TY - JOUR
T1 - Fabric Flammability Changes Due to Hair Spray Exposure
AU - Reischl, Uwe
AU - Ballinger, Kenzie
AU - Noren, Abby
AU - Meister, Konrad
AU - Bozeman, Estabon
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2024 Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Society.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Hairspray is widely used worldwide in beauty salons and barbershops to create customized hairstyles. However, the chemicals in hairspray are highly flammable, posing significant risks of burn injuries to staff and customers, especially when clothing is exposed to heated tools such as hairdryers or curling irons. Hairsprays typically contain polymer-based adhesives, liquid solvents, and propellant gases. During application, a notable amount of overspray can settle on clothing, depositing a thin adhesive layer on the fabric. This research project aimed to assess how exposure to hairspray alters the flammability of different fabric types, including Silk, Cotton, Wool, Nylon, and Polyester. Fifteen fabric samples were treated with hairspray, while another fifteen samples served as untreated controls. All treated samples were exposed to the same amount of hairspray and left to dry for 24 hours, while the control samples remained untouched. Flame temperatures and total burn times were measured during testing. The findings revealed that the maximum flame temperatures for Polyester increased by 140%, with burn times rising by 74%. For Nylon, flame temperatures rose 178%, and burn times increased 75%. In contrast, the flame temperatures and burn times for Silk, Cotton, and Wool remained unchanged. The results of further analysis using differential scanning calorimetry and Raman Microspectroscopy suggested that the flammability differences between natural and synthetic fibres are linked to fibre polarity and hydrophobicity variations.
AB - Hairspray is widely used worldwide in beauty salons and barbershops to create customized hairstyles. However, the chemicals in hairspray are highly flammable, posing significant risks of burn injuries to staff and customers, especially when clothing is exposed to heated tools such as hairdryers or curling irons. Hairsprays typically contain polymer-based adhesives, liquid solvents, and propellant gases. During application, a notable amount of overspray can settle on clothing, depositing a thin adhesive layer on the fabric. This research project aimed to assess how exposure to hairspray alters the flammability of different fabric types, including Silk, Cotton, Wool, Nylon, and Polyester. Fifteen fabric samples were treated with hairspray, while another fifteen samples served as untreated controls. All treated samples were exposed to the same amount of hairspray and left to dry for 24 hours, while the control samples remained untouched. Flame temperatures and total burn times were measured during testing. The findings revealed that the maximum flame temperatures for Polyester increased by 140%, with burn times rising by 74%. For Nylon, flame temperatures rose 178%, and burn times increased 75%. In contrast, the flame temperatures and burn times for Silk, Cotton, and Wool remained unchanged. The results of further analysis using differential scanning calorimetry and Raman Microspectroscopy suggested that the flammability differences between natural and synthetic fibres are linked to fibre polarity and hydrophobicity variations.
KW - Burn Injury Risk
KW - Flammability
KW - Hairspray
KW - Natural and Synthetic Fabrics
KW - Public Health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85212530598&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3993/jfbim02922
DO - 10.3993/jfbim02922
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85212530598
SN - 1940-8676
VL - 17
SP - 245
EP - 253
JO - Journal of Fiber Bioengineering and Informatics
JF - Journal of Fiber Bioengineering and Informatics
IS - 4
ER -