
Curly hair is unique. In terms of structure, it contains a higher
degree of disulfide bridges than straight or wavy hair. Research indicates that hair is more
susceptible to breakage as the individual fibers overlap or wrap around the
teeth of either a comb or a brush when styling. Given the nature of curly hair,
it is more prone to damage and breakage.
When hair fibers are damaged, the cuticle lifts and the hair becomes
dry, brittle, dull, and difficult to manage.
It also tangles easily.
FSS Rice Curl
Complex PF is designed to deliver protection and
optimize the integrity of the hair while enhancing curl retention. It contains a unique blend of rice amino
acids, stearoyl CoA-desaturase (SCD-1), tomato bioferment and keratin amino
acids. All of which work synergistically
to improve and protect the hair. The
rice amino acids help condition and hydrate the hair to enhance its integrity
and reduce moisture loss. Rice is a
staple grain in many cultures and is considered to be highly nutritious. Including rice ingredients in cosmetic
applications garners exceptional marketing appeal amongst consumers. Flexibility is an important characteristic
for curly hair. SCD-1 is an enzyme that
converts saturated fatty acids on the hair to unsaturated fatty acids. This conversion changes the melting point of
the fatty acids on the hair to improve the hair’s flexibility and enhance curl
retention. SCD-1 will also help improve
texture.
Our hair consists of 3 different
layers, the cuticle, cortex and medulla.
The cuticle is the outermost layer.
It is similar to shingles on a roof that overlap each other to both
protect and water proof the hair. The
next layer, the cortex contains keratin filaments wrapped in helical structures
similar to telephone cords that are then intertwined into bundles. The cortex is the layer that gives hair its
strength and elasticity. The individual
keratin amino acids that make up the cortex are held together by 3 different
types of bonds, hydrogen bonds, salt bonds and disulfide bonds. Hydrogen bonds are weak physical bonds that
can easily be broken with water or heat.
These bonds typically re-form once the hair dries or cools. Salt bonds are also weak and easily break
when hair is treated with slightly alkaline or acidic solutions that alter the
pH of the hair. These bonds also
typically re-form once the pH of the hair is normalized. In addition to hydrating hair, the rice amino
acids in FSS Rice Curl Complex PF help stabilize both the hydrogen and
salt bonds to help strengthen the hair and maintain curl.
The last type of bond is much
stronger than both hydrogen and salt bonds.
Cysteine is a key amino acid in keratin filaments. Each cysteine amino acid contains a
sulfhydryl group that links together with a sulfhydryl group in an adjacent
cysteine to form disulfide bonds and create a molecule referred to as
cystine. Disulfide bonds give hair its
shape. In order to permanently
straighten or curl the hair, these bonds need to be chemically broken. The hair is then manipulated (either
straightened or curled) and is then chemically treated again to re-form the
disulfide bonds. The oxidation of
sulfhydryl groups in cysteine damages the hair and weakens the individual
fibers. As naturally curly hair becomes
damaged, it loses its curl as the disulfide bonds break and the helical
structure of keratin unfurls. Protecting
the integrity of the disulfide bonds is perhaps the best way to strengthen the
hair.
The tomato bioferment that is
added to
FSS Rice Curl Complex PF contains a unique bi-enzyme complex that converts serine in the tomato to
cysteine in situ. This can help repair
oxidized sulfhydryl groups. Restoring
the disulfide bonds in damaged curly hair strengthens it and improves its
structure to ultimately improve curl.
The bi-enzyme complex is also
useful in styling aids for individuals that either curl their hair with a
curling iron or get a perm. Increasing
the strength of the hair and repairing the disulfide bonds cannot only help
repair damage caused by curling irons, but also enhances retention of the newly
formed curls. After all the stronger the
disulfide bonds, the more capable the hair is of maintaining its shape. The tomato bioferment can also help
strengthen the newly re-aligned disulfide bonds that are created when
perming. Another benefit of using tomato
derived ingredients is that tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that can
further protect the hair from oxidative stress.
The last ingredient in our
FSS Rice Curl Complex PF is a blend of keratin amino acids, which acts
as a humectant to further hydrate the hair and help it appear smooth and
polished.
A curl retention study was
performed using
FSS Rice Curl Complex PF Clean, virgin brown tresses were treated with
5% F
FSS Rice Curl Complex PF in an aqueous solution. Other hair swatches were treated with water
as the control. All hair swatches were
then dried under ambient conditions.
After combing 10 times, each swatch was then curled using a curling iron. The length of each hair swatch was then
measured over a period of 18 hours. The
results indicate that after 18 hours, the hair swatches treated with FSS Rice Curl Complex PF had a 12% improvement in curl retention
compared to the control. Clearly this
indicates that FSS Rice Curl Complex PF can be added
to hair care applications to enhance curl retention, it can also be used to
help condition, hydrate and protect curly hair.

INCI
Nomenclature:
|
Water
& Lactobacillus/Tomato Fruit Ferment Extract & Oryza Sativa (Rice)
Extract & Keratin Amino Acids & Acyl Coenzyme A Desaturase
|
Suggested
Use Levels:
|
1.0-10.0%
|
Suggested
Applications:
|
Curl
Retention
|
Appearance:
|
Very
Pale Yellow to Yellow Hazy Liquid
|
Solubility
In Water:
|
SOLUBLE
|
pH:
(Direct)
|
3.5-5.5
|
Storage: Protected from direct light and humidity at a temperature
of 50°-77°F (10°-25°C)
Shelf life: 12 months, properly stored, in sealed container.
This
product should be added to a formulation at the recommended usage rate.