Hello, messy hair

The sight of you brushing your lips and combing the still-tangled puppet hair will become a thing of the past, thanks to the German experts finding the mystery that makes tangled hair.

Scientists from the University of Bayreuth claim they have developed the first microscopic analysis - in detail - the phenomenon that occurs when the hairs twist together, becoming tangled and difficult to comb.

This study could pave the way for the development of advanced shampoos, conditioners and other products to care for damaged hair.

Photo: Chinadaily

In this work, the team invented a unique technology for hair analysis, by counting the hairs of a person on a tip under an atomic microscope, and measuring their reaction. when touching another hair.

Hair samples were obtained from many volunteers in different colors, from bright yellow to dark, first bleached, then analyzed.

The team found that difficult to comb hair is due to two main reasons.

First, chemical damage on the surface of the hair (cuticle) creates protrusions like fish scales, protruding perpendicular to other hairs. When the hair is grazed, these fish scales create more friction than smooth hair, making it feel rough and difficult to comb.

To smooth out the hair, according to the team, new conditioners need to contain agents to smooth out these fish scales, which helps reduce friction.

The second cause of tangled hair is chemical changes that occur when hair gets tangled. Negative charges accumulate on the surface of the hair to create repulsive force between individual fibers. This thrust creates friction and makes hair become rough and harder to comb.

To solve this problem, future hair conditioner formulations need to be supplemented with positively charged polymers, to neutralize negative charges on the surface of the hair.

However, even if the findings are found, it is not easy to find a suitable formula for damaged hair types, said Dr. Claudia Wood, senior scientist at BASF in Germany. . In addition to interactions between fibers, there are many other foreign factors, such as moisture, water content in hair, hair health . all affect their smoothness.