Why does New Wash contain alcohols - aren't those drying?

There are two very different types of alcohol in the formula, and they behave oppositely. Fatty alcohols - cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol - are the primary ones. These are large, waxy, long-chain molecules derived from natural fats. They are conditioning and emollient, and are part of what makes New Wash work. They sit below the sebum-stripping threshold by design - which is why New Wash doesn't foam and doesn't strip. They do not dry. Isopropyl alcohol is present in some regional formulations at very low concentrations. Hairstory lists it because the brand discloses everything. At those concentrations, balanced against the conditioning agents, it has no drying effect. Drying alcohols - short-chain, high-volatility types - are found in hand sanitizers and some hairsprays. That is a different category entirely.