Humectants

http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/curlchemist-humidity-humectants-and-hair

"Humectants are used in skin and hair-care products to promote moisture retention. These hygroscopic compounds posses a chemical structure that attracts water from the atmosphere and binds it to various sites along the molecule.

If curly hair is dry and damaged, it is very porous, and easily absorbs water from the air. In high-humidity conditions, this can cause curly hair to swell so much that cuticles are raised, making the surface of the hair very rough. These cuticles can then become entangled with cuticles of adjacent hairs and create a huge, tangled mass, which is prone to breakage.  Clearly, products heavy in humectants will only exacerbate problems with humidity-induced frizz.

Diols and Triols

Propylene glycol 1,2,6 hexanetriol Butylene Glycol Dipropylene glycol Hexylene Glycol Glycerin Triethylene glycol Erythritol Capryl glycol Phytantriol Hexanediol or -triol beeswax

Humectants of biological origin
Panthenol Sodium PCA Hyaluronic acid Inositol Glycogen

Sugars and modified sugars
Sorbitol Polyglyceryl sorbitol Glucose Fructose Xylitol

Hydrolyzed proteins
Elastin, Collagen Silk Keratin

Ethers
Isoceteth-x, Isolaureth-x, Laneth-x, Laureth-x, Steareth-x PEG-x (polyethylene glycol)Silicone copolyols"

This post is for my own informational purposes and it is taken directly from the link above.