The Effects of Polyols on Human Hair

Abstract

Though polyols were widely used in hair-care products, these effects on hair hardly investigated. We studied the effects of polyols on hair, using 3-methyl-1, 3-butanediol (isoprene glycol; IG). It was shown that IG decreased the amount of breaking off of cuticle and that the swelling of hair was suppressed by IG.
Also, we studied the effects of polyols on hair flexibility by means of balanced fiber methods. The treatment with polyols increased the flexibility of hair. Then the water contents of hair decreased by polyol treatment. We examined the effects of polyols on the structure of hair protein, using DSC. The denaturation temperature of α-helix were lowered by polyol treatment or by the increase of water content of hair. These results suggested that polyols acted the same manner with water in the hair.