Forensic analysis of chemically treated hair using microscopic technique Fatima Sana1, Verma Priyanka2,* 1M.Sc. Forensic Science Student, Department of Forensic Science, Chandigarh University, Chandigarh 2Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Science, Chandigarh University, Chandigarh *Corresponding Author: Dr. Priyanka Verma, Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Science, Chandigarh University, Chandigarh, E-mail: priyanka.pharma@cumail.in Contact : +91-
Online published on 19 December, 2023. Abstract Introduction Hair is the most frequent type of evidence found on the crime scene and plays a vital role in criminal investigation. The presence of hair on the scene of crime confirms the presence of the victim or the suspect on the crime scene. Hair examination can provide various information such as race, age, gender, color, disease, treatment or any damage to the hair. Microscopic examination provides information about the hair such as species, ethnicity, its color, area of the origin from the body, whether plucked forcibly or shed hairs and any modifications caused due to the result of cosmetic application. The study aimed to observe the physical and microscopic changes between normal hairs and treated hair samples with different hair dyes within a span of 20 days. Materials and Methods Hair samples were treated with black, brown and burgundy colour dyes of Garnier, Godrej Expert Rich and Streax brands and analyzed under phase-contrast microscope. Results and Conclusions In this study, it was noted that most of the dyes from the hair were washed away in single washing with shampoo. However, Streax Black and Godrej Brown were not effected in single wash with shampoo. Lastly, it is observed that black hair dye remained even after washing with shampoo. Such study can aid us in criminal investigation in the case of presence of dyed hair as evidence on the crime scene. Top Keywords Hair, Dyed Hair, Forensic Investigation, Hair Dye, Cuticle, Medulla, Hair Damage, Phase-Contrast Microscope, Microscopic Comparison. Top |