Cosmetic Hair Treatment Research Articles

The influence of cosmetic treatments in the uptake of in vitro cocaine contamination in hair.

Hair analysis is a powerful tool to assess drug use, yet the challenge of external contamination complicates its interpretation. Understanding the influence of cosmetic hair treatments is pivotal as their presence may affect this phenomenon. This study investigated the effects of four cosmetic treatments (bleach, henna, gel, and dry shampoo) on the external in vitro contamination of cocaine and its primary metabolite, benzoylecgonine (BE). Hair samples were divided into four groups: A-hair treated with cosmetics then contaminated; B-hair contaminated then subjected to cosmetic treatment; and C-hair solely contaminated (control group). Negative hair samples (n = 24) were immersed in a cocaine and BE aqueous solution of 1μg/mL for 24 h. All hair samples were analyzed by a LC-MSMS procedure successfully validated according to ANSI/ASB Standard 036 guidelines (limit of quantification at 10pg/mg). Henna in Group A (n = 13) resulted in the most substantial reduction for cocaine (92%), while bleach in Group B (n = 15) showed an 80% decrease. For BE, Group A henna (n = 13) exhibited a 50% reduction, and Group B bleach (n = 15) demonstrated a 71% decrease, all compared to Group C (n = 24). The study found no significant differences concerning hair color (black (n = 3), brown (n = 10), red (n = 5) and blond (n = 6)) or shape (straight (n = 6), wavy (n = 16), curly (n = 1), and coily (n = 1)). All analysis were performed in triplicate with variations below 20%. These findings emphasize that cosmetic treatments do affect cocaine/BE concentrations in hair when exposed to external contamination, highlighting the importance of considering an individual's cosmetic history prior to interpretation.

Characterization of the mechanical properties of the cortex region of human hair fibers by multiparametric atomic force microscopy mapping

We show the benefit of the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in spectroscopy force mode (FV: force volume) for evaluation of the cosmetic active effectiveness in improving the mechanical properties of human hair fibers cortex region. For this, we characterized human hair fibers without and with chemical damage caused by bleaching process. Fiber and resin (embedding material) data were obtained simultaneously in the mapping in order to have the resin data as a reference to ensure a coherent comparison between data from the different fiber groups. Our AFM results, which were evaluated using statistical tests, demonstrated the degradation of fibers after bleaching, corroborating the findings of transmission electron microscopy analysis and the effectiveness of a cosmetic active ingredient in improving the Young's modulus (elastic modulus) (E) of the damaged fibers. We also found a radial decrease in the natural logarithm of Young's modulus ln(E) along the cross-section of the active group fiber, which is compatible with confocal Raman spectroscopy analysis by other authors, demonstrating variation of the active permeation with depth. We note that Young's modulus was also determined by a tensile tester (macro-scale technique), in which it was not possible to obtain statistically significant differences between the groups, evidencing the advantage of the FV-AFM analysis. We also found an increase in ln(E) accompanied by a decrease in maximum adhesion force between tip and sample (negative Pearson correlation coefficient). This result can be explained by the fact that structures composed of hydrophobic components have a higher Young's modulus than structures composed of hydrophilic components.•Bleaching damage and cosmetic hair treatment assessed by AFM, TEM, and tensile tester.•Young's modulus by AFM nanoindentation of hair fibers monitored by sample standard.•Young's modulus changes radially along the cross-section due to the cosmetic active.•AFM data show statistically significant differences among sample groups.•Tensile tester was not able to show statistically significant differences.

Effect of cosmetic hair treatment and natural hair colour on hair testosterone concentrations.

Testosterone analysis in hair allows for retrospective evaluation of endogenous testosterone concentrations, but studies devoted to investigating confounders in hair testosterone analysis have hitherto been scarce. The current study examined the stability of testosterone concentrations between two hair samples collected three months apart and investigated two potential confounding factors: natural hair colour and cosmetic hair treatments. Testosterone was analysed with an in-house radioimmunoassay with a limit of detection adequate for the purpose. The testosterone concentrations from the two samplings, at baseline and three months later, had an intra-individual correlation of moderate strength (rho = 0.378, p<0.001, n = 146). Hair treatment, such as colouring or bleaching, seemed to increase testosterone concentrations (p = 0.051, n = 191, and in a paired analysis in a subset of the cohort p = 0.005, n = 24), while no effect of natural colour in untreated hair (p = 0.133) could be detected. The current results suggest that cosmetic hair treatments need to be considered in hair testosterone analyses and demonstrate the utility of a radioimmunoassay to reliably measure testosterone concentrations in small hair samples in women.

Studying the effect of antipsychotic drug haloperidol on protein, lipid and melanin of dyed and non-dyed Caucasian hair at various pH's using micro-ATR and transflection spectroscopy techniques

The role of cosmetic hair treatment and the pH of the environment in the incorporation and strength of retention of drugs in hair is investigated in this study. While most studies to date have focused on the commonly encountered drugs of abuse, there are also other classes of drugs, i.e., anti-depressant and anti-psychotic agents that are taking on much more forensic significance.In this study we used Micro-ATR spectroscopy to examine the structural changes in the protein and lipid of hair samples by the application of sufficient pressure on the hair samples. We observed changes in the protein and lipid bands of dyed and non-dyed hair resulting from external exposure to the antipsychotic drug haloperidol as a function of the pH of the environment. Also, by using Transflection Spectroscopy Technique, we observed the effect of haloperidol on the structure of extracted melanin at various pH's. Major changes in the structure of protein and melanin were observed.Second derivative spectra and the principal component analysis method were used to aid in data interpretation.

Influence of cosmetic hair treatments on hair of methamphetamine abuser: Bleaching, perming and coloring

Various cosmetic hair manipulations are known to interfere with the drug of abuse concentrations in hair. It is important to know the effects of cosmetic hair treatments as they may cause false-positive or false-negative results. The article aimed to investigate the effect of bleaching, perming, and dyeing treatment on the hair of methamphetamine（MA）abusers. The research results show that during the bleaching treatment, the content of MA in the hair is positively correlated with the degree of the treatment. Bleaching caused strong chemical degradation on MA, while perming exerted more a leaching out effect. Temporary dyes in single applications had only little effects on MA, Semi-permanent dyes can penetrate into the hair and exert a stronger matrix effect. The effect of permanent hair dye on the content of MA in hair mainly depends on the concentration of hydrogen peroxide.

Endogenous 1-H-Pyrrole-2,3,5-Tricarboxylic Acid (PTCA) in Hair and Its Forensic Applications: A Pilot Study on a Wide Multi-Ethnic Population.

Over the years, several studies have shown that many factors are likely to affect the results of forensic hair analyses and complicate their interpretation. Among these factors, one of the major drawbacks in hair analysis is the affectability of deposited xenobiotics by cosmetic treatments, which could be eventually used to adulterate the sample. It is well known that some cosmetic treatments containing hydrogen peroxide, such as permanent dyeing or bleaching, lead to the formation of 1-H-pyrrole-2,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (PTCA), a melanin degradation product. Considering that PTCA is also an endogenous compound, spontaneously formed by natural oxidation of melanin, its only detection in hair is not enough to confirm a cosmetic oxidative treatment. For this reason, the aim of the present work was to develop and validate a reliable liquid-liquid extraction method in ultra-high-performance liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of endogenous PTCA in hair from a wide multi-ethnic population (African, Arab, Asian-Pacific, Caucasian, Hispanic and Indian). According to previous studies, untreated hair samples showed a PTCA content of 8.54 ± 5.72 ng/mg (mean ± standard deviation [SD]), ranging between 0.44 and 23.7 ng/mg; after in vitro cosmetic bleaching, PTCA increased to 16.8 ± 6.95 ng/mg (range: 4.16-32.3 ng/mg). Comparing baseline PTCA levels of each subgroup with the others, we could not observe any statistically significant difference, except for Caucasians (P < 0.05), wherein the concentrations were lower. Further studies and a wider sampling are necessary to elucidate the role of PTCA as diagnostic marker of cosmetic hair treatment in forensic field.

Cheating on forensic hair testing? Detection of potential biomarkers for cosmetically altered hair samples using untargeted hair metabolomics.

Hair analysis has become an integral part in forensic toxicological laboratories for e.g. assessment of drug or alcohol abstinence. However, hair samples can be manipulated by cosmetic treatments, altering drug concentrations which eventually leads to false negative hair test results. In particular oxidative bleaching of hair samples under alkaline conditions significantly affects incorporated drug concentrations. To date, current techniques to detect cosmetic hair adulterations bear limitations such as the implementation of cut-off values or the requirement of specialized instrumentations. As a new approach, untargeted hair metabolomics analysis was applied to detect altered, endogenous biomolecules that could be used as biomarkers for oxidative cosmetic hair treatments. For this, genuine hair samples were treated in vitro with 9% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for 30 minutes. Untreated and treated hair samples were analyzed using liquid-chromatography high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In total, 69 metabolites could be identified as significantly altered after hair bleaching. The majority of metabolites decreased after bleaching, yet totally degraded metabolites were most promising as suitable biomarkers. The formation of biomarker ratios of metabolites decreasing and increasing in concentrations improved the discrimination of untreated and treated hair samples. With the results of this study, the high variety of identified biomarkers now offers the possibility to include single biomarkers or biomarker selections into routine screening methods for improved data interpretation of hair test results.

(Un)targeted hair metabolomics: Systematic evaluation of different sample pretreatment parameters and application to bleached hair

Metabolomic studies have gained increasing interest over the past few years. Hair in particular represents an alternative to common matrices (e.g. blood, urine) for the detection of robust biomarkers: it provides a long-term monitoring of endogenous compounds as they are constantly incorporated during hair growth. For an initial biomarker search, usually a non-hypothesis driven approach (untargeted) is applied. Such an approach could be of great interest for example to identify endogenous markers to objectively differentiate cosmetically untreated from treated hair (e.g. bleaching). However, so far, little is known about the ‘hair metabolome’ and its analysis. Therefore, as a prerequisite, knowledge about presence of endogenous metabolites from different compound classes in hair and a suitable sample preparation for their reliable detection is mandatory. Different decontamination protocols (dichloromethane (DCM)/acetone/H 2 O/acetone and H 2 O/acetone/DCM/acetone), homogenization procedures (pulverization/cutting) and extraction solvent mixtures [acetonitrile (ACN)/H 2 O, ACN/buffer pH 4 and ACN/buffer pH 8.5] were tested. Extracts and corresponding wash water solutions were analyzed by liquid chromatography high-resolution (HR) MS and MS/MS (Sciex 6600 TripleTOF) and GC-HRMS (Thermo Scientific Q Exactive), both with untargeted data acquisition. Cosmetically untreated hair samples of one individual were either left untreated or bleached in vitro for 30 min with a mixture of bleaching oxidase (containing 9% H 2 O 2 ) and bleaching oxidation powder, n = 5 per group. Extracts were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. (Tentative) identification of metabolites was performed using Progenesis Qi and PeakView. The detection of different metabolite classes was possible (e.g. fatty acids, amino acids and derivatives, acylcarnitines) using untargeted hair metabolome analysis. Pulverization of hair samples showed higher homogeneity for most metabolites compared to snippets. Extraction with ACN/H 2 O led to a good coverage of metabolites. Comparing untreated and bleached hair samples, a targeted search for 1H-pyrrole-2,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (PTCA) was conducted as it was recently described as a marker for cosmetic hair treatment [1] . PTCA could be detected and identified with a reference standard. A significant increase was observed after bleaching. Additionally, another metabolite formed during treatment could be found in bleached hair samples and was tentatively identified as 1H-pyrrole-2,3,4,5-tetracarboxylic acid (PTeCA). Establishing a suitable sample preparation for hair metabolomic analyses is a challenging task. However, our study showed reliable metabolite detection from different chemical classes. The identification of PTCA in combination with the identification of an additional metabolite formed through bleaching served as a proof of concept for the developed untargeted workflow. Future studies should focus on the confirmation of these findings with a larger number of hair samples.

Influence of cosmetic hair treatments on cannabinoids in hair: Bleaching, perming and permanent coloring

Various cosmetic hair manipulations are known to interfere with drug of abuse concentrations in hair. It is important to evaluate the effects of cosmetic hair treatments as they can influence quantitative hair results. Only one study showed a significant decrease of THC after bleaching and coloring.The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of bleaching, perming and dyeing treatment on d-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but also Cannabidiol (CBD), Cannabinol (CBN) and 11-nor-D9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC−COOH) in hair.Thirty THC-positive hair samples were selected in this study. A single hair lock was divided in 2 separate locks and the proximal 3 cm segment was analyzed. One lock served as control while the other lock was bleached, permed or dyed respectively. Hair was analyzed using a routine method including cleaning, treatment of hair with NaOH and 2 different SPE extractions for THC, CBN, CBD and THC−COOH respectively. Analysis was performed with routine methods using GC/MS-MS in electron impact (EI) mode for THC, CBN and CBD or negative chemical ionization (NCI) mode for THC−COOH after PTV-injection.Bleaching and perming reduced all cannabinoids concentration in hair; THC was more affected than THC−COOH, CBN and CBD. Bleaching caused strong chemical degradation on cannabinoids, while perming exerted more a leaching out effect. Permanent colorings in single applications had only little effects on cannabinoids.Finally this study highlights the importance of considering bleaching and perming for the correct interpretation of hair results.

Influence of Body Mass Index on Hair Ethyl Glucuronide Concentrations.

Analysis of ethyl glucuronide(EtG) concentrations in hair is increasingly used to estimate the consumption of alcohol of the prior months. Linear correlations between the amount of alcohol consumed and the concentration of EtG in hair have been reported, and several variables that may influence this correlation have been investigated: e.g. cosmetic hair treatments, gender influences or hair color. Here, we investigate the influence of body mass index (BMI) on this correlation. A post hoc analysis on the influence ofBMI on the relation between amounts of alcohol consumed and the measured EtG concentrations in hair in 199 participants. Our data show higher EtG concentrations in participants with high BMI (≥25) compared to participants with low BMI (<25) (P =0.001) across a wide range of amounts of alcohol consumed. We conclude that BMI should be taken into account when interpreting hair EtG concentrations. Ethyl glucuronide concentrations in hair (hEtG) can be used to estimate the consumption of alcohol of the prior months. Body mass index (BMI) influences this relation and BMI should be taken into account when interpreting hEtG concentrations in participants with high BMI (≥25) compared to participants with low BMI (<25).

Abstract # 1697 Hair cortisol concentrations associate with hair growth rate

There is a growing interest in hair cortisol analysis as a valuable biomarker for assessment of chronic stress. However, several methodological variations in hair cortisol analysis raise questions about result validity and equivalency between assays. Those debated points include determining the effects of cosmetic hair treatments and frequency of hair washing on hair cortisol concentrations (HCC), whether HCC remain constant along the length of hair shaft, and the relationship between HCC and hair growth rate. The specific goals of the study were to address these points. Fifty-three normal participants were recruited and hair segments proximal to the scalp were collected from each individual. A cost effective ball mill was used for preparation of hair samples and cortisol levels were measured by ELISA. Results show that frequency of hair washing affects HCC. The group that washed hair everyday had significantly lower HCC than that of not-everyday (p = 0.004). There was no significant difference between cosmetic treated and non-treated hair samples. Study also shows that HCC in the first 3 cm hair segments proximal to the scalp were equivalent with hair growth rate based on 1 cm/month (p = 0.030). Thus, HCC of a 3 cm proximal hair segment may represent cumulative stress exposure over the previous 3 months. These findings will allow more widespread research to validate the utility of HCC as a potential biomarker for assessing chronic stress.

Influence of thermal hair straightening on cannabis and cocaine content in hair

It has been shown that cosmetic treatment like bleaching and perming may lead to an important decrease of drugs of abuse content in hair. Currently, hair straightening has become a regular hair treatment especially for women. The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate the effect of in vitro treatment of hair with heat straightener on cannabis and cocaine concentrations in hair.17 positive cannabis and 7 positive cocaine hair samples were treated in vitro with a hair straightener. During this treatment hair was put sequentially 30 times in contact with heated iron plates at 200°C during 2s corresponding to a total time of contact of 1min. THC and Cannabinol (CBN) were analysed in cannabis positive hair and cocaine, benzoylecgonin (BZE) and cocaethylene were analysed in cocaine positive hair. Analyses were performed with routine methods using GC/MS in electron impact mode.Regarding cannabis results a decrease of THC concentrations was found in 11 of 17 hair samples after thermal treatment, whereas in 6 cases an increase was shown. In all the hair samples CBN concentrations was explicitly higher after the in vitro treatment. Regarding cocaine results cocaine and cocaethylene concentrations decreased after treatment in all seven hair samples; in contrast, higher concentrations of BZE were determined.The strong increase of CBN and BZE content in hair after thermal treatments may be due to the fact that THC is converted by heat into CBN and cocaine into BZE, thus changing the respective ratios of the analysed substances. In conclusion, thermal straightening should be considered as other cosmetic hair treatments for a correct interpretation of hair results.

Scanning Electron Microscopy Study of Hair Shaft Damage Secondary to Cosmetic Treatments of the Hair.

Introduction and Background:Cosmetic procedures for hair, such as bleaching, dyeing, and straightening, are commonly used around the world. It has been suggested that excessive use of such procedures can cause damage to the hair shaft. We aimed to assess hair shaft changes using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in female volunteers who frequently use hair treatment procedures such as bleaching, dyeing, or straightening.Methods:A cross-sectional, controlled study in a sample of 25 female volunteers (19 study group and 6 controls) in the age group of 18–45 years. The study group was composed of volunteers who regularly used different cosmetic hair treatment procedures such as bleaching, dyeing, and straightening (any one of these or a combination). The control group had never used any specific hair treatment procedure. The hair shaft damage as seen on SEM was assessed using a standardized scoring system and compared among the two groups statistically. The hair shafts were also examined clinically and with light microscopy.Results:No significant differences were seen between the test and control groups with regard to normal clinical examination and light microscopy findings. A higher degree of hair shaft damage was evident under SEM in the study group as compared to the control group. This difference was statistically significant.Conclusions:Regular use of procedures such as bleaching, dyeing, or straightening can lead to subtle changes in the hair shaft which can be detected early by SEM.

Detection of oxidative hair treatment using fluorescence microscopy.

In assessing abstinence from drug or alcohol abuse, hair analysis plays an important role. Cosmetic hair treatment influences the content of deposited drugs which is not always detectable during analysis. Since oxidation of melanin leads to an increase in fluorescence, a microscopic method was developed to distinguish natural from cosmetically treated hair. For validation, natural hair samples were treated with different types of cosmetics and inspected by fluorescence microscopy. Hair samples from 20 volunteers with documented cosmetic treatment and as a proof of concept 100 hair samples from forensic cases were analyzed by this method. Apart from autofluorescence with excitation at 365 nm, no obvious fluorescence was observed in untreated hair samples. Tinting and a natural plant product had no influence on fluorescence, but dyeing procedures including oxidation led to a marked increase in fluorescence. Proof of cosmetic treatment was achieved in hair samples from the 20 volunteers. In 100 forensic cases, 13 samples were characterized as oxidatively treated, which was in accordance with the respective disclosure except for one case where treatment was not admitted. This fluorescence microscopic procedure proved to be fast, easy, and reliable to identify oxidatively treated hair samples, which must be considered especially in evaluating cases of negative drug results. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Influence of repeated permanent coloring and bleaching on ethyl glucuronide concentrations in hair from alcohol-dependent patients

BackgroundEthyl glucuronide (EtG), a minor metabolite of alcohol, is used as a sensitive marker in hair to detect the retrospective consumption of alcohol. The proximal 0–3cm hair segment is often used for analysis, providing information on alcohol consumption over the past 3 months. Using more distal segments would allow the detection of alcohol consumption over longer time periods, thereby addressing the chronicity of the consumption. In view of this, permanent coloring and bleaching were shown in vitro to alter EtG concentrations in hair, but no in vivo studies are available to prove or disprove this. AimsTo investigate the influence of repeated bleaching and permanent coloring on EtG concentrations in vivo and to assess the stability of EtG concentrations in distal compared to proximal hair segments. MethodsHair samples from alcohol-dependent patients with uncolored/unbleached (N=4), permanent coloration (N=5) and bleached hair (N=5) were analyzed in two to six 3cm long segments for EtG concentrations, and alcohol consumption and hair cosmetic treatments were assessed. ResultsWe observed that hair bleaching and permanent coloring reduces EtG concentrations by 82±11% and 65±24%, respectively, with correlations between the number of cosmetic treatments and the decrease in EtG concentrations. EtG remained stable in untreated hair samples up to 18cm. ConclusionsEtG is a sensitive marker to assess chronic alcohol consumption up to 18 months in alcohol-dependent patients with no cosmetic hair treatments. However, in alcohol-dependent patients who color or bleach their hair, care should be taken when interpreting EtG measurements.

Hair cortisol in relation to sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics in a multiethnic US sample

PurposeWe investigated the feasibility of obtaining hair samples from men and women at community-based barbershops and hair salons for analysis of cortisol and assessed sociodemographic and lifestyle correlates of hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs). A total of 102 participants completed the study. MethodsResearch staff interviewed participants using a structured questionnaire, and samples of hair were collected. HCCs were determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Age- and sex-adjusted linear regression models were used to evaluate the association of HCC with covariates. Results:Analyses by race/ethnicity showed highest median HCC in blacks (12.5 [6.9–29.3]) pg/mg) followed by Hispanics (10.7 [5.8–14.9] pg/mg), whites (5.0 [3.8–10.8] pg/mg), and other participants (4.2 [3.3–15.7] pg/mg), P < .01. Current smokers had significantly higher median HCC (11.7 [8.8–18.9] pg/mg) compared with former smokers (4.6 [3.5–14.6] pg/mg) and those who had never smoked (6.9 [4.7–12.8] pg/mg), P = .04. After adjustment for age and sex, geometric mean HCC was 0.72 pg/mg lower in dyed hair compared with hair that was not dyed (β = −0.72, standard error = 0.30, 95% confidence interval, −1.29 to −0.15, P = .02). ConclusionsHCC can be assessed in community-based studies. Future HCC studies should consider cosmetic hair treatment, cigarette smoking, and the potential role of psychosocial stressors in the association between race/ethnicity and HCC.

P9: A closer look to the effect of external influences on cocaine in hair using imaging mass spectrometry

Introduction Forensic hair analysis is considered to be a standard method in identifying chronic drug users since it can give information about the time course of the substance abuse. Interpreting these results, one should be aware of all pitfalls. External contamination, decontamination protocols, cosmetic hair treatment,… They all might influence the analytical result of forensic hair analysis. Since the laborious standard extraction method used nowadays is inefficient in pointing out these pitfalls, there is an urgent need in new analysis methods that can help to unravel what is happening inside the hair. Imaging mass spectrometry is shown here as a very promising tool in studying the effect of external influences on the spatial distribution of cocaine in hair. Methods Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric imaging (MALDI-MSI) and Metal Assisted Secondary Ion Mass spectrometry (MetA-SIMS) is used to visualize the effect of hydrogen peroxide treatment and different decontamination solvents on cocaine contaminated and users hair. Images are made on intact hair as well as cross and longitudinal sections. Cross sectioning is carried out on carboxymethylcellulose embedded hair using a microtome. Longitudinal sections are prepared using a self-designed cutting device without any use of embedding medium. Results After bleaching contaminated and users hair with hydrogen peroxide, images revealed a complete loss of detectability of cocaine (m/z 304 and 182) and its reaction products. Since all compounds of interest are found in the hydrogen peroxide and wash solution, these findings indicate that all evidence of cocaine use might be lost after a hair bleaching treatment. The comparison of different decontamination solvents shows that cocaine is most effectively removed using methanol or water. Remarkably, MALDI-TOF and SIMS images of cross and longitudinal sections of contaminated and cocaine users hair show that methanol and water also seem to influence the concentration of cocaine in the hair. SIMS images of unwashed hair are able to distinguish between external contaminated and users hair, making it very interesting as forensic evidence. Conclusion We show that imaging mass spectrometry is a very promising technique in studying the spatial distribution of drugs in hair. Being able to have a closer look to what is happening in the hair, the effect of external influences on drug incorporation and distribution can finally be solved. The presented study surprisingly shows the influence on drug distribution in the hair using certain decontamination solvents and also reveals the possibility of complete loss of forensic evidence in bleached hair.

Identification and analysis of damaged or porous hair.

Cosmetic hair treatments have been referred to as 'the pitfall' of hair analysis. However, most cosmetic treatments, when applied to the hair as instructed by the product vendors, do not interfere with analysis, provided such treatments can be identified by the laboratory and the samples analyzed and reported appropriately for the condition of the hair. This paper provides methods for identifying damaged or porous hair samples using digestion rates of hair in dithiothreitol with and without proteinase K, as well as a protein measurement method applied to dithiothreitol-digested samples. Extremely damaged samples may be unsuitable for analysis. Aggressive and extended aqueous washing of hair samples is a proven method for removing or identifying externally derived drug contamination of hair. In addition to this wash procedure, we have developed an alternative wash procedure using 90% ethanol for washing damaged or porous hair. The procedure, like the aqueous wash procedure, requires analysis of the last of five washes to evaluate the effectiveness of the washing procedure. This evaluation, termed the Wash Criterion, is derived from studies of the kinetics of washing of hair samples that have been experimentally contaminated and of hair from drug users. To study decontamination methods, in vitro contaminated drug-negative hair samples were washed by both the aqueous buffer method and a 90% ethanol method. Analysis of cocaine and methamphetamine was by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Porous hair samples from drug users, when washed in 90% ethanol, pass the wash criterion although they may fail the aqueous wash criterion. Those samples that fail both the ethanolic and aqueous wash criterion are not reported as positive for ingestion. Similar ratios of the metabolite amphetamine relative to methamphetamine in the last wash and the hair is an additional criterion for assessing contamination vs. ingestion of methamphetamine.

Shampoos, Conditioners, and Camouflage Techniques

This article examines hair care in persons with hair loss. The use of shampoos, conditioners, and hair styling products to camouflage hair loss is discussed. Because hair is nonliving, medical treatments are limited to only inducing change in the follicles within the scalp skin and do not improve the hair loss actually witnessed by the patient. There is therefore a need to accompany medical treatment of hair loss with cosmetic hair treatment to optimize patient satisfaction.

The Extreme Connection Between Bodies and Houses

The Extreme Connection Between Bodies and Houses