The mitigation of damaged hair conditions involves the application and penetration of substances to stabilize broken bond sites, restore lipids and proteins, reinstate hydrophobicity, and recover hair mechanical properties. Vegetable oils, in general, exhibit a list of advantageous characteristics much desired by consumers, given the associated benefits for hair fibers. While coconut oil is highly popular in the hair care market and extensively studied for its ability to diffuse through the hair cortex, the effects of avocado and argan oil on the internal structure of hair and their potential benefits remain underexplored. Tensile and fatigue tests, as well as Raman spectroscopy, were carried out to investigate the interaction of these three oils with virgin and bleached Caucasian hair. The oils were applied in sufficient amounts directly to hair tresses and maintained for 24 h at 25 °C. Our results show that the three oils successfully diffused and interacted with the cortical region of the hairs. Their impact on hair mechanical properties depends on the level of damage and humidity conditions. In virgin hair, coconut and avocado oil reinforce the hydrophobic barrier of the cellular membrane complex, preventing water from causing intense perturbation of the mechanical properties, leading to increased stiffness and break stress. Meanwhile, due to the high degree of unsaturation of its fatty acid chains, argan oil increases water absorption, resulting in losses in hair resistance. When bleached, the hydrophilicity of the hair fiber increases, determining more affinity for argan oil. Consequently, the affinity with water is also elevated, causing increased fragility to mechanical stress. The analyzed vegetable oils are not always beneficial for hair care. Their specific chemical characteristics and hair conditions will influence the final results and should be taken into consideration in hair care product development.

The promotion of natural beauty has empowered women with textured hair to embrace their natural hair texture and opt for bleaching as a means of style variation. However, bleaching exacerbates the inherent fragility of this hair type, necessitating treatments to partially restore its mechanical properties. Vegetable oils, renowned for their strengthening properties, were evaluated regarding (I) their ability to penetrate both virgin and bleached textured hair using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) analysis, and (II) their effects by way of tensile and fatigue tests. The MALDI–TOF results revealed groups of oil molecules in the cortical region of the bleached textured hair. The tensile test results, in turn, showed that the oil treatments were unable to alter the mechanical properties of the hair. Conversely, the fatigue test showed an increase in resistance in the virgin hair, most likely attributed to a lubrication effect in the outermost portions of the cortex and cuticles. In the bleached hair, a reduction in resistance was noted following the treatment with the oils. Comparative analysis with a previous study on straight hair by our group suggests that external molecules diffuse more homogeneously in straight hair than in textured hair. The unique cortical structure of textured hair creates two areas with distinct diffusion zones, resulting in the irregular distribution of external materials and different effects compared to straight hair.

Background/Objectives: Dysregulated lipolysis contributes to adipose tissue dysfunction in obesity. Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE) influences adipose metabolism, but its effects across adipose models remain unclear. We evaluated GbE effects on lipolytic activity in murine and human models. Methods: Differentiated 3T3-L1 and hWA A41 adipocytes, primary adipocytes from one individual with obesity, and human visceral adipose tissue explants from individuals with overweight or obesity were exposed to GbE (1.00 mg/mL, 48 h). Lipolytic activity was assessed by glycerol release. Plin1, Pnpla2, and Lipe expression, ATGL and pHSL abundance, and MTT-based metabolic activity were evaluated. Results: GbE increased basal glycerol release nearly fivefold in 3T3-L1 adipocytes (p = 0.0045) and by 26.3% in hWA A41 cells (p = 0.0007). GbE reduced Plin1 (p = 0.0182) and Lipe (p = 0.0027) expression, while Pnpla2 remained unchanged. In hWA A41 cells, pHSL increased (p = 0.0459), while ATGL was unchanged. MTT-based metabolic activity increased at 1.00 mg/mL but decreased at higher concentrations. A descriptive 35% reduction in glycerol release was observed in primary adipocytes from one donor. GbE reduced glycerol release by approximately 45% in visceral adipose tissue explants from individuals with obesity, with no significant change in overweight. Conclusions: GbE produced distinct effects across adipose models, increasing lipolytic activity in adipocyte cell lines while reducing glycerol release in visceral adipose tissue explants from individuals with obesity, with a directionally similar reduction descriptively observed in primary adipocytes. These preliminary findings warrant further mechanistic and in vivo studies.