Within a hair’s breadth–forensic identification of single dyed hair strand now possible

EurekAlert  December 9, 2020
Researchers in Japan developed a strategy for identifying criminals from a single strand of hair, leveraging the fact that hair dyes are becoming increasingly common. Their approach involves finding out if two individual strands of hair belong to the same person based on the composition of hair dye products found on them. They used surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. SERS can easily detect the overall differences in composition between different types of hair dyes, such as permanent, semi-permanent, or natural dyes. However, it is not enough to distinguish between hair coloring products that contain or produce similar dyes. XRF analysis can detect the presence of metallic elements used in the ingredients of hair dye products. Using both techniques, the scientists were able to easily distinguish between five different dyes applied to individual strands of hog hair. Because both analytical methods used are almost non-destructive, the strategy proposed in this study could be used to quickly analyze hairs found in crime scenes on-site before they are sent for DNA analysis…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE

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