Name: Tami Thein, Kelly Frazier, Liz Valente
8 Glen Crest Jr. High
Status: N/A
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
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Date: N/A
Question:
Why does some hair change color when exposed to the sun?
We checked archives in biology and general science.
Replies:
This is a good question for a chemist but I'll try and give you
a partial answer. Hair contains pigments that are vulnerable to chemical
modification by a process called photobleaching. Rearrangements
in the pigments molecular structure changes the way light is
absorbed and reflected. A similar effect can be caused by
chemical bleaching by the hair stylist or from chlorine in a
swimming pool by a process called chemical bleaching. The sun
may also change the water content of the hair and this can cause
subtle color changes by changing the relative density of the
color pigments. Try the chemistry board for a more complete
answer. Don't let your roots show!
Michael B Lomonaco
NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.
