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Hair Science Thread

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My favorite oldie but goody:

**I love watching artists in action




And in this one she talked about silicones and pH. Once she started incorporating AVJ, you can see her hair really took off. After this, ladies all over the hair boards started buying pH strips. LOL

 
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Speaking of hair science, does anyone know if the komaza analysis service is still available? I went to their website and it says that it is sold out.
 
frizzy said:
How about the different proteins and vitamins that are good for fortifying the hair strand and how they do it externally .
Click to expand...

So now that I finally have time to yammer off, let’s go.

This is probably gonna be long so this will be Part 1:

I apologize if it’s seems like I’m going off in a different direction at first, but I try to be as thorough as possible when explaining any of my findings/research and all that Jazz.


I’ll start off with the actual hair itself. We all know it’s comprised of hardened keratinized cells. But let’s focus on the very outer layer first. Ergo, the cuticle.

I wanted to specifically focus on 18-MEA.
Official name: 18-methyl eicosanoic acid. It is a hydrophobic, slightly hydrophilic fatty acid chain. I once thought it was just a fancy name for sebum, but structurally speaking they’re different.

While 18-MEA is a fatty acid it is also bound to a protein structure. I won’t really go into the structure of 18-MEA and the structure of the amino acid chains, but just know they are both bonded together. I would also like to note that while 18-MEA is a strong covalently bonded structure, it can and often does wear away. Especially towards the ends of the hair, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. However there’s plenty of naturally occurring, man-made substitutes that carry out the exact same job as 18-MEA.

So how does this relate to product usage? Well, it’s important to understand that since 18-MEA is mostly found on and within the outermost layers of the hair, this compound is what is mostly coming into contact with water and products first, and is the thing that other products, including vitamins, and various proteins are also coming into contact with.

Think of it like a sponge of sort. Certain topical products can permeate through the barrier, some can only coat or sit on top of the barrier, and some can bond with the actual barrier either for prolonged periods of time, or short periods of time.

Since were specifically talking about vitamins and proteins, shampoos, conditioners, leave-ins, etc can be discussed later or whatever for relevancy.

Vitamins are.....tricky, at least for me to kind of explain their behavior, because most of them are blended with either some sort of carrier oil, suspended in water with a cream, or taken orally. But let’s say we have a quality made vitamin blend. Perhaps maybe one mixed within a purely aqueous solution. (When I say aqueous just know I’m referring to a solution with water as the solvent, ergo, the water is doing the dissolving.) I would rather use this example simply because when you’ve got vitamin products that are blended with oils, it’s safe to say that your hair is mostly receiving the coating benefit of the oil. That’s not bad by any means, especially if you’ve got an oil that’s heavy in antioxidants, minerals, complexes, etc, and if you’ve got vitamins that are fat soluble. However, most oils are known for their fatty acids, and generally speaking their importance lies in the ability to soften and smoothen the hair cuticle. Which is great, but concerning it’s ability to really reach deep into the hair, these structures are usually bonded in a way that’s just too big to permeate that far. Same goes for Butters, and same with creams. Or products that have a fair amount of emollients or thickening agents. I also say this because once the hair is wet, and water has permeated through the cuticle, there’s a fair amount of membranous cells that primarily fill up with water first, then any of the creams that have settled into the cuticles will also kind of block the pathway, which can downplay the ability of vitamins being able to do their job. I say all of this under the assumption that’s it being applied to the hair. If it’s the scalp, then it’s a bit of a different story. Which I’ll elaborate on a bit later.

A good quality vitamin product that’s mostly in an aqueous solution, at least has the ability to perform, in my opinion, a bit better. That’s assuming you apply that product first, and then proceed with a cream, or oil, or butter, or whatever product of your choosing. Since a fair amount vitamins are water soluble, and if you’re someone who’s fairly well versed in mixing, or know very good quality made products, I’d say that’s a better route to take. A hefty amount of the water will eventually evaporate, but as mentioned, once passed the cuticle layers, vitamins stand a better chance of reaching those important cell membranes, cortex, medulla, and maybe even the very innermost microfibrils. (That’s under the assumption that the product has gone through some heavy hydrolysis.)

So moving on to the subject to fortification. I think it’s a fairly broad topic, but I wouldn’t say that’s a bad thing.

I know the question was talking about vitamin usage externally, but as mentioned somewhere above, vitamins don’t necessarily function in the same way when applied onto the actual hair, as opposed to being ingested or absorbed by the skin.

Oxidation does happen to vitamin complexes and can form certain derivatives of that vitamin that are beneficial when applied to the hair itself, but it’s usually in the form of strengthening the hair. Somewhat similar to protein. (Filling in patches)

I’d like to also say that vitamins, in topical form, should mostly be focused on the scalp. The hair in and of itself won’t really benefit from topical use in a way most people think, assume, or expect them to. It does benefit, but mostly in a sense of the hair being further preserved (length retention). Simply because hair isn’t carrying out any metabolic functions. It is carrying out functions, but you can think of it as a system that’s not guided by the need for energy. (referring to the body this would be the ATP, ADP, and cellular respiration cycles.) So, there’s no need for energy to be generated. The hair is the byproduct from energy that’s been generated, and consumed already, but the scalp is still very much carrying out metabolic functions.

Okay, went off on a tangent. Sooooo...yes. Vitamins. Okay, so assuming we’re mostly focusing these products on the scalp, going back to what I mentioned earlier about the discrepancy between how vitamins are formulated, would be up to the consumer, when it comes to choosing. I’m still on the side of using a water based vitamin mixture (either store bought or self made). But enough of that. Lol.

So here’s a list of the well-known heavy hitting vitamins that most of us like:

•Tocopherols and their derivatives (vitamin E)
• Amines (B1 and it’s derivatives, B6 with pyrido- suffixes and their derivatives)
•Pathenols/Pantothenic acid (B5 and it’s derivatives)
•Cobalamins (b12 and their derivatives)
• Amides and their derivatives (B3 and it’s derivatives)
•Retinols and Carotinoids (Vitamin A and it’s derivatives)
•Riboflavins (B2 and it’s derivatives)
•Folates(B9
•Biotin (B7)
•Asorbic acid (vitamin C and it’s derivatives)
•Ferols (Vitamin D and it’s derivatives)
•Quinones(VitaminK and it’s derivatives)

I kind of messed of the order of these, but I’ll start with Vitamin A. Structurally speaking, Vitamin A and it’s derivatives have a beta-ionone ring (if you’re familiar with cyclic structures, this is basically what that is.), attached to a retinyl chain. Some have esters at the very end of the chain, but the important thing to note is that all of these chains favor interacterion with fatty acids and proteins.

So let’s talk benefits. There’s a few benefits to Vitamin A, but the one that stands out to me the most is it’s regeneration abilities. If we’re talking about the scalp, the scalp has entire unique microbiome all on its own. Vitamin A has noticeable regenerative and healing properties, as well the formation of epithelial regeneration. Ergo, newly formed skin! If we’re giving our scalp the benefit of vitamin A usage, we can rest assured that we’re allowing stronger and healthier scalp skin to be the basis for healthy hair growth. Since Vitamin A is also fat soluble, our digestive system is also receiving a boost of immune protection. If we are better able to digest our food, and absorb all the nutritional benefits from our diet, it’s safe to assume the consumption of other beneficial vitamins can work to their full potential as well with a digestive system that runs like a well oiled engine.

****Thats quite a big block of text, so I’ll be back with part 2 soon.***

Also, let me know if anything I say is straight up confusing or doesn’t make sense. I try to explain stuff with a lot of detail. Sorry for this massive block of text as well.

I hope this first post has beneficial for you in some way.
 
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Part 2

Vitamin E is structured with 4 tocotrienols and 4 tocopherols , and Ferols (hydroxyl groups bound to hydrocarbons.) tocopherols are known for their ability to donate a hydrogen to neighboring oxygen radicals (what we call free radicals). This slows down and prevents the damaging effects from free radicals and oxidation.

I would say this vitamin is one that you can and should put on the actual hair itself. Oxidation is prevalent in hair that’s been dyed, bleached, or sun damaged. Essentially it’s a sun screen for the hair. Same for our body skin, face skin, and scalp.

Thiamine is structured with a noticeable hydroxide and methyl groups on either end, and is also beneficial in aiding immune system response, as well as improved digestive system functions. Good for oral usage. (Vitamins b1 and b6)

Panthenol has one particular property that really sticks out me, and that’s it’s ability to be soluble in water. In my first post I mentioned that water soluble compounds, stand a better chance of being able to reach the farthest into the hair. With vitamin B5, especially if it in a quality made product, can actually patch up areas of damaged hair. Either from normal wear and tear, relaxing, heat, or color damage.


Cobalamin (b12), is essential for the metabolism of every cell in our body. It’s also needed for the construction of DNA. Apart from that, again it’s also a water soluble compound. This vitamin is very important when it comes to factors in hair loss. Considering metabolism is the main driver for hair production/growth, it makes sense that cobalamin deficiency causes a lot of issues, not just involving hair loss. This vitamin would be best suited for oral usage. But if you come across any scalp treatments with b12 very high up in the ingredients list, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try it out.

Riboflavin (b3) is responsible edible for the body being able to break down the three main macronutrients. Carbs, protein, and fats. In conjunction you could say it’s beneficial for the regulation of the body’s metabolism as well. A body that can readily break down carbs (and partition them efficiently), fats and protein is essentially a body with a roaring metabolism. Fast metabolism = fast hair growth.

The most notable benefits from folates are their abilities to combat anemia.

Quinones are known for their ability to supply the body, and more importantly, the mitochondria within the cell also receive more energy. Since mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, supplying them with more energy, in turn supplies the metabolism with more energy. And as mentioned before, faster/more efficient metabolism equals what? Yupp, faster, higher quality hair growth.

Vitamin Acid and Biotin have been discussed ad nauseam not only on here, but on many other sites, so I figured there wasn’t much a need to go into a bunch of detail on it, since all you guys know all the important stuffs lol.

Up next will be a protein post because I’ve done quite a bit of studying and research on it concerning hair, in and out of the classroom setting, and it’s honestly one of my favorite aspects to hair care. So be prepared for a textbook worth of info. Gonna do my best to cover ALL the bases.
 
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