Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Jan 30;412(3-4):382-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2010.10.019. Epub 2010 Oct 27.

Effects of shampoo and water washing on hair cortisol concentrations

Amanda F Hamel  1 , Jerrold S Meyer, Elizabeth Henchey, Amanda M Dettmer, Stephen J Suomi, Melinda A Novak
Affiliations

Effects of shampoo and water washing on hair cortisol concentrations

Amanda F Hamel et al. Clin Chim Acta. .

Abstract

Background: Measurement of cortisol in hair is an emerging biomarker for chronic stress in human and nonhuman primates. Currently unknown, however, is the extent of potential cortisol loss from hair that has been repeatedly exposed to shampoo and/or water.

Methods: Pooled hair samples from 20 rhesus monkeys were subjected to five treatment conditions: 10, 20, or 30 shampoo washes, 20 water-only washes, or a no-wash control. For each wash, hair was exposed to a dilute shampoo solution or tap water for 45 s, rinsed 4 times with tap water, and rapidly dried. Samples were then processed for cortisol extraction and analysis using previously published methods.

Results: Hair cortisol levels were significantly reduced by washing, with an inverse relationship between number of shampoo washes and the cortisol concentration. This effect was mainly due to water exposure, as cortisol levels following 20 water-only washes were similar to those following 20 shampoo treatments.

Conclusions: Repeated exposure to water with or without shampoo appears to leach cortisol from hair, yielding values that underestimate the amount of chronic hormone deposition within the shaft. Collecting samples proximal to the scalp and obtaining hair washing frequency data may be valuable when conducting human hair cortisol studies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean (± SEM) hair cortisol content (pg/mg) across the four pools as a function of treatment condition: no-treatment control, 20 water-only washes, and 10, 20, or 30 shampoo washes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gow R, Thomson S, Rieder M, Van Uum SHM, Koren G. An assessment of cortisol analysis in hair and its clinical applications. Forensic Sci Int. 2010;196:32–37. - PubMed
    1. Sauvé B, Koren G, Walsh G, Tokmakejian S, Van Uum SHM. Measurement of cortisol in human hair as a biomarker of systemic exposure. Clin Invest Med. 2007;30:E183–E191. - PubMed
    1. Davenport MD, Tiefenbacher S, Lutz CK, Novak MA, Meyer JS. Analysis of endogenous cortisol concentrations in the hair of rhesus macaques. Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2006;147:255–261. - PubMed
    1. Davenport MD, Lutz CK, Tiefenbacher S, Novak MA, Meyer JS. A rhesus monkey model of self injury: effects of relocation stress on behavior and neuroendocrine function. Biol Psychiatry. 2008;63:990–996. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dettenborn L, Tietze A, Bruckner F, Kirschbaum C. Higher cortisol content in hair among long-term unemployed individuals compared to controls. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2010;35:1404–1409. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources