Can X Rays help us make better hair conditioner?

What actually happens inside hair conditioner, and how can X rays help us understand it?

Anna Stephanie Newman, a PhD student in the University of Sheffield’s School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, researches the science behind products such as shampoo and hair conditioner. Her work looks at surfactants, the molecules that help these products work, and how their structure changes when we apply them to our hair and skin or rinse them away with water.

In this video, Anna explains how she uses a technique called small angle X ray scattering, or SAXS, to investigate these structures at a molecular level. By studying how X rays scatter when they interact with a sample, researchers can learn about the size, shape and arrangement of the molecules inside everyday products.

Hair conditioners contain molecules that can organise themselves into layers known as lamellae. Anna’s research can reveal how far apart these layers are, how thick they are and how the molecules are packed together.

The video also explores Anna’s Pint of Science talk, Why I Shoot X Rays at Hair Conditioner, and why public engagement gives researchers the chance to share the science behind familiar parts of everyday life.

By developing a better understanding of the molecular structure of shampoos, conditioners and other formulations, this research could help companies improve existing products and develop new ones in the future.