The Anti-Flyaway/Frizz Effect by Inducing the α-Helical Structure Transition of Hair

In order to reduce chronic hair flyaways/frizz, both reducing and oxidizing agents have to be used, leaving aside the hair damage issues. This study presents changes in hair morphology caused by treatment with a shampoo containing only reducing agents, excluding oxidizing agents that affect critical hair damages. As a result of flyaway/frizz improvement rates calculated through monitoring of the area of light transmittance in the hair tresses, reducing agents, such as ammonium thioglycolate (ATG), L-cysteine, and sodium sulfite were found to be effective in decreasing hair flyaway/frizz. Additionally, the methods to maintain homeostasis and control damage caused by oxidation during washing were also used to see flyaway/frizz improvement rates. Measurements using electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) showed that the surface charge of hair tresses treated with shampoo containing reducing agents was lowered. Using Raman spectroscopic analysis, it has been suggested that these treatments with reducing agents induced a 3D structural transition of the hair from an α-helix to a random coil. In addition, this structural release was confirmed, identifying the reduction in the enthalpy of the α-helix using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore, we verified that this change causes no hair damage through a tensile strength test. Therefore, the formulation of shampoo with reducing agents can be used as an effective strategy to care for hair flyaway/frizz without hair damage issues.