No people have stronger hair than the Chinese, but even their formidable follicles may be no match for worsening pollution, says a French researcher.
Didier Saint-Leger, director of the L'Oreal Research Centre in China, said pollution oxidised hair and made it fragile.
'Pollution in most cases produces ozone, which is the strongest oxidizer of hair,' he said yesterday at a conference coinciding with an exhibition called 'Decoding the Hair', at the Science Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui.
'Chinese people used to retain their hair, losing much less than Caucasians. But I am told the situation is changing.'
Mr Saint-Leger said the hot oil treatments many people used to protect their hair made it absorb more dust and grease.
The best way to protect hair, he said, was to avoid pollution. It also helped to wash hair regularly.
