Dynamic hairspray analysis. II. Effect of polymer, hair type, and solvent composition

A texture analyzer was employed to study the properties of hairspray resins by measuring a number of mechanical parameters of hair modified by them. Hairset stiffness, stiffness retention at high humidity, and duration and magnitude of polymer film tackiness during drying were the properties employed to characterize fixative-treated hair. They were investigated for formulations containing ethyl ester of PVM/MA copolymer, butyl ester of PVM/MA copolymer, vinyl caprolactam/PVP/dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate copolymer, VA/butyl maleate/isobornyl acrylate copolymer, and polymer blends such as poly(methylvinylether) (PMVE) - ethyl ester of PVM/MA copolymer. It was demonstrated that the properties of hair treated with a fixative are affected by the concentration and molecular weight of a polymer, low-molecularweight additives that can modify the mechanical, surface, or interfacial properties of a polymer film, and the presence of water in the formulation. It was also shown, that the type of hair employed, such as virgin, untreated hair or hair damaged by bleaching, can also have an effect on the performance of a given hairspray formulation. For compositions based on blends of PMVE and ethyl ester of PVM/MA copolymer, the employed method demonstrated the sensitivity of the properties of polymer blends to the presence of a hydrophilic component such as PMVE.