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Polyurethanes for Cosmetics
Hair Styling with Baycusan® Polyurethane Dispersions
The key properties include:
- Excellent high humidity curl retention
- Natural look
- Strong elastic memory
- Excellent spray ability
- Easy to remove (no build-up effect on hair)
- High gloss
- Non-tacky feel and natural hold
- Suitable for low VOC or VOC free products
Baycusan® polyurethane dispersions keeps hair in shape
Baycusan® C 1001 and Baycusan® C 1008 polyurethane dispersions were specifically developed for hair styling. Just how elastic the resulting film is can be is demonstrated by the standardized "Omega Loop Method". In this test a strand of hair is clamped in such a way that it approximates the shape of the Greek letter omega. After applying the film former, the force required to depress the strand by 25 percent at its highest point is measured. This process is repeated ten times. If the strand has a perfect ‘shape memory’, the same force would be required each time to ”dent” it. In reality the force declines, but to a much lesser extent with strands treated with Baycusan® C 1001 or Baycusan® C 1008 than for others treated with other polymeric film formers. This means that with formulations based on these polyurethane dispersions, the hairstyle keeps its shape very well despite any mechanical influences.
Baycusan® C 1001 and Baycusan® C 1008 also prove to be superior to common polymeric film formers when it comes to another styling property: Curls formed of strands treated with the new polyurethane dispersions change their length and shape only minimally, even in high humidity. The high humidity curl retention was still very good not only after five hours, but even after a whole day.
Combing hair forty times has a comparatively small effect on the shape of curls treated with Baycusan® C 1001. Other tests document the excellent curl retention of this polyurethane dispersion even in high humidity. External tests performed with a combing machine and force measurement instruments show that hair treated with Baycusan® C 1001 can be combed much more easily than hair treated with a formulation containing a regular polyacrylate film former. The measurements even revealed a conditioning effect at the tips of the hair. This means that less force is required for combing than with untreated hair. These advantages become particularly apparent in styling mousse.
Read this press release on the subjet, too (April 2009)
