A Comprehensive Study for Two Damage Sites of Human Hair upon UV-B Damage

Protection mechanisms for skin damage of ultraviolet (UV) absorbers in personal care products for protection against UV are well studied, but not for hair protection. The purpose of this study is to describe and compare the changes of physical property produced in human hair by doses of the UV-B exposure causing protein degradation. To observe the change of physical properties in hair, the experimental intensity of UV-B exposure has been established on the basis of statistical data from official meterological administration as daily one hour sunlight exposure for two weeks. Polysilicone-15, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (OMC), and octocrylene were employed for UV-B absorber, and those were treated to hair swatch by rubbing wash through shampoo and conditioner. Bending rigidity displayed kinetically successive reduction at high doses of UV exposure up to the 8,000 s, and exhibited different level at each sample of UV-B absorber. However, the values of Bossa Nova Technologies (BNT) for shinning factor were already saturable at the 2,000 s exposure except that treated with polysilicone-15. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to measure a strength of inner protein produces a successive reduction of enthalpy as like a reduction of bending rigidity upon UV exposure. Surface roughness from lateral force microscope (LFM) acquired immediately after UV exposure show a saturable frictional voltage which has been also found in a saturable BNT data as the time of UV exposure increases. Through researching the DSC and the LFM, shinning of hair was much correlated to the protein damage at the surface, and bending rigidity could be regulated by the protein structural damage inside hair. Therefore, the optimization of efficient strategy for simultaneous prevention of hair protein on the surface and internal hair was required to maintain physical properties against UV.