Single Hair Fiber Assessment Techniques to Discriminate Between Mineral Oil and Coconut Oil Effect on Hair Physical Properties

The study aimed to understand the impact of coconut oil and mineral oil on hair strands using single-fiber hair testing methodologies. It involved multiple surfactant wash cycles with and without overnight oil treatments, followed by instrumental testing on hair strands. Results showed that while single wash cycles did not show significant differences, combining tensile and torsional stresses revealed clear differentiation, especially for coconut oil, even after a single cycle. Coconut oil significantly increased the tensile strength of twisted fibers due to its penetration into the hair core, making the fibers more flexible and better able to handle torsional stress. The study concluded that combining multiple stresses in testing can better differentiate the effects of hair treatments.