Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Improvation of Hydrogen Peroxide reaction ?

Argy - 3-1-2017 at 11:53

Hello,

this is my first post, so I hope it is on the right place :

I was trying to improve a hydrogen peroxide reaction in the aim to bleach hair.
Considering that a product I was using included hydrogen peroxide, and that some people effectively concealed bleaching their hair with peroxyde only, I decided to use the said peroxyde on my own.
The fact is that, it wouldn't work on me. As my hair isn't that dark, I considered that something would be missing for the reaction to happen correctly. I noted that most people exposed their hair to the Sun during the reaction, as I couldn't.
I started searching on the subject: to be concise, I realised that hairdressers usually use products including, by example, ammonia. The importance of the ammonia was said to be of basic pH, which would turn the hair more permeable.

I supposed that ammonia would have quite the same role than the light, so I guessed that another product of basic pH would help the same way. I then started to think about this product named in english baking soda, and effectlively, many people would be using a mix hydrogen peroxyde+baking soda to bleach their hair.

I tried then many experiments with this mix, including other products, in the aim to determine what would work the best.

What actually was the most efficient, was using hydogen peroxyde+baking soda+hair conditioner. Other mixes so far would be very efficient on already bleached hair, to make them lighter, but not on brown hair.

I'd really like to understand what is happening with all of this ! Could some people explain to me why would this reaction correctly happen ?

Here is the composition of the conditionner used:
aqua, alcohol, glycine soja oil, cetearyl alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, parfum1, Lauryl Laurate, Persea Gratissima Oil, Betaine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium PCA, Beer, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, PCA Glyceryl Oleate, Xanthan Gum, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Extract, Avena Sativa Straw Extract, Triticum vulgare germ extract, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, sodium cocoyl glutamate, hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed wheat protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filltrate, Tocophérol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, helianthus annuus seed oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate, limonene1, geraniol1, linalool1, citronellol1, Coumarin1, Eugénol1

In order, indeed, of grater to smaller quantity, without the exact proportions.

The pH of the said conditionner was slightly acid, not much. And was mixed with baking soda anyway (and indeed hydrogen peroxide).


Thank you a lot for your answers !

Happy new year,
Argy

Sulaiman - 3-1-2017 at 21:58

I am guessing:

Maybe the washing soda and alcohol damage the cuticle and remove oil/grease to allow the peroxide to get to the hair ?

Have you looked here ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair

An adduct of sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide, sodium percarbonate, is sold as laundry bleaches with 'Oxy' in the name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_percarbonate

Argy - 4-1-2017 at 06:43

Hello Sulaiman,

that's an idea to consider ! I'll keep this in mind. (what do you call washing soda ? Also I have looked at the pages linked, is there something in particular on them you'd like to highlight ?)

So the oil/grease would prevent the oxygen to get to the hair, even with sodium bicarbonate.
I don't understand why the oily products in this hair conditionner haven't interfered, though...?

Tsjerk - 4-1-2017 at 07:59

Quote: Originally posted by Argy  

I don't understand why the oily products in this hair conditionner haven't interfered, though...?


That is because of all the phase transfer catalysts (soaps/detergents) in there, they allow the mixing of polar and non-polar compounds.

Argy - 4-1-2017 at 08:35

Tsjerk, what you say highly interest me.
So in this composition, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, sodium cocoyl glutamate, PCA Glyceryl Oleate, sodium PCA, lauryl laurate would play this catalyst role ? Or one wouldn't/am I missing one ?

If I resume brievly what I understand so far:
A) oil/grease prevent oxygen from oxyding the hair pigment
B) Alcohol/sodium bicarbonate make the hair more permeable to oxygen (the way UV would ?)
C) Soaps/detergents allow the mixing of oil and hydrogen peroxyde

Would it work this way...?

EDIT: anyone have an idea of the way that the temperature influence all of this ?

[Edited on 4-1-2017 by Argy]

Argy - 8-1-2017 at 14:54

One more question: have phase transfer catalysts any relation with surfactants ?