INVESTIGATING PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF BIOPOLYMERS IN HAIR

Hair is of outmost importance for the human body. Hair is composed of 1–8% external hydrophobic lipid epidermis, 80–90% α-helix or β-sheet conformation of parallel polypeptide chains to form water-insoluble keratin, less than 3% melanin pigment, and 0.6–1.0% trace elements, 10–15% moisture [1]. Keratin proteins are insoluble in water and play a protective role. They possess a heterogeneous morphology that classifies them to the fibrous structural proteins. We received samples of hair that had undergone treatment with a hair mask prepared by a cosmetic company. The samples were taken in different timelines to assess not only the reconstruction of keratin induced by the cosmetic formulation but also the possibility of a long-term effect on the hair. Our main goal was the qualitative and quantitative assessment of the reconstructive effect on keratin. For the qualitative analysis, we employed the SEM-FEG technique and obtained a complete visualization of the keratin integrity. Moreover, liquid NMR was used to analyze the lipids extracted from the hair samples in a chloroform: methanol solution.