A Raman Spectroscopic Investigation of the Mechanism of the Reduction in Hair with Thioglycerol and the Accompanying Disulphide Conformational Changes

September 2017 in “ International Journal of Cosmetic Science ”

Akio Kuzuhara

thioglycerol hair keratin fibers Raman spectroscopy optical microscopy disulphide conformations gauche–gauche–gauche gauche–gauche–trans trans–gauche–trans ammonia solution thioglycolic acid tensile strength waving efficiency TG TGA

TLDR Thioglycerol treatment at pH 9.0 with ammonia causes less hair damage and better waving than thioglycolic acid.

The study investigated the reduction mechanism of thioglycerol (TG) on hair keratin fibers using Raman spectroscopy and optical microscopy. It was found that TG treatment led to a significant decrease in gauche–gauche–gauche (GGG) and gauche–gauche–trans (GGT) disulphide conformations, while increasing the trans–gauche–trans (TGT) conformation. Hair treated with TG at pH 9.0 using ammonia solution showed increased disulphide bond disconnection and higher tensile strength compared to hair treated with thioglycolic acid (TGA). The study concluded that TG treatment at pH 9.0 with ammonia solution resulted in less damage and better waving efficiency than TGA treatment.

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