“Hair Needs of People Around the World”
Dr. Crystal Porter, Manager at L’Oreal Institute
for Ethnic Hair & Skin Research
Please join us for our monthly dinner and education program. Note that for the months of January through March we will be starting (and finishing!) one hour earlier, with social hour beginning at 4:30PM.
| Location: | Date: March 13, 2012 |
| The Copernicus Center and Theater | 4:15 pm CST: Board Meeting |
| 5216 West Lawrence Avenue, Chicago |
4:30 pm CST: Social Hour (Cash Bar) |
| Food catered by Vince’s |
5:30 pm CST: Speaker & Q&A |
| Italian on Harlem | 6:30 pm CST: Dinner |
The meeting is free. Dinner is $35 for Members, $45 for Non-Members, $20 for Emeritus and Retired Members. There will be a $10 no show fee.
Abstract
Hair needs of people around the world are driven by the diversity in physical attributes. Thus, it is necessary to understand inherent differences in hair from diverse populations that influence hair manipulation and behavior. Because of its geometry, curly hair, in particular, has unique challenges during grooming and there is a need to overcome these obstacles, while understanding the impact of given treatments or processes. This talk provides insight into the physical properties of curly hair as a function of curl and ethnicity to understand its differences compared to other hair types.
Curly hair samples that originated from Brazil, Ghana, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia and the United States were compared. The degree of curl in hair was determined using the L’Oreal classification method, break stress was measured using a miniature tensile tester, and cross sectional area and ellipticity were assessed using a laser scanning micrometer. Two-way ANOVA was used to determine the relationship between all of the variables.
Results showed that both the degree of curl and ethnicity influence differences in the physical properties of hair. In addition, when hair from different ethnicities with the same degree of curl is compared, the influence of geometry is reduced and properties are more driven by ethnicity. These results show that specific hair characteristics in both curl and ethnicity must be considered when addressing the needs of consumers.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Crystal Porter has been a hair scientist at the L’Oréal Institute for Ethnic Hair & Skin Research for nine years. As manager, she oversees the Physics Laboratory and Consumer Insights team to study the biophysical characteristics of hair and pigmented skin within different ethnic groups and to understand behaviors that are related to those inherent properties. She shares knowledge that she obtains to fellow scientists and consumers at both national and international venues. She’s also contributed to L’Oreal’s global classification of curl in hair and has authored numerous papers, presentations and book chapters on hair straightening and ethnic hair.
Dr. Porter received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Chicago State University. During her undergraduate studies she participated in internship programs at Argonne National Laboratory where she studied chronobiology and researched NMR shift reagents at Rochester Institute of Technology. Her doctorate was received in the area of physical polymer chemistry from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. During her graduate studies she thermally characterized polymer thin films using modulated differential scanning calorimetry and studied the mechanical behavior of polymer composites. She also patented a skin cream and was inducted into the scientific research honor society, Sigma Xi. Dr. Porter began her career in cosmetic chemistry at Unilever in the year 2000. While there, she was part of a measurement science group and conducted research for aid-to-formulation.
Dr. Porter is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Within Delta, she’s on the Educational Development Committee for the Glen Ellyn Area Alumnae Chapter and has served as Chair of Sciences and Everyday Experiences, an informal science education project funded by the National Science Foundation, since 2007. Her commitment to philanthropy is further exemplified as a member of the Board of Directors for C.H.A.R.M. which is a not-for-profit outreach and mentoring organization. Dr. Porter’s personal passion is educating and mentoring underrepresented youth about opportunities in the field of science. In addition, she actively initiates efforts within Chicagoland schools and the general public to close the academic achievement gap that exists among Black students.
Location and Menu
The Copernicus Theater History:
For over 50 years, the Gateway Theater (now Copernicus Theater) was the direct-from-the-Loop flagship theater for the prolific Balaban & Katz movie theater chain. For decades, images of such Hollywood stars as Astaire and Rogers, Hepburn and Tracy, Bacall and Bogart, Greta Garbo and Betty Davis, James Stewart, Cary Grant and John Wayne, and hundreds of others graced the screen of the Gateway. The theatre had perhaps its wildest days in 1973 when 45,000 patrons packed the old place weekly for an extended run of The Exorcist.
In 1985, the Copernicus Foundation took over the administration of the theatre, opened its doors to the Polish American and other ethnic communities, as well as Jefferson Park civic organizations.
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MENU: (family style)
Antipasto Tray during cocktail hour
Bottle of Wine on each table
House Italian Salad
Focaccia and Bruschetta breads
Steak Milanese
Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce
Vegetables
Italian Cookies
A vegetarian alternative is available. Please notify Lisa Hilson before the event at Lisa@Thhilson.com
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