Natural Green Sugar-Based Treatment for Hair Styling
February 2022
in “
Fibers
”
TLDR Scientists created a non-toxic, sugar-based hair product that can style hair without damage.
The study introduces a non-toxic hair straightening method using sucrose tetraaldehyde (STA) as a keratin crosslinker, which is created by oxidizing sucrose with sodium periodate. Tested on Brazilian curly hair, STA treatment effectively straightened hair with less damage compared to traditional methods and maintained straightness after high humidity exposure and multiple washes. STA-treated hair showed higher straightening efficiency (87%) over 45 days and preserved tensile strength, unlike flat ironed hair, which reverted to its original state and showed significant efficiency loss (8%) after washing. SEM images confirmed no surface damage, highlighting STA as a durable and safer alternative for hair styling.
