THE RAPUNZEL

TEST:
the Effects of Hot and
Cold
on
Hair Tensile Strength

Jacqueline M. Orjada
Sterling Heights High School

SUPER HAIR
It can hold up to 10 tons when tied
together.
It is as strong as a copper wire.
It has been used to scale towers,
and save
Itsin
a distress
rope!
Its adamsels
string!

NO!

ITS YOUR
HAIR!
Orjada

PURPOSE
Analyze the effects of
temperature on different hair
colors tensile strength.

Orjada

KEY TERMS & PHRASES

Tensile
the
the
oflayer
Blonde
Cuticle
-Strength
Layer
- capability
the
fair
cuticle
hair
Newton
Tensile
Anagen
Brunette
--having
-the
having
growth
SI
unit
- dark
the
of
phase
measure
hair
force
of the
of
the
hair
materials
cycle
ability
which
to resist
new
a
being
stretched
or
drawn
outhair
covers
theduring
shaft
and
protects
force
is
formed
that tends to pull it apart
your hair fibers

Orjada

PROBLEM
What will happen to a dark
brunettes hair tensile strength,
and a blondes hair tensile
strength, if both are subjected
to extreme cold conditions and
extreme heat conditions?
Orjada

THE PLAN
Subject blonde and dark
brunette hair to the extreme
heat and extreme cold
conditions, compare results.

Orjada

THE EXTREME
CONDITIONS
Hair Color

Temperature
(C)

Standard

Standard

Dark
Brunette

Light
Brunette

Blonde

11

22

51

The response variable will be

Hair Tensile Strength,
measured in Newton.
Orjada

HYPOTHESIS
If the dark brunette hair is
subjected to both extreme
conditions, then the brunettes
hair tensile strength will be
greater than the blondes hair
tensile strength overall.

Orjada

UNIQUE MATERIALS
Freezer (0

Hair 24 cm: Dark

C)

brunette,
Light brunette,
Blonde
Blow
Dryer
(1875 watt, 51
Milligram/Newt
C)
on
Spring Scale

Hot Glue Gun &

Sticks

Orjada

PROCEDURE
1. Subject hair to condition
2. Test hair tensile strength
(N)

Orjada

10

EXAMPLE
OF
STANDARD
TESTING
Orjada

11

Orjada

12

IT BROKE!!!
This is an example
picture of what the
hair would have
looked like on the
molecular level,
seconds before it
broke.

Orjada

13

DATA
(+,
+)

(-,
(+,-)

+)

(-,-)

(S,S)

The above data chart is the averages from the

data collected.
Averages
0.929
1.141 1.018 0.924
0.791
(N):
286
67
57
86
43

Orjada

14

OBSERVATIONS
March 21,

Standards create the first outlier of

2012

1.02 N.

March 22,

Blonde, hot hair has its highest

2012

reading of 1.5 N.

March 28,

Dark, cold hair has reached its

2012

highest strength of 1.55 N

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15

D AT A A N D A N A LY S I S
FOR COLOR

Hair Color
(-) Dark
Brown

Orjada

(+)Blonde

0.924286

1.16143

0.929286

1.01857

Avg. =
0.926786

Avg. =
1.09

16

D AT A A N D A N A LY S I S
F O R T E M P E R AT U R E

Temperature
(-) 11C
1.01857

(+) 51C
1.16143

0.929286 .924286
Avg. =
0.973928

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Avg. =
1.04

D AT A A N D A N A LY S I S
F O R C O L O R & T E M P E R AT U R E
Temperature
(-) 11 C

Orjada

(+) 51 C

(+)
Blonde
Pink
Segment

1.01857

1.16143

(-) Dark
Brown
Dotted
Segment

0.929286

0.924286

18

D AT A A N D A N A LY S I S
S TA N D A R D S G R A P H

Run
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Orjada

(S , S)
0.77
1.02
0.77
0.62
0.77
0.62
1.01

19

D ATA A N D A N A LY S I S
T E S T O F SI G N I F I C A N C E
GRAPH
Test of Significance

Orjada

ROS

0.8

Color
Effect

0.326428

Temp.
Effect

1.3786

Temp &
Color
Effect

0.13786

20

WHAT DOES THAT

MEAN?
The data results suggest
frozen then thawed hair is
not as strong as, or stronger
than, hot hair.

Orjada

21

ACCEPTED OR REJECTED?

The hypothesis was

REJECTE
D
Incorrect
Hypothesis

Actual Outcome

Dark, Cold >

Blonde, Cold

Dark, Cold <

Blonde, Cold

Dark, Hot >

Blonde, Hot

Dark, Hot <

Blonde, Hot

Hypothesis answer determined by

averages from results.

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E R R O R S T H AT O C C U R R E D

Problematic hair securing

method
Possible poor quality of hair from
donors

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UNCONT ROLLED
VAR IABLE
Age of hair
Process of prior cleansing hair
Part of the head from which hair
was taken
Not guaranteed hair was virgin
hair

Orjada

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W H AT C A N T H I S D O F O R U S ?
Increase range of information on hair
tensile strength
Benefit medical research field
Possibly help find cure to Loose Anagen
Hair Syndrome
Increase hair care quality

Orjada

25

DIVE DEEPER
Possible Further Research
Opportunities
Test hair from different parts of the
body
Use different methods of measuring;
such as sand
Test hair types from different
ethnicities
Test hair root strength
Orjada

26

TAKE NOTE OF
HEAT EFFECTS:

Dont over-do the blow drying,

straightening, and curling because:
Causes cuticle layer damage.
It causes split ends.
Hair shaft splits travel all the way
to your root.

Orjada

27

TAKE NOTE OF
COLD EFFECTS:
Dont go outside in the cold with
wet hair because:
It creates a split up the hair
shaft.
Causes split ends.
Freezes your hair and splits the
fibers.

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IF AVOIDED
Hair strand thickness can
increase
Hair strength can increase
Hair shine can increase
(If hair has been previously, properly
cared for)

Orjada

29

WHY WOULD I WANT

BET TER HAIR?

Its a sign of health

Shows good hygiene
Could be cut off and used for
survival

Orjada

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GIVE YOUR
HAIR
A BREAK
No pun intended

Orjada

31

WORKS CITED
All About Damaged Hair: Technically Speaking." CushBlog. Color Us Simply Holistic Cosmetics, 27 Aug.
2011. Web. 10 April 2012. <www.cushblog.com/2011/08/27/all-about-damaged-hair/.
Anagen Dictionary.com. Ask. Web. 31 May 2012.
Blonde Dictionary.com. Ask. Web. 13 May 2012.
Brunette Dictionary.com. Ask. Web. 13 May 2012.
Carlin, Nicole. How to Test Hair Strength. Livestrong. 31 March 2011. Web. 10 April 2012.
<http://www.livestrong.com/artice/265637-how-to-test-hair-strength/>.
Chapman, D.M. The Anchoring Strengths of Various Chest Root Hair Types. Clin. Exp. Derm. 1992.
Print. 17: 421-423.
"Facts About Hair" ILoveIndia. n.p. n.d. Web.13 May 2012.
<http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-hair-11117.html>
Feughelman M (1977) Morphology and properties of hair. In: DH Johnson (ed). Hair and Hair Care. 1st
edn. New York: Marcel Dekker, pp 112
Gamez-Garcia, M. The Cracking of Human Hair Cuticles by Cyclical Thermal Stresses, J. Cosmetic
Science, 49, 141-153 May/June 1998.
"Hair Loss: Hair Shaft Defects." WebMD. American Hair Loss Association. 1 March 2010. Web. 21 May
2012.
Hair Cuticle Dictionary.com. Ask. Web. 13 May 2012.

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WORKS CITED
Hair Strength. Keratin. Web. 13 May 2012. <http://www.keratin.com/aa/aa016shtml>
List of Diseases: Loose Anagen Hair Syndrome Reference.com. Ask. Web. 13 May 2012.
Mike Eisenberg. "Disneys Tangled Teaser Trailer and Images." Photograph. ScreenRant. Disney, 1 June
2010. Web. 1 June 2010.
Newton Dictionary.com. Ask. Web. 31 May 2012.
Outlier Dictionary.com. Ask. Web. 13 May 2012.
Pyru Hosting, P., Fredrick, "4 Reasons Why You Need to Take Cold Showers" iNeedMotivation. Pyru
Hosting. Blog. 13 May 2012.
Rodney D Sinclair. "Society for Investigative Dermatology Healthy Hair: What Is it?." Photograph.
nature.com. Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings, 2007. Web. 1 June 2010.
Ruetsch, S.B, et al, Effects of Thermal Treatments with a Curling Iron on Hair Fiber, J. Cosmetic Science.
55: 13-27. Jan/Feb 2004.
Tensile Dictionary.com. Ask. Web. 30 May 2012.
Tensile Strength Dictionary.com. Ask. Web. 31 May 2012.
vBulletin, zift. Hair Color and Thickness-Is there Correlation? TheLongHairCommunity. The Beauty
Bottle, LLC and Contributors. Blog/Poll. 13 May 2012.
Walker, Morton. How to Stop Baldness and Regrow Hair. Stamford, CT: Freelance Communications.
(1995) : 21. Print

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ANY
QUESTION
S?
Orjada

34