycerin, we will be focusing on the importance of vegetable glycerin for hair growth.
Various studies have evidenced that glycerin succors the skin to retain moisture. It keeps your hair shaft deeply hydrated inside out and helps you pull off shiny, long, and smooth hair.
At SkinVeteran, we believe in helping our readers maintain a healthy appearance by dispensing the best information. So, today, we will break down the facts for you about how vegetable glycerin can promote hair growth. Also, we came up with wholesome DIY ways of applying glycerin to your hair. Let’s dive into it!
What is Vegetable Glycerine?
Glycerin was accidentally discovered back in the 18th century from a blend of olive oil and lead monoxide. Since then, it is being widely produced from different sources like animal fat, plants, and petroleum.
Vegetable glycerine is derived from the plant oils like soy, olive, and coconut. The final product is also known as glycerol, and it is an odorless, slightly sweet, transparent viscous liquid.
Vegetable oil containing triglycerides (TAGs) is heated with strong alkali-like sodium. As a result of heating them together, glycerin (glycerol) separates itself from the fatty acids as a viscous liquid.
After collecting glycerin as a product, it is further processed to get rid of the impurities.
5 Benefits of Vegetable Glycerin for Hair Growth
Healthy hair appears soft, clean, frizz-free, shiny, untangled, and bouncy when waggling the head. And not all of us have this level of hair instead we strive to achieve it.
Along with diet and genetics, the moisture in the scalp also decides your hair health. Following are some of the ways through which glycerin can stir up your hair growth.
1. A Potent Hair Moisturizer
Glycerin is a natural humectant that retains a healthy amount of moisture in the hair. Do you know why oiling your hair is crucial? It is because all of these plant oils (mustard, coconut, and almond oil) are potent moisturizers. And they hold this property just because they contain an ample amount of glycerin. But every one of us does not like putting greasy and sticky oils into our hair.
Therefore, vegetable glycerin can be the best choice for hydrating and moisturizing your hair. Because it is a lightweight non-sticky natural formula that prevents dryness and dandruff on the scalp rendering beautiful smooth hair.
2. Vegetable Glycerin Minimizes Hair Damage
Your hair outside the scalp is made up of two parts, the inner shaft and the outer protective layer also called the cuticle. Both of these proteins are held together by hydrogen bonding.
An adequate amount of moisture is inevitable for this bonding to happen fully. And a lack of moisture results in split ends. Therefore, hair becomes damaged and breaks easily.
3. Enhances the Action of Hair Care Products
Hair needs nourishment in the form of protein and vitamins. Along with taking them through an oral route, the topical route is also employed.
Increased absorption of any hair growth factor on the scalp will yield the best results. Therefore, you should use vegetable glycerin to increase the retention of hair care products. The more time they will stay on the scalp, the more they will get absorbed.
4. Aloe Vera and Glycerin Alleviate Dandruff
We all know how common dandruff is. In winters, people struggle more with it because the dryness allows dandruff to thrive. Using anti-dandruff shampoo can only give relief for a few hours. Also, excessive usage of these shampoos can damage your hair.
Studies have shown that a combination of aloe vera and vegetable glycerin mitigates dandruff. Also, they prevent some causes of dandruff, like seborrheic dermatitis.
Glycerin alone can only maintain moisture to prevent dryness and flaking. On other hand, aloe vera has strong antibacterial and antifungal properties. Therefore, their combination works best to alleviate dandruff.
5. Deep Conditioning of Scalp
You may know better than me how common shampoos have become. Everyone is employing them for the cleansing of the scalp. Studies have shown that daily shampooing of the hair depletes the scalp from necessary sebum and leaves hair dried.
You can use vegetable glycerin in place of a costly conditioner to achieve the same purpose. It helps in keeping the scalp moist and conditioned and prevents damage due to excessive loss of sebum.
How to Use Vegetable Glycerin for Hair Growth
Depending upon your ultimate hair concern, glycerin can be used in different ways. You can use glycerin to grow hair faster or to get smooth, shiny, and silky hair.
One should always use vegetable glycerin with other products. Because alone, it doesn’t yield that many benefits. So, the following are the best two ways to use glycerin on your hair that will help you in achieving your hair goals.
1. DIY Hair Spray of Glycerin and Vitamin E Oil
Antioxidants are the vital elements that are crucial for your overall health. Vitamin E is one of them that reduces oxidative stress and promotes hair growth by maintaining a healthy scalp.
You can accompany the following combination of glycerin and vitamin E oil to prepare a hair growth moisturizer.
- 1 tbsp of vegetable glycerin
- Vitamin E oil 1 tbsp
- 1 tbsp of distilled water
Mix all of them well, apply, and gently massage on your scalp in the nighttime only. You can leave it overnight to get maximum results.
2. DIY Vegetable Glycerin Hair Masks
You can prepare a good hair mask by trying out any of the following combinations of your choice.
Glycerin + Rosewater
Making this mask is effortless, combine the following things and your glycerin and rosewater mask is ready:
- 1/4 cup of distilled water
- 1//2 cup of rosewater
- 2 table teaspoons of vegetable glycerin
Apply this mask gently on your hair and then rinse it after an hour. Rosewater is good at maintaining the pH level of the scalp. Also, it reduces inflammation, dryness, and itchiness.
Glycerin + Aloe vera Gel
This glycerin and aloe vera hair mask is very effective in preventing split ends and hair breakage. Take:
- 1/2 cup of pure aloe vera gel
- 2 table teaspoons of vegetable glycerine
Mixing them well is necessary for the best results. Apply the mask on hair especially at the ends. It will mitigate frizzy and damaged hair.
Honey + Coconut Oil with vegetable glycerin
Coconut oil is one of the most well-known solutions for breaking and falling hair. It offers plentiful nutrition in the form of vitamins and essential fatty acids.
Honey is a humectant just like glycerin. It gives smoothness and extra shine to dull hair. Mix:
- A quarter cup of honey
- A quarter cup of coconut oil
- 2 table teaspoons of vegetable glycerin
Apply on the hair for half an hour then rinse it with normal water.
Wrapping Up
Vegetable glycerin works best for moisturizing your hair and ultimately prevents dryness, flakes, split ends, frizziness, and breakage. If you want to promote your hair growth through glycerin, try its DIY hair spray and masks that are supplemented with vital ingredients.
