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This paper investigates the effect of three different treatments, namely (i) sunlight exposures, (ii) bleaching and (iii) perming on the damage of the keratin fibres (with the use of human hair). Scanning electron microscopy was applied to examine the surface morphology of the samples. Hair samples appeared to be rougher and their scales diminished after the treatments. The degree of colour change of samples was measured using a diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer. All three different treatments caused a certain degree of colour change on the samples. Urea bisulphite solubility test was also employed to investigate the alkaline damage of samples.

The results illustrated that the urea bisulphite solubility of samples conformably decreased when they were subject to these three types of treatments. With respect to the tensile strength property, the results indicate that the breaking load of treated samples decreased dramatically after undergoing three different types of treatments. On evaluating the test results, it was concluded that the bleaching process imparted the most severe damages to hair. The results of the different test methods were evaluated and discussed.

Human hair may contain deposits of illicit drugs. Testing of hair will provide an indicator of drug use at the time the hair was grown. Hair samples have several advantages over urine samples, particularly length of surveillance period (months rather than days) and resistance to tampering. Any form of drug‐testing must be seen as a component of a clinical plan for the management of the patient's drug misuse, mental disorder and offending.

Hair loss is often overlooked but psychologically challenging. However, the emergence of online health communities provides opportunities for hair loss patients to seek social support through self-disclosure. Nevertheless, not all disclosures receive the desired support. This research explores what patients disclose within the community and how their health narrative (content, form and linguistic style) regarding self-disclosure influences the social support they receive.

This study investigated a 13-year-old online support group for Chinese hair loss patients with nearly 240,000 members. Using structural topic modeling, Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, and a negative binomial model, the research analyzed the content of self-disclosure and the interrelationships between social support and three narrative dimensions of self-disclosure.

Self-disclosures are classified into 14 topics, grouped under analytical, informative and emotional categories. Emotion-related self-disclosures, whether in content or effective word use, receive deeper social support. Longer and image-rich posts attract more support in quantity, but not necessarily in quality, while cognitive words have a limited impact.

This study addresses the previously overlooked population of hair loss patients within online health communities. It employs a more comprehensive health narrative framework to explore the relationship between self-disclosure and social support, utilizing unsupervised structural topic modeling methods to mine text. The research offers practical implications for how patients seek support and for healthcare professionals in developing doctor-patient communication strategies.

In recent years, the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) has become widespread in tourism and hospitality research. Because there are two different approaches to SEM (i.e., covariance-based SEM and variance-based, partial least squares SEM), this brings challenges for researchers about which SEM to use and what to report in each SEM approach. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to discuss the differences between CB-SEM and PLS-SEM and to provide comprehensive guidelines for researchers on how to apply each SEM. Within this context, the authors first briefly summarize the fundamentals and advantages of using SEM. Then, the authors explain in detail the major issues that should be considered when selecting between CB-SEM and PLS-SEM. Finally, to ensure rigorous research practices, the authors provide step-by-step guidelines for the application of both CB-SEM and PLS-SEM.

While there is some evidence of bias against curly hair, this chapter provides a more comprehensive analysis by examining comments made by women about their hair experience, how it affects their identity, their experiences in the workplace and the challenges it presents to them in their decision to straighten their hair or leave it naturally curly. Utilising a qualitative inductive approach, we identify themes in the comments that could be tied to relevant theories and provide a framework for future research. This chapter also includes an empirical examination of individual beliefs regarding the impact of female hair texture (curly vs. straight hair) on others' perceptions of her and her workplace outcomes. Responses from 235 participants show that straight-haired women were rated significantly higher than curly haired women on job characteristics that are important to professional positions. Thus, a bias against curly haired women appears to exist in the workplace.

This study aims to comparatively reveal the physical, thermal and mechanical properties of horse tail and mane hairs, which have the potential to be used in many areas.

Physical properties of horsehairs such as diameter, density, moisture and water absorption were measured. Fourier transform infrared, field emission scanning electron microscopy and amino acid analyzes were applied to the hairs. Thermal stability of horsehair was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry analysis. In addition, breaking strength and elongation values of mane and tail hairs were measured.

As a result of morphological analysis of horsehair, it was observed that there are usually gaps in the internal structure of horsehair, but the size and continuity of these gaps vary. It has been determined that there is a significant difference between the tenacity values of tail and mane hairs as well as geometric characteristics. In addition, amino acid analysis has shown that the amino acid contents of horse tail and mane hairs are similar and not much different from sheep’s wool.

Horsehair has been used for various purposes such as clothing, accessories, brushes, upholstery and reinforcement material. To use horsehair in accordance with its application area and performance characteristics, it is necessary to know its physical, thermal and mechanical properties. It is considerable to reveal the similar and different aspects of tail and mane hairs to determine whether they are alternatives to each other. Therefore, revealing the characteristics of tail and mane hairs comparatively constitutes the originality of this study.

A recent study reported Black women are frequently labeled unprofessional due to hair presentation, 1.5 times more likely to be sent home citing “unprofessional hair,” and 80% likely to alter their natural hair texture (Dove, 2019) through chemicals or heat to fit into organizational norms. Meanwhile, conversations about hair discrimination and bias remain whispers in The Ivory Tower. Despite this study, contemporary research regarding higher education and the politics of Black women, Black hair, and hair texture is sparse. The lack of representation in higher education organizations and lack of literature suggest that Black, higher education professional women are at risk of experiencing chilly work environments that could impact belonging, career trajectory, and earning potential. Some individuals outside the African Diaspora may consider the notion of a physical characteristic, like hair, to be insignificant, let alone a salient identity for Black women. However, my experience as a higher education practitioner and scholar states differently. I assert higher education institutions continue to perpetuate and reproduce oppressive dynamics that specifically target Black women and Black hair when hair discrimination and bias are left out of the conversation to address diversity and inclusion concerns. This chapter introduces a historical context of Black hair discrimination; explores my lived experiences navigating Black hair, hair texture, and professionalism in higher education; outlines challenges for higher education institutions and prioritizes Black women alongside diversity and inclusion efforts.

The experience of going natural or deciding to rock an afro, wash-n-go, twist-out, or braided updo on a campus where similar faces are rarely seen in the classroom, in the residence hall, or even in the nearby local community can be one fraught with numerous personal and political identity tensions. Nonetheless, this is the experience for many Black women collegians, both undergraduate and graduate, who choose to wear their natural hair in its kinky, curly, coily, or afro-textured state while in college. Through an intersectional perspective we examine the stories of six Black women and their experiences with their hair, identities, and community as they transitioned to wearing their natural hair. Through this study we center the bodies, voices, and needs of Black women as they navigate the complexities of thriving in a Eurocentric environment (i.e., a predominantly white university). This chapter ends with a call for greater attention to the meaningfulness of Black women's hair and a discussion of strategies for campus agents to more intentionally support Black women throughout their development in college.

Based on literature providing evidence that Afrocentric hairstyles (e.g. afros, braids, dreadlocks) of Black women working in professional settings are often associated with negative stereotypes and biases regarding competency and professionalism, this chapter examines the extent to which these biases may be influencing the hairstyle choices of Black women employed in higher education. While academic workplaces tend to be more flexible and informal than non-academic settings, we found many Black women in higher education are, nonetheless, choosing to wear Eurocentric hairstyles. However, choice of hairstyle was influenced by academic discipline, type of institution and level in the university hierarchy.