If the solvent was water, it wouldn't a concern. Water-based means that the components dissolves in water; compare to lipid-soluble -- then it's get absorbed in fat tissue, which is dangerous. Alcohols are soluble in water, but are also considered solvents. But don't obsess over it. Remember that each hair follicle follows a cycle of growth and shedding, so collectively your follicles might be in their growth stage; therefore, you'll experience better hair days than say next season. Watching this progress is like watching plants grow; try your best not to worry - easier said than done - and don't stair at the mirror too much! You'll end up developing a case of body dysmorphic disorder... It's a 1-to-1 ratio so 400 ppm = 400mg per kg of their weight. You can use either or to describe the concentration of one compound dispersed in another. Assuming that the parts per million value is a mass per mass value, then the conversion can be done.

Why is it dangerous when absorbed in fat tissue? Does that not happen to every chemical if mixed with a solvent?

Yeah I try not to obsess over it too much. I'm just gonna take a few pictures and then take some more in a few months and compare them. I've never been too fussed over my appearance, but I know I wouldn't look good bald, especially at my age.

So when this: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1080/10915810290169800
says "10-1000ppm", is that completely different to the studies saying "rats were exposed to 500ppm", as in the first case it's just the concentration in a solution, whereas in the second it is a dose per body weight?

When something is fat soluble, it gets stored in adipose tissue (fat). The danger with that is fat tissue isn't metabolized readily; people who are obese, for instance, usually remain obese. As the accumulation of poison in adipose tissue increases, the more harmful/toxic it becomes.


20s, I'm assuming? I think going bald at any age sucks, and takes time getting used to. For some people, they never get used to it, this is why the hair restoration industry is up in the billions.


Reading the report further, it mentions:



This suggests it's 5-40 mg per kilogram of solution. So the concentration is 5 to 40 mg per 1 kilogram of say water.

Got a response from my email request from the company, they said the ingredients are "Xanthan gum, Glycerin, Water, Acrylate copolymer & Non Phenol ethoxylate." Which one of those is the solvent do you think? It's annoying they weren't more specific with which copolymer it is.

Glycerin and water are, but harmless. Picked up something concerning on Non Phenol ethoxylate Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonylphenol Not sure I like the way that reads.

Also this is probably a stupid question but do we have that much fat on top of our heads, or can it spread to other areas?

Looks like it's lipid soluble. As long as it's not ingested, don't worry so much about lipid solubility. Since your skin is composed of layers of dead skin anyway, the lipid solubility property doesn't matter. When you consume something that's lipid soluble, that substance gets incorporated into fat deposits everywhere in the body, include liver fat.

Don't forget that glycerine gets digested by enzymes in our intestines. It isn't dangerous. If glycerine acts as a vehicle for the acrylate polymer's entry into the gut, then that's a concern. When I searched for Nonylphenol ethoxylate solubility, sources stated it's not water soluble, so I concluded the opposite is true.

Not sure why it's used for this adhesive, but it is a common additive in countless medicines and food products. Normally they add it to eardrop products, jellies and creams for topical use, etc. Remember, we're talking hair adhesives here, so I'm guessing that because glycerin is relatively sticky, it'd only help in creating a stiffer bond between one's scalp and the hair piece. Adding it likely increases the water resistance, when combined with the film-forming polymers, leading to an increase the tackiness as well. Again, all these are assumptions...

So do you think it is likely to pose a risk here? It sounds worrying, if glycerin can dissolve the toxic monomers then doesn't that mean they can get into the body?

However could glycerol allow it too, potentially making it a lot more dangerous than all of the studies show?

Not if it's topical. It's only on the skin's surface. The molecule might even be too large to seep into your skin anyway. Most it will do is cause irritation, as the skin isn't as breathable with this stuff on it. Through the skin? Not a chance. That would be a concern of mine if it was being ingested, but not if it's sitting on the skin.