Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometric Investigation of Penetration of Coconut and Mineral Oils into Human Hair Fibers: Relevance to Hair Damage

June 2001 in “ PubMed ”

S. B. Ruetsch, Y. K. Kamath, Aarti S. Rele, R. B. Mohile

coconut oil mineral oil hair fibers secondary ion mass spectrometry hair shaft polarity nonpolar protein swelling hair damage hygral fatigue coconut oil mineral oil hair fibers hair shaft protein swelling hair damage hygral fatigue

TLDR Coconut oil can penetrate hair better than mineral oil, potentially protecting against damage.

The study conducted in 2001 investigated the penetrability of coconut oil and mineral oil into human hair fibers, using secondary ion mass spectrometry. The results showed that coconut oil was able to penetrate the hair shaft, while mineral oil did not. This difference was attributed to the polarity of coconut oil and the nonpolar nature of mineral oil, as well as the affinity of the penetrant to the protein in hair. The study also found that the presence of oil limited the swelling of hair, which is a cause of hair damage. Therefore, coconut oil, being a better penetrant than mineral oil, may provide better protection from hair damage caused by hygral fatigue.

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Related Research

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research Investigation of Penetration Abilities of Various Oils into Human Hair Fibers

11 citations, January 2006 in “International Journal of Cosmetic Science”

Some oils can penetrate hair and reduce the stickiness between fibers, but mineral oil cannot.

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometric Investigation of Penetration of Coconut and Mineral Oils into Human Hair Fibers: Relevance to Hair Damage

research Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometric Investigation of Penetration of Coconut and Mineral Oils into Human Hair Fibers: Relevance to Hair Damage

11 citations, June 2001 in “PubMed”

Coconut oil can penetrate hair better than mineral oil, potentially protecting against damage.