2002 ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING 215 METHODS The tresses were wetted under running tap water (28øC), were washed with a 20% solution of Sodium laureth (3 moles of EO) sulfate (SLES) and thereafter rinsed with water. After this treatment the tresses were subjected to the following investigations. COMBING DAMAGE - The protein loss method of Sandhu and Robbins (2) was used. WATER RETENTION INDEX (WRI) - The method for determination of water retention index specified in the earlier publication (3) was used, HALF - HEAD TEST - Half-head test as mentioned in the earlier publication (3) was used. The outcome of all above experiments was analyzed statistically using parametric test termed as t-test.. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION PROTEIN LOSS The data in Fig 1 - 4 clearly show that the performance of coconut oil in reducing protein loss was better than those of mineral and sunflower oils. The difference between coconut and mineral oil is probably due to the difference in their ability to penetrate the hair (4). The smaller effect of sunflower oil may be due to the presence of unsaturation in the molecule. The same effect was seen in Half-head test in Salon as seen in figure (9). The entire data was analysed statistically (t-test) which clearly indicates that damaged as well as undamaged hair benefit from application of coconut oil whereas in case of sunflower oil and mineral oil, there was no effect. WATER RETENTION INDEX From the data of water retention index as seen in fig (5), it is evident that coconut oil reduces the WRI of undamaged hair to the tune of 44% whereas there was no effect case of mineral oil and sunflower oil. The ability of coconut oil to penetrate hair (4) supports this observation. The data for the bleached, Heat and UV damaged hair are shown in figures (6 - 8 resp.). The entire data was analysed statistically (t-test) which clearly indicates that for damaged samples, WRI is much higher than that for the undamaged hair. However, these damaged samples show a reduction in the WRI only when coconut oil was used for treatment. CONCLUSIONS This study has firmly established the superiority of protective effect of coconut oil on hair damage in grooming processes as well as damaging processes as compared to mineral oil and sunflower oil. The penetrative ability of coconut oil into hair cuticle and cortex seems to be responsible for this effect. Thus coconut oil really acts as a hair damage protectant whereas mineral oil and sunflower oil do not exhibit this property. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The author would like to thank Mr R.B. Mohile, Head - Technology, R & D, Nature-Care Division, Marico Industries Ltd. for giving an opportunity to work on this project and Dr Yash Kamath, Director - Research, T.R.I., Princeton, U.S.A. for his valuable guidance in writing this paper. REFERENCES (1) M. L. Garcia and J. Diaz, J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem., 27, 379 - 398 (1976) (2) S.S. Sandhu and C. Robbins, J. Soc. Cosrnet. Chem., 44, 163 -175 (1993) (3) Aarti Rele, R.B.Mohile, J. Cosmet. Sci., 50, 327-339 (1999) (4) S.B. Ruetsch, Y. K. Kamath, Aarti S. Rele and R. B. Mohile, J. Cosmet. Sci., 52, 169-184 (2001) (5) J.A. Swift and A. C. Brown, J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem., 23, 695-702 (1972) (6) J.A. Swift, International J. Cosmetic Science, 13, 143 (1991) (7) S. B. Ruetsch and H. D. Weigmaun, J. Cosmet. Chern., 47, 13-26 (1996)

216 JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE PRE-WASH •(PES OF OILS POST.WA•I [ IWITHOUT ßWITH :t• '1 14•2 145,2 1•0 139.4 139.3 11.. . Ij , PRE-WASH TYPES OF OILS POST-WASH I ßWITHUT ,WITHJ Figure 1- Compadson of Protein Loss I'mm Undamaged Hmr Figure 2 - Compadson of Protein Loss from Bleached Hair PRE-,W,4•H TYPES OF OILS POST-,W•H L ß WITHOUT ß WITH J Figure 3 - Compadson of Protein LOss from Hair Treated with Boiling Water 440 i 4O8.8 240 252 i, 180 : , ß 120 .o "i 40 PR•=..WAS. TYPES OF OILS POST-WAS. ß WITHUT ,WITHJ Figure 4 - Comparison of Protein Loss from bar e)q•osed to UV Treatment 14.9145 14.6 160 14.1 14.1 . 13.8 14. ' J P•oe-W•H TYPES OF OILS POST-W•H l, '• ,•THI J ß WITHOUT ß WITH J Figure $ -Companson of Water Re{e•lion Index for Undamaged H•r Figure 6 - Compadson of Water Retefa]cm Index from Bleached Hair