JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE 16 The popularity of straightening irons and curling tongs has created a large market for hair products associated with heat styling. These include heat-protection sprays, straight- ening balms, curl creams, and heat-protection shampoos and conditioners. Heat-protec- tion sprays are very popular. In fact, heat-protection sprays are now the second most frequently used type of styling products used in the UK, second only to hairsprays (1). Heat-protection sprays are usually designed to protect the hair from heat damage, and to give some conditioning and style hold. They are usually sprayed on to the hair after blow- drying and immediately before applying the straightening irons or curling tongs. The plates of straightening irons and curling tongs reach a range of different tempera- tures. Ghd IV® straightening irons, for example, claim to reach 185°C, and other irons claim to reach temperatures of up to 230°C. At these temperatures there is always going to be some damage to the hair. It is well known that heat-styling damage from blow- drying and hot irons can be both physical and chemical in nature. Cycles of wetting and blow-drying hair can result in the formation of multiple, “axial” cracks in the cuticles, aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the hair fi ber (2). These axial cracks form when the external portions of hair fi bers undergo rapid dehydration. Cycles of wetting and blow-drying have also been found to produce deep ovoidal (or bubble) cuticle cracks (3). These cracks are attributed to a combination of cyclic extension actions and the rapid escape of water while drying. Heat treatment with curling irons has also been shown to produce radial and axial cracking along with scale edge fusion (4). Bubbling and buckling of the cuticle was also observed (4). The chemical effects of thermal treatments (such as treatment with curling tongs) on human hair were investigated by McMullen and Jachowicz (5). Their work demonstrated that heat treatments of between 130° and 164°C result in a decomposition of chromo- phores, specifi cally tryptophan and its oxidation products (kynurenines), and an increase in the yellowness of white hair or a simultaneous yellowing and darkening of bleached hair. In other studies, curling irons have also been shown to lower the dynamic contact angle of the hair surface as cuticle lipids are damaged and removed (6). The effects of structural and chemical damage to the physical properties of the hair in- clude increased hair breakage on combing (7) and, in severe cases, acquired trichorrhexis nodosa (brittle hair) (8). Increases in combing forces are also observed (5), particularly in hair subjected to repeated heat treatments separated by rinsing. A number of ingredients have been investigated as insulators against heat-styling dam- age. These include sodium polystyrene sulfonate (6), quaternium-70 and polyquater- nium-11 (9), PVP/DMAPA acrylates copolymer (9), sodium PEG-40 maleate/styrene sulfonate copolymer, and silicone quaternium-22 PPG-myrisyl ether. Some other humec- tant-type ingredients, such as hydrolyzed wheat protein, have also been shown to reduce damage (9). Most heat-protection sprays on the market at present use these kinds of technologies to protect the hair. However, they all, at present, are formulated as water or water/ethanol- based products. Since some studies (4) have suggested that the structural damage caused by curling irons is greater on wet hair than on dry hair, we have decided to investigate the benefi ts of using a water-free heat-protection spray made with a volatile solvent such as ethanol. We hypothesize that less chemical and structural degradation should occur at high temperatures in hair treated with a “dry” spray versus hair treated with a “wet” spray.
EFFECTS OF WATER ON HEAT-STYLING DAMAGE 17 EXPERIMENTAL MATERIALS Fine-density, light-brown, virgin hair (20 cm in length) was purchased from Interna- tional Hair Importers & Products Inc. (Glendale, New York). Ethanol (96%), laboratory reagent grade, was bought from Fisher Scientifi c UK Ltd (Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK). Vinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate co-polymer (50%) in ethanol (VP/VA E-735®) and quaternium-70 (50%) in propylene glycol (Ceraphyl-70®) were supplied by International Speciality Products (Wayne, NJ). Bis-PEG/PPG-20/20 dimethicone (Abil B 8832®) was supplied by Evonik Industries (Essen, Germany). Methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone 1.5% (Kathon CG®) were supplied by Rohm and Haas (Morges, Switzerland). METHODS Preparation of heat-protection spray formulations. Table I describes the prototype formula- tions tested in this study. The “wet” spray was adjusted to pH 6 with sodium hydroxide solution. Hair preparation. Hair was cut into 1.5-cm-wide tresses (approximately 1–2 g in weight, including the bindings). Each tress was clipped at the edge, 41 mm from the bindings, to mark the start of the area to be treated with straightening irons. The hair tresses were dried for two days in a glass dessicator over calcium chloride at room temperature. Blow- drying was always avoided, as this may have caused heat-styling damage and introduced extra variability into our experiments. Treatment with straightening irons—a comparison of wet versus dry hair. In experiments com- paring heat damage in wet and dry hair, tresses were wetted by immersion in tap water for 15 minutes ahead of the heat treatment. Surface water was removed with tissue paper before applying the straightening irons. For tests on dry hair, the tresses were heat treated immediately after removal from the dessicator. Table I Prototype Heat-Protection Spray Formulations Material % w/w “Dry” spray “Wet” spray Vinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate co-polymer (50%) in ethanol 8.00 8.00 Quanternium-70 (50%) in propylene glycol 2.40 2.40 Bis-PEG/PPG-20/20 dimethicone 1.00 1.00 Fragrance 1.00 1.00 Methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone (1.5%) in water — 0.07 Water — 87.53 96% Ethanol 87.60 —
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