Abstract
Hair bleaching is a treatment process in which the melanic pigment is oxidized by hydrogen peroxide. With the increase of the number of treatments, $1{\sim}10$ levels of various colors develop, the hair luster diminishes, and the appearance becomes very rough. In this study, by changing the number of hair bleaching and bleaching conditions, the changes in the degree of hair damage and its process were observed through the use of scanning electron microscopy. The color changes were also compared through the use of spectrophotometer. In order to study the physical changes of the bleached hairs and to search for the optimum conditions to keep the hair damages minimum during bleaching, tensile properties were measured and reviewed. By increasing the number of hair bleaching and by the severe conditions, the scales became eroded and the protection layers were decreased, and the oxidation reached the inner sectors resulting in rough surface and fibrillation. The surface of the hairs became bright yellowish and transparent by the bleaching of melanic pigments or by the destruction of pigments. With the increase of bleaching degree, in terms of physical changes, the breaking strength decreased while the elongation increased a little.