Scientists claim to have developed a shampoo that thickens hair by using technology devised to repair chipped car windscreens.
Filloxane, a new ingredient in the shampoo, works like the silica gel particles injected into chips in windscreens by getting inside individual strands of hair before bulking them up, researchers said.
The 'sol-gel' technology, which causes strands of hair to become more rigid and therefore to feel thicker, was unveiled at the Interactive Materials Research conference in Lubeck, Germany, 'The Sunday Times' reported.
According to data presented at the meeting, a shampoo containing a 10 per cent concentration of filloxane could expand each hair strand by more than 60 per cent and the product remained in the hair for up to 10 washes.
Hair strands are made up of bundles of filaments called microfibrils, which are cemented together into a macrofibril. Filloxane interacts with the proteins in microfibrils to form a bulkier matrix.
"The integration of stabilised filloxane into a shampoo, conditioner and hair booster suitable for home use was a major challenge for us, which is why it has taken so long to develop," said Elisabeth Bouhadana, a L'Oreal scientist involved in the project.
"It would be difficult to see how the highly compact nature of hair cortex could tolerate an expansion equal to 62 per cent. A key measure would be to see a side-by-side comparison of the same hair fibre before and after treatment," said Des Tobin, head of the centre for skin sciences at Bradford University.
