Abstracts: Reduction-Induced Surface Modification of Human Hair

A microfluorometric method was developed to characterize lipid removal (delipidation) from the human hair cuticle during light exposure and chemical processes like oxidation and reduction. This delipidation, which changes the hair surface from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, was detected using Rhodamine B tagging. Reduction processes also allowed tagging of acid sites on the hair surface. The study demonstrated that negative charges on the cuticle surface could bind low-molecular-weight quaternary conditioners, a process termed relipidation. These changes were quantified using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and single-fiber wettability scanning, which detected treatment-induced changes in hair surface chemistry.