Reactive Keratin Derivatives: A Promising Strategy for Covalent Binding to Hair

The study explored enhancing the binding of keratin to hair fibers by creating reactive keratin derivatives with free sulfhydryl groups. Keratin was extracted from human hair and modified to increase its binding affinity. The modified keratin showed up to 1.7-fold improved binding to natural hair and up to 3.6-fold improved binding to bleached hair. Confocal laser microscopy confirmed the accumulation of these derivatives in the cuticle layer, suggesting that thiol functionalization could be an effective strategy for durable keratin binding to hair.