A somewhat unexpected result from the deconvolution of DSC curves for human hair: There is no apparent relation between cortical cell fractions and hair curliness

A deconvolution process has been developed for curves obtained by differential scanning calorimetry in water for Merino wool and the main ethnic hair types. This enables estimation of the fractions of ortho- and para-type cell groups. The results also indicate that hair may contain a further, low-sulphur subgroup of ortho-type cells. The sizes of the major cell fractions are in line with expectations from microscopical investigations. The fractions are comparable for hair types, and no consistent association between cell-type fractions and hair curvature is observed.