Science Fair Lab Report Dying To Know Jenn Greiner .

Science Fair Lab ReportDying to KnowJenn GreinerStarleene ThouHonors ChemistryMs. ChanJanuary 20, 2015

Table of ContentsAbstractProblem . . 1Background Research .1Hypothesis 4Materials and Equipment . 5Procedures .6Data Tables and Graphs .8Analysis/Discussion . . 10Conclusion . 11Bibliography . 13

AbstractAs 75% of American women dye their hair, this brings up interests as to which color hairdyes are most damaging to their hair. This experiment tests which color hair dyes causethe most damage/breakage to hair strands. The scientists hypothesized that if hair dyecolor is related to the damage of hair, then lighter colored hair dyes will have a greaterdamaging effect on hair. The independent variable in this experiment was the color of thehair dye; the dependent variable was the damage caused to the hair. The controls for thisexperiment are the latex gloves, hair samples, shower, aluminum foil, cup, shampoo,conditioner, hair brush, book, scientists and testing environment that remained consistentthroughout the experiment.This experiment was carried out by using hair loss as a means to determine overalldamage. A medium sized hair brush was used to brush the samples of dyed hair ten times,with a heavy book placed on top to hold it down. The number of hair strands that hadfallen out of the hair sample and onto the brush were counted and recorded. This processwas done for each different hair sample for three trials.In this experiment it was found that the control had the least amount of hair breakagewhen brushed with an average of 1.6 broken strands. The next least breakage was that ofthe hair samples dyed black with an average of 2.3 broken strands. Next, came the hairsamples dyed brown which had an average of 3 broken strands. Then, came the hairsamples dyed auburn with an average of 5.3 broken strands. The hair dye that caused themost amount of damage was the blonde hair dye which had an average of 6 brokenstrands from being brushed.

The conclusion of this experiment is that the scientist’s hypothesis was accepted, thelighter hair dyes caused more damage to the hair than the darker hair dyes. Thisconclusion was formed considering that on average, the auburn and blonde hair dyes (thelighter hair dyes) caused more strands of hair to break than the black and brown hair dyes(the darker hair dyes). One issue from this experiment was that it had the uncontrolledvariable of human error brushing each strand of hair. This uncontrolled variable wascountered with the human carefully ensuring that each stroke was the same for eachstrand and followed the procedure exactly. An application of this project would be tocreate a scale of how much damage each color is likely to cause to hair, and require therating to be put on the hair dye box. This would warn buyers about the harmful effects ofthe dye and may affect their color choice. One extension of this investigation would be toalso test semi-permanent hair dyes and see if the experiment still produces the sameresults of the lighter hair dyes causing more damage. Another extension of thisinvestigation would be to test different brands of hair dyes and see if the results were thesame as in this experiment.

ProblemProblem Statement: How does the color of hair dye affect how much damage it causes tohair?Background ResearchThese scientists first began by researching about the structure of human hair. The hairshaft is where the dying takes place. This is the part of the hair that is seen (above theskin) and is made up of dead cells that turned into keratin. The hair shaft formed of threelayers which are the medulla, the cortex, and the cuticle. The medulla is the deepest layerand is only seen in large and thick hairs. The cortex is the middle layer which isresponsible for determining the strength, color and texture of the hair. It is in the cortexthat the process of hair dying takes place. The outer layer is the cuticle which is thin andcolorless and serves to protect the cortex. The ammonia in hair dye relaxes and lifts upthe cuticle in order to get to the cortex, the initial lifting of the cuticle is damaging alone.("FUE Hair Transplant Clinic in London")The scientists then went into deeper research about hair dyes and the damaging effectsthat they have on hair (the dependent variable). There are three main types of hair dyes;temporary hair colorants, semi-permanent hair colorants, and oxidation hair colorants. Inthis experiment, the oxidation hair colorants, also known as permanent hair dyes, will beused. Oxidation hair colorants utilize an alkaline agent and oxidizing coloring agents. Thealkaline agent opens up the outer layer of hair to allow easier access to the inner hair1

shaft. The oxidizing and coloring agents then lighten and pigment the hair color toeffectively replace the natural color. These effects are resistant to washing out and in turnlast longer, hence “permanent’.Some permanent hair dyes include chelants, which are added to the formula in order tostabilize hydrogen peroxide. Because hair also includes copper and other such metals, thechelants may react with the hair, forming free radicals that have damaging effects. (JulieMcManus, Hair Colorants: How Do Hair Colorants Work?)Other damaging effects of strong hair dyes include drying out, destruction of nutrientsand healthy oils, and split ends. These effects are caused by the harsh chemicals found inthe dyes, such as ammonia and peroxide. Ammonia (a colorless, pungent gas) can befound in certain fertilizers and disinfectants. Peroxide is used as the bleaching agent inthe hair dyes. (Jenny Tai, Hair Dye and Hair Bleach: How Do They Work?). Repeateduse of harsh chemicals and the application of any chemical to the hair has implicationsfor damaging effects.Lightening hair dye also works different from darkening hair dye. Lightening hair dyeuses bleach or peroxide to remove the existing pigment. The existing pigment calledmelanin is located in the cortex of the hair so ammonia and peroxide are used to penetratethe cuticle of the hair to get to the cortex to strip and deposit color. Using too muchperoxide is called over processing and can be damaging to the hair shaft. ("8 commonlyasked questions about coloring your hair") When dying your hair lighter, the hair first has2

to be bleached, and then the ammonia and peroxide in the dye create and deposit color inthe hair shaft. If you’re dying your hair darker than its natural color then the dye uses theinteraction between the ammonia and peroxide to create a new color in your hair shaftwithout the extra step of stripping the color. (Brain, M., "Hair Dye")This project has real world application since today 75% of American women color theirhair. Men also dye their hair resulting in 113.5 million in Men’s home hair-color sales in2013. In 2013, about 76% of people who dyed their hair already knew that hair dying wasunsafe. 13.5% of people believed that permanent hair dyes were safe (“Trends in Use ofHair Dye: A Cross-Sectional Study”). In conclusion, these scientists have learned abouthow hair dyes work, their damaging effects, and the real world application of theexperiment.3

HypothesisIf hair dye color is related to the damage of hair, then lighter colored hair dyes will have agreater damaging effect on hair because lighter hair dyes contain harmful bleaches thatdry out hair and the darker dyes do not.4

Materials and Equipment Garnier Nutrisse Nourishing Color Creme 1 box of each of the following colors:100-Extra Light Natural Blonde, 20- Soft Black, 76- Rich Auburn Blonde, and 53Medium Golden Brown Latex gloves (2 pairs) 15 samples of six inch ProExtensions Dark Golden Blonde hair extensions A shower A 12 inch by 30 inch sheet of aluminum foil A 16 ounce disposable plastic cup A 13 ounce bottle of Garnier Fructis Color Shield Complete Defense Shampoo A 13 ounce bottle of Garnier Fructis Color Shield Complete Defense Conditioner A medium hair brush A moderately heavy book5

Procedures1. Gather all of the materials inside of a bathroom where the shower is located.2. Mix the nourishing color creme with the nourishing creme developer inside of thedeveloper bottle as instructed by the directions on the hair dye box. Do this foreach of the 4 colors.3. Using latex gloves, use the hair dye to color 3 samples of hair by combing the dyethrough each samples with your fingers. Repeat this for each of the colors. Leave 3samples undyed for a control.4. Allow dye to sit for directed time of 15 minutes. Use 1 drop of the conditioner thatcomes with the box kit of hair dye and fresh water from the shower to rinse out thehair samples until the water runs clear off of the sample. Repeat this for each ofthe dyed samples.5. Lay out each hair sample to dry on the sheet of aluminium foil, leaving 1 inch ofspace in between each sample. Wait 1 hour allowing each sample to drycompletely.6. Secure a hair sample on the edge of a surface, using the book as a weight to holdthe top down. Use the hair brush to brush the sample 10 times. Count the numberof hair strands that has fallen out of the sample and onto the brush. Record data.7. Repeat step 6 for each sample of hair of a different color including the controlsample. Once a sample of each different color has been tested, perform 2 moretrials. Continue to record data.6

8. Analyze the recorded data and compare the amount of hair that each sample lost.The sample that lost the most hair had the most damage. The hair that lost the leasthair was less damaged. Use this comparison to form a conclusion of which hairdye causes the most damage to hair.7

Data Tables and GraphsPictures from the experiment:Data Table from the experiment:Effect of Hair Dye Color on Hair Breakage*Number of Hair Strands Lost*ControlBlondeAuburnBrownBlackTrial 115442Trial 226632Trial 327623Average1.6666666676 5.33333333383 2.333333333

Graphs:Hair Dye Affect on Hair Breakage8The hair samples that were dyed with lighter colors lost more hairthan the samples dyed with darker colors.Number of Hair Strands Lost765Control4Blonde3AuburnBrown2Black10Trial 1Trial 2Trial 3Trial NumerHair Dye Affect on Hair Breakage Average7Number of Hair Strands Lost6Hair samples that were dyed with lighter colors lost more hair than the samplesthat were dyed with darker londeAuburnHair Dye Color9BrownBlack