research Cuticle Damage and the Tensile Properties of Human Hair 27 citations, February 1991 Cuticle damage doesn't affect hair's tensile strength; the cortex is responsible for it.
research Effect of Ethnicity and Treatments on In Situ Tensile Response and Morphological Changes of Human Hair Characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy 42 citations, April 2008 in “Acta materialia” Different ethnicities and treatments affect human hair strength and structure.