Practical use of labile protein as an index of hair

Because of small fluctuations, it is difficult to evaluate hair damage caused by bleaching using previously utilized hair damage indexes. Application of commercial bleaching products elevates partially extractable labile hair protein amounts in the range of 0.4-1.2 mg/g of hair. Within this range, the level of labile protein fluctuates greatly, depending on the extent of bleaching. In the current study, it was found that the effects of alkaline constituents and various peptides contained in bleaching lotions on hair damage could be evaluated by measuring labile protein amounts without employing harsher bleaching conditions.