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.