- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Childhood Food Allergies on the Rise
- Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk
- Keep Asthma, Allergies at Bay for the Holidays
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Acupuncture Cuts Dry Mouth in Cancer Patients
- Regular Yoga May Improve Eating Habits
- When Healing Becomes a Commodity
- BONES & JOINTS
- Extra Pounds in Mid-Life Affect Later Mobility
- Alleviating Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Rising Among U.S. Women
- CANCER
- No Verdict Yet on Grape Seed Extract vs. Breast Cancer
- Sharing Cancer Info May Be Empowering
- Vitamin C Shows Promise as Cancer Treatment
- CAREGIVING
- Critically Ill Patients Lack Vitamin D
- Reduce Suffering, Urge Heart Failure Patients and Caregivers
- Caregivers Face Multiple Strains Tending Older Parents
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Night Shift Work Hard on the Heart
- Vitamins Do Older Women Little Good
- Support Network May Play Role in Benefits of Drinking
- COSMETIC
- Mouse Study Finds Molecule That Tells Hair to Grow
- With Psoriasis, the Internet May Offer Hope
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Gum Care Helps Control Type 2 Diabetes and Its Complications
- An Oral Approach to Heart Disease
- A Sweet Way to Shield Baby's Teeth
- DIABETES
- Fructose-Sweetened Drinks Up Metabolic Syndrome Risk
- Abnormal Heart Rhythm Boosts Death Risk for Diabetics
- Brown Rice Bests White for Diabetes Prevention
- DIET, NUTRITION
- The Food Irradiation Story
- Fruits, Vegetables, Teas May Cut Smokers' Cancer Risk
- Eat Light - Live Longer
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Restaurant Sushi May Have More Mercury Than Store-Bought Fare
- Bed Bugs Bring No Disease Danger
- Short-Term Air Pollution Exposure May Damage DNA
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Guard Kids' Eyes Against Long-Term Sun Damage
- Cases of Age-Related Farsightedness to Soar
- Eye Problems, Hearing Loss May Be Linked
- FITNESS
- Fall Cleanup Is a Prime Time for Accidents
- Diet, Exercise May Slow Kidney Disease Progression
- Any Exercise Good After a Heart Attack
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- New Guidelines Issued for Management of IBS
- Bowel Prep Harder on Women Than Men
- Peppermint Oil, Fiber Can Fight Irritable Bowel
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Time to Remind Teens About Sun Protection
- Proven Strategies for Avoiding Colds and the Flu
- Dry Weather Boosts Odds of Flu Outbreaks
- HEAD & NECK
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- The Internet Is Becoming One-Stop Shopping for Health Help
- E-Mailing Your Way to Healthier Habits
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Laughter Can Boost Heart Health
- Psychiatric Drugs Might Raise Cardiac Death Risk
- Risk Factor for Stroke More Common Among Whites
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Dry Weather Boosts Odds of Flu Outbreaks
- Swine Flu Is Now a Pandemic Says W.H.O.
- The HPV Vaccine: Preventative Medicine or Human Sacrifice?
- KID'S HEALTH
- Mom and Baby Alike May Benefit From Exercise
- Bullying Seems to Affect Kids Years Later
- Scary Toxins Make Halloween Face Paints Questionable
- MEN'S HEALTH
- More Vitamin C May Mean Less Chance of Gout
- Vigorous Exercise Cuts Stroke Risk for Men, Not Women
- Exercise May Prevent Prostate Cancer: Study Shows
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Mind Exercise Might Help Stroke Patients
- Bullying Seems to Affect Kids Years Later
- Green Spaces Boost the Body and the Mind
- PAIN
- Acupuncture, Real or Fake, Eases Back Pain
- Tai Chi May Help Ease Fibromyalgia
- Are We Exercising Pain Away? Not So Much.
- PREGNANCY
- Exercise Boosts Bone Density in Breast-Feeding Moms
- Breast-Feeding May Protect a Woman's Heart
- Sugary Colas Tied to Gestational Diabetes
- SENIORS
- Common Antioxidant Might Slow Parkinson's
- Nighttime Urination Linked to Higher Death Rate Among Elderly
- Video Gaming Just Might Fight Aging
Science May Banish Bad Hair Days
By eHolistic.com Published: 08/18/2008
MONDAY, Aug. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Whether it's frizzy or flyaway, nearly everyone puts up with an unruly head of hair from time to time. Now scientists have trained their microscopes on hair to find out why it misbehaves -- and how to tame it.
In a new study, said to be the first of its kind, German researchers say they've gotten extreme-close-up views of how hair fibers interact. Their insights could lead to products that banish bad hair days for good, they say.
"At the moment, it is not known why hair feels good," explained study co-author Eva Max, a doctoral student in chemistry at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. That, in turn, makes it difficult to scientifically study hair care products, which make up a $60 billion industry worldwide.
In the new study, Max and colleagues explored the workings of hair with an atomic-force microscope and samples of Caucasian female hair. The study authors were scheduled to present their findings Aug. 17 at the American Chemical Society's national meeting, in Philadelphia.
According to the team, damage to hair causes scaly projections to protrude from hair fibers. These projections create friction with other fibers and make hair feel rough to the touch and hard to comb.
The researchers also found that electrical charges build up on hair, causing friction.
The next step is to figure out what happens to the hair when it's exposed to hair-care products such as shampoo and conditioner.
"There are several changes that take place at the same time when hair is exposed to hair care products, and it will help greatly to understand which of those changes is crucial for optimizing hair care," Max said. "If, for example, it would turn out that there is an optimum friction between single hairs for pleasant (touch), the molecular composition of hair-care products can be optimized to achieve this friction."
Steven Shiel, who studies hair at Proctor & Gamble, said the German research could help shed more light on how hair fibers interact and lead to better hair care products. "Those invisible-to-the-eye changes have a great impact on how the ingredients in the products affect the hair," he said.
Hair styling products have become more sophisticated in recent years, and this has much to do with science, said Shiel, an associate director with P&G Beauty.
"A lot of this is based on this fundamental understanding of hair's underlying structure and properties," he said. "Fundamentally understanding the hair structure is really important in terms of developing products that really deliver."
-Randy Dotinga
More information
Learn about hair loss and disease from the National Institutes of Health.
SOURCES: Eva Max, doctoral student, University of Bayreuth, Germany; Steven Shiel, Ph.D., associate director, Proctor & Gamble Beauty, Cincinnati; Aug. 17, 2008, American Chemical Society National Meeting, Philadelphia
Last Updated: Aug. 18, 2008
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