Hair Dynamics Study
From volumizing shampoo to moisture-rich conditioners, consumers spend $60 billion on hair care products each year. Despite constant advances in hair care products, researchers say individuals are on a constant search for products that will make their hair look and feel more natural and less damaged.
Eva Max, a doctoral student in chemistry at the University of Bayreuth in Germany, and co-author of a recent study of hair dynamics says scientists have been scrambling to put hair care on a firm scientific basis for years.
Max notes that up until now, the conventional way of examining the effectiveness of hair care products has been to comb the hair after using various products in standardized laboratory conditions and to assess the way the hair feels before and after use of the products.
The new study goes a step further by measuring the physical and chemical forces that arise when single strands of hair slide past each other or are pressed up against each other. This, according to Max, is the scientific breakthrough that will allow chemists to make advancements in hair care products, taking the industry to a whole new level.
“The system will allow scientists to explore how different hair care products affect hair-to-hair interactions so that these products can be optimized in a more systematic fashion,” Max says.
The team of researchers put the new technique to test by analyzing hair samples collected from several volunteers. What they found is mechanical damage to a hair’s surface or cuticle creates scaly projections that stick out which makes the hair rough and hard to comb or manage. The study also revealed that that when hair fibers interact, negative charges build up on the surface of the hair which also leaves the hair course and difficult to manage.
Although it may take a while to develop the right formula for repairing damaged hair, researchers are hopeful that the findings from this study and the new method for measuring the physical and chemical forces that occur as strands of hair interact will help speed the process along.
