Prior Bleaching of Virgin or Colored Hair Has Minimal Impact on SERS-Based Hair Dye Identification

    December 2025 in “ Journal of Forensic Sciences ”
    Davis N. Pickett, Aidan Holman, Dmitry Kurouski
    TLDR Bleaching hair doesn't affect the accuracy of dye identification using SERS.
    This study investigates the impact of prebleaching on the accuracy of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in identifying hair dyes. Conducted on hair from one subject, the research found that prebleaching virgin hair does not affect the spectroscopic signatures of dyes applied afterward. For previously colored hair, prebleaching results in minor changes in the intensity of SERS spectra, but these do not compromise the accuracy of dye identification. The study concludes that SERS is robust for detecting and identifying dyes on hair, even after bleaching, and holds potential for forensic applications in identifying bleached hair.
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