Hair Strength and pH Level of Shampoo Essay

Human hair takes the form of solid material which is composed of three-layer protein molecules. The center part is known as the medulla but not found in every hair and is composed of air. The layer surrounding it is referred to as cortex which is made up of fibrous coils bundles composed of keratin protein molecules. These molecules give hair strand its elasticity and strength (Huth et al., 2011). The exterior layer is made up of different layers known as cuticle that protects the medulla and cortex. Both skin and hair are concealed by an extremely thin layer of fluid of composed of water, salt, and oil known as the mantle (Ahn et al., 2012). It is slightly acidic with a pH ranging from 4.5-5.5. It is therefore essential to ensure there is an appropriate balance of moisture in the skin and hair (Boga et al., 2013). Additionally, it makes scales of cuticle lie flatter along the surface of the hair shaft which in turn helps avoid loss of moisture that makes hair to be healthier and stronger. Therefore, with exposure to shampoos with unbalanced pH, the acidic mantle can be removed or contaminated causing adverse effects to both hair and skin.

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When shampoos with a pH of 3.4-5.5 are applied to hair, they harden the external layer, shrink its diameter, and flatten the cuticles resulting to their closure (Aydin, Yilmaz & Soylak, 2015). Remarkably, hair which has a pH of 4.5-5.0 has an optimal strength at this point (Es'haghi, Ebrahimi & Hosseini, 2011). On the other hand, when alkaline shampoos above the scale of 7.0 are used, they make the hair to swell, confiscate oils from the air, and lift the cuticle. This weakens it by making the hair brittle, dull, and frizzy which is subjected to tangling and breakage (Dias et al., 2014). Additionally, shampoo with alkaline pH of 12 can make the disulfide bonds existing between keratin protein molecules to break dissolving the protein entirely.

Additionally, the structure of proteins, as well as their properties, are affected by alteration in pH value. Thus, keratin proteins molecules present in hair are as well impacted by the change in pH values. Consequently, acidic shampoo which has a pH less than 7.0 has a higher presence of hydrogen ions, H+ ions while an alkaline shampoo with a pH value of more than 7.0 has more hydroxyl ions, OH (Guo et al., 2016). Most proteins just like keratin have stability over a pH of 3.5-5.5. However, outside or lower this range may free either hydroxyl or hydrogen ions hence affecting charges present in amino acids residues. This makes their three-dimensional shape distorted, and they can additionally lead to irreversible alterations in the tertiary structure of proteins (Tarun et al., 2014). Additionally, the unfolding of formation because of change in pH is due to ionization of R group present in the keratin molecule. This further breaks and damages the hydrogen and ionic bonds which provide strength to protein as well as hold its molecule together. This breakage and damage weaken the strand of hair making it mislay its elasticity (Boga et al., 2013). Also, when the shampoo is extremely alkaline, the hydroxyl ions present may splint the disulfide bonds hence removing the cross-links existing between keratin thus making the hair to be further weakened (Hou et al., 2014). This is the primary reason why solutions which have strong alkali have a high probability of dissolving protein.

Many proteins have a buffer system in the form of amino acids which may repel alteration in pH of the shampoo as well as extremely excess alkali or acid. The amino acid is amphoteric which denotes to the reasons why shampoos with a pH value of 3.5-5.5 do not impact keratin. This is because any shampoo with a pH between this range will be resisted and undergo neutralization by the natural buffer present in the amino acid (Tarun et al., 2014). Nonetheless, where the hair is immersed in higher or lower pH value shampoos particularly those that are extremely alkaline or acidic, the hydroxyl and Hydrogen ions will lead to ionization of relevant bonds maintaining the keratin fibers jointly (Sun et al., 2013). This results to damage of bonds present in a strand of hair making it weak and less resilience.

Conclusion

Human hair has been found to be a composite of a three-layer protein molecule which has different components such as keratin which gives it elasticity and strength. When different shampoos with differing pH values are used on hair, it has various impacts on it. For instance, shampoos which are more alkaline or acidic tend to damage and weaken the hair. Additionally, it frees hydroxyl or hydrogen ions hence affecting charges present in amino acids residues. This breaks and damages the hydrogen and ionic bonds which provide strength to protein as well as hold its molecule together hence making the hair weaker. Therefore, to ensure that hair stays healthier and strong, shampoos with a pH range of 3.5-5.5 should be regularly used to maintain a balance in pH in the mantle which protects both the skin and hair.

References

Ahn, S.Y., Pi, L.Q., Hwang, S.T. and Lee, W.S., 2012. Effect of IGF-I on hair growth is related to the anti-apoptotic effect of IGF-I and up-regulation of PDGF-A and PDGF-B. Annals of Dermatology, 24(1), pp.26-31.

Aydin, F., Yilmaz, E. and Soylak, M., 2015. Supramolecular solvent-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of copper from water and hair samples. RSC Advances, 5(50), pp.40422-40428.

Boga, C., Delpivo, C., Ballarin, B., Morigi, M., Galli, S., Micheletti, G. and Tozzi, S., 2013. Investigation on the dyeing power of some natural organic compounds for a green approach to hair dyeing. Dyes and Pigments, 97(1), pp.9-18.

Dias, M.F.R.G., de Almeida, A.M., Cecato, P.M.R., Adriano, A.R. and Pichler, J., 2014. The shampoo pH can affect the hair: myth or reality?. International journal of trichology, 6(3), p.95.

Es'haghi, Z., Ebrahimi, M., and Hosseini, M.S., 2011. Optimization of a novel method for determination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes in hair and wastewater samples by carbon nanotubes reinforced sol-gel based hollow fiber solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography using factorial experimental design. Journal of Chromatography A, 1218(21), pp.3400-3406.

Guo, Y., Zhang, L., Cao, F. and Leng, Y., 2016. Thermal treatment of hair for the synthesis of sustainable carbon quantum dots and the applications for sensing Hg 2+. Scientific reports, 6, p.35795.

Hou, J., Li, J., Sun, J., Ai, S. and Wang, M., 2014. Nitrogen-doped photoluminescent carbon nanospheres: green, simple synthesis via hair and application as a sensor for Hg 2+ ions. RSC Advances, 4(70), pp.37342-37348.

Huth, M.E., Ricci, A.J. and Cheng, A.G., 2011. Mechanisms of aminoglycoside ototoxicity and targets of hair cell protection. International journal of Otolaryngology, 2011.

Sun, D., Ban, R., Zhang, P.H., Wu, G.H., Zhang, J.R. and Zhu, J.J., 2013. Hair fiber as a precursor for synthesizing of sulfur-and nitrogen-co-doped carbon dots with tunable luminescence properties. Carbon, 64, pp.424-434.

Tarun, J., Susan, J., Jacob Suria, V.J.S. and Criton, S., 2014. Evaluation of pH of bathing soaps and shampoos for skin and hair care. Indian journal of dermatology, 59(5), p.442.