Effect of Protein Hair Straightener on Hair Shaft by Scanning Electron Microscopy

The study, involving 70 female volunteers, used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate the damage caused by protein hair straighteners on the hair shaft. The participants were divided into a control group of 15 females who did not use hair straighteners, a group of 35 females who used hair straighteners, and a group of 20 who used hair dye. The results showed that hair straighteners significantly damaged the hair shaft, with an increase in hair classified as Grade II damage (from 51% at Grade 0 to 31% at Grade II, P-value <0.001). In contrast, hair dye did not show a significant difference in SEM findings (P=0.966). The study concluded that SEM is an effective method for assessing hair damage and that hair straighteners cause more damage than hair dyes. Other studies cited within the document, including one by Kaliyadan et al. with 25 female subjects, supported these findings, indicating that hair straighteners lead to more severe hair shaft damage compared to other treatments like dyeing.