Pollution Damage and Protection of Asian Hair

Xin Qu,Lijuan Niu,Bert Kroon,Linda Foltis

doi:10.3390/cosmetics5010017

Abstract

Cigarette smoke was used to simulate a polluted environment and an experiment was performed to reveal how virgin and bleached hair are damaged by a polluted environment. The dry/wet combability, surface contact angle, tryptophan content, and cuticle morphology of the smoke exposed hair were evaluated, and compared to unexposed virgin hair. The results showed that pollution exposure can cause significant chemical damage to hair. In particular, virgin hair exposure to pollution can cause damage to the hair cuticles (higher wet/dry combing), protein degradation, and a more hydrophilic hair surface. The experiment also demonstrated that the styling polymer, polyimide-1 (isobutylene/dimethyl amino propyl maleimide/ethoxylated maleimide/maleic acid copolymer), can provide effective protection against such hair damage.

Highlights

Personal care products around the world claim to deliver a wide variety of benefits—in particular, the prevention and repair of damage caused by external stress [1]
This study designed an accelerated experiment on the changes in hair properties, such as combability, contact angle, tryptophan content, and cuticle morphology, in an environment containing combability, contact angle, tryptophan content, and cuticle morphology, in an environment a high concentration of airborne pollutants such as PM 2.5/10, as simulated by cigarette smoke in containing a high concentration of airborne pollutants such as PM 2.5/10, as simulated by cigarette a closed chamber
Though immediate cleaning can reduce the physical damage caused to hair, the harmful compounds in air pollutants can penetrate inside the level of physical damage caused to hair, the harmful compounds in air pollutants can penetrate inside hair and accumulate, causing damage to the hair cuticle and protein breakdown

Summary

Introduction

Personal care products around the world claim to deliver a wide variety of benefits—in particular, the prevention and repair of damage caused by external stress [1]. The most common external stress to hair includes mechanical/chemical damage, UV exposure, and heat treatment, and exposure to air pollution. Research on hair care products and ingredients offering protection against air pollution has become a hot topic [1,2,3]. In 2016, Mintel conducted a survey of consumers of hair care products aged from 20 to 49 years, in which 41% of respondents expressed their concern about hair damage by air pollution. There are many air pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), oxides, particulate matter (PM 2.5/10), and ozone.

Methods

Results

Conclusion