Enhancing Properties of Damaged Hair Through Moisture Control via Construction of Highly Hydrophobic Surface

This study introduces a novel strategy for repairing damaged hair by enhancing its hydrophobicity using a silicone derivative called MASO, synthesized from maleic acid and amino silicone oil. The treatment forms a highly hydrophobic surface on hair, achieving a contact angle of 137° with just 0.1 wt% dosage, surpassing that of virgin hair. This hydrophobic barrier significantly reduces moisture penetration, decreasing bound water content from 4.46% to 2.81%, and improves hair's mechanical properties. The treatment results in an 87.05% reduction in wet combing work and enhances Young's modulus by 37%, demonstrating that controlling water content can effectively restore hair's tensile properties, even more so than repairing disulfide bonds.