Hair care for is the basis of beauty, identity, and is a form of self-expression. Over the turn of the century, natural hair care and maintenance have become of major societal interest for people with curly and coily hair. As a result, different groups have attempted to create different hair-typing systems, the most recognized being from the L’Oréal science labs and celebrity hair stylist, Andre Walker. L’Oréal’s hair naming system characterizes straight and wavy textures according to quantitative measurements very effectively but falls short for curly and coily phenotypes. Andre Walker’s system has been more effective for curly and coily phenotypes but is a completely qualitative system. This research builds on previous work that began to identify new geometric parameters to characterize curly and coily hair phenotypes. Potentiometric titration experiments were conducted to characterize the isoelectric point of hair, which compares the surface chemistry and hydrophobicity of hair according to texture (straight, wavy, curly, coily). Hydrophobicity in curly and coily hair explain how damage and manipulation have impacted hair health, which is contrary to what was observed on straight and wavy hair samples. This research will support the development of a new hair-typing system, which will indicate new suggestions for proper hair care.

Charge density differences across straight, wavy, curly, and coily hair phenotypes

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.