African-american Hair

By: Ali N. Syed, Anna Kuhajda, Hassan Ayoub, Kaleem Ahmad

Posted: July 11, 2008

Scientific innovations in chemical treatments that alter the textrue of African-American hair, as well as a plethora of style trends, have spurred phenomenal growth in this segment of the hair-care market throughout the past three decades. The level of research & development by manufacturers in the area of product formulation has steaadily elevated; yet, a great deal remains to be learned about the unique physical properties of African-American hair. Compared to the vast body of research regarding Caucasian hair, the study of African-American hair is at best limited.

A Review of Research
In published studies, J. Menkart et al, Epps et all and Kamath et al reveal that some important research has indeed been conducted on the physical properties of highly curly hair. The efforts of these researchers and the results of their studies serve as the starting point for the further study of African-American hair. Other general observations about hair, such as those pertaining to static charge (Jachowicz and C.R. Robbins) and theories about moisture content, serve as a springboard for advancing the study of African-American hair.

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