Hair Styling Products Expose You to Pollution

Your hair care routine might seem harmless, but it is not. Research suggests that it exposes you to as much pollution as standing on a busy road.

The study was led by Professor Nusrat Jung and PhD student

Jianghui Liu of Purdue University, Indiana, United States and published in the journalEnvironmental Science & Technology. The research was carried out in a purpose-built tiny house lab.

Let’s take a closer look.

How the study was conducted

Seven volunteers were asked to bring their own hair care products and styling tools for the experiment.

They used three types of heating appliances: hair straighteners, curlers, and wavers. As many as five different hair care products were used for the research.

The experiment was conducted using various combinations of heating appliances, surface temperatures, and ventilation to replicate a realistic scenario, as per an Independent report.

"A typical 10-to-15-minute hair care routine, like the ones in our study, involved using one or more hair care products combined with heated styling tools such as flat irons, and curling wands," Nusrat Jung, an assistant professor in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, told Newsweek.

"In

controlled experiments, volunteers performed realistic styling routines using five different hair products (hair cream, hair serum, hair lotion, and hair spray) and three types of appliance conditions that mirror what many people do in everyday life."

Heat-based hair care routines were used to carry out the experiment. Representational Image/Pixabay

After styling their hair, participants got two minutes to take their tools and leave the area. Then, for an hour, the indoor nanoparticle concentrations were monitored.

What the study found

Researchers discovered that heat-based hair care routines lasting 10 to 20 minutes can release over 10 billion (1,000 crore) tiny particles into the air, which may be inhaled into the lungs.

It is equivalent to pollution inhaled from standing on a busy highway.

This happens as heat-based hair styling, such as straightening, curling or blow drying, when combined with hair creams, lotions and serums, releases chemicals.

These nanoparticles can cause serious health issues

such as breathing difficulties, lung inflammation and cognitive decline.

Jung told Newsweek that during these hair-care routines, volatile and semi-volatile compounds like cyclic siloxanes are emitted into the air.

When they meet the hot surfaces of styling tools, which can surpass 300 degrees Fahrenheit (149 degrees Celsius), these chemicals evaporate and create ultrafine nanoparticles.

"We measured airborne concentrations reaching upward of 10 billion nanoparticles per cubic centimetre in the breathing zone,

which is comparable to what one might encounter while standing in dense highway traffic," the professor added.

"It is important to note that the figure represents airborne concentration, not the total number inhaled. Inhalation depends on factors such as breathing rate, proximity, ventilation, styling temperature, type of product and routine duration.

"However, because styling typically happens close to the face and in less ventilated spaces like bathrooms, the potential for meaningful inhalation exposure is

substantial."

When the temperatures were cooler, far fewer nanoparticles were formed, which generally remained in the hair.

"Atmospheric nanoparticle formation was especially responsive to these heat applications," civil engineer Jianghui Liu said, as per ScienceAlert.

"Heat is the main driver – cyclic siloxanes and other low-volatility ingredients volatilise, nucleate and grow into new nanoparticles, most of them smaller than 100 nanometers."



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Why the study matters

Nanoparticles are so tiny that their impact on health is hard to trace. However, animal studies have shown that these particles in the lungs can enhance inflammation and other types of tissue damage.

“This is really quite concerning,” Jung reportedly said in a statement. “The number of nanoparticles inhaled from using typical, store-bought hair care products was far greater than we ever anticipated.”

A study Jung published in 2023 found that heat increased

harmful chemicals released by hair products. One such chemical is decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5 siloxane), a common ingredient in sprays, creams, and serums.

"When we first studied the emissions from hair care products during heat surges, we focused on the volatile chemicals that were released, and what we found was already quite concerning," Jung was quoted as saying by Newsweek. 

"But when we took an even closer look...we discovered that these chemicals were generating bursts of anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000

nanoparticles per cubic centimetre."

D5 siloxane has been described by the European Chemicals Agency as "very persistent, very bio-accumulative." Europe has restricted its use in some cosmetics.

“D5 siloxane has been found to lead to adverse effects on the respiratory tract, liver and nervous system of laboratory animals,” Jung said earlier.

What can be done?

Jung and Liu suggest not using hair products with heating tools. If that is not possible, they recommend improving ventilation.

"If you must

use hair care products, limit their use and ensure the space is well ventilated," Liu said. "Even without heating appliances, better ventilation can reduce exposure to volatile chemicals, such as D5 siloxane, in these products."

Jung said that future studies are needed to more closely focus on the formation of these particles and what they are made of.

"By addressing these research gaps, future studies can provide a more holistic understanding of the emissions and exposures associated with heat-based hair styling,

contributing to improved indoor air pollution assessments and mitigation strategies," she said.

With inputs from agencies