High-Tech Hair Dye: Graphene As A Potential Non-Toxic Hair Colorant

Coloring one's hair is a regular personal care routine for many people. It is often used as an avenue to self-expression or as a way to stand out from the crowd. However, the actual process of coloring is not usually a favorite chore.

Most commercial hair dyes have the disadvantage of being potentially irritating, damaging to property or surfaces and smelling to a horrific degree. Even newer formulations contain chemicals that could be toxic to the environment at their disposal.

Why Graphene as a Hair Dye?

Graphene, which is a two-dimensional arrangement of carbon atoms, is becoming a more popular component in many academic and industrial pursuits. It has many fortuitous properties, most notably high electrical conductivity, which makes it very amenable to areas such as electronics.

However, it now appears that graphene is also potentially useful in other, slightly unexpected, areas such as textile processing. In other words, it can be used as a dye.

Comparing Hair Dyes: Regular vs. Graphene

Graphene oxide, on the other hand, forms a uniform coating around individual hair strands that adhere strongly enough to resist removal through washing. Furthermore, this new form of hair dye can be applied via a spray that is then left to dry on the hair.

Regular hair dye may need to be applied as a solution in a lengthy, and often messy, process. Subjects then have to wait with the wet colorant on their heads, for a pre-defined length of time, while the dye sets. This process is typically inconvenient for the colorist and the individual in need of the color.

Furthermore, they pointed out that graphene dyes also make surfaces treated with them more conductive, hair included. Therefore, the colorant could also find use in the implementation of wearable technology of the future. These devices may be mounted onto or even integrated into the skin or clothing for health-tracking and other functions too.

References

Deirdre O’Donnell, High-Tech Hair Dye: Graphene As A Potential Non-Toxic Hair Colorant, Article form www.evolving-science.com