Background: Currently, there is no reported objective method allowing confident assessment of hair hydration mapping. Thus, assessing hair moisture kinetics and versatility according to hair shaft damages and hair care products is difficult to perform.
Aim: To explore a new method for assessing hair moisture.
Method: A new method of hair capacitance mapping (HCM) is introduced for monitoring hair surface damage and hydration. This study was performed on intact and weathered hair locks. Samples were soaked in 10% solutions of regular shampoos or in tap water alone. HCM was performed using the SkinChip(®) device based on a semiconductor image sensor technology. Time to complete water desorption from cuticular cells was recorded.
Results: Hair surface moisture was increased for <30 min after soaking in the shampoos or water alone. The method was sensitive enough to disclose a gradient of moisture from the base to the tip of the hair shafts. Weathered hairs lost their moisture more rapidly than intact hairs.
Conclusion: Hair capacitance mapping appears to be a promising method in the assessment of the dynamics of hair surface moisture.
© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.