FORENSIC ANALYSIS OF HAIR

ASWATHY AJAYAN
HUMAN HAIR  HAIR FORM
MACROSCOPIC  DEGREE OF HAIR CURL
CHARACTERIS  SHAFT LENGTH
TICS
  General appearance of the hair with regard to curl
 Terms-
 Straight – hair with no curvature /hair has that curvature less than that of
circle having a diameter of greater than 80 cm
 Curved-hair that has a slight curvature but does not exhibit waviness or does
not curl back upon itself to form a circle when the hair is placed on a flat
surface
 Wavy- hair that has curvature that changes its direction to produce a sinuous
Hair Form wave form and does not curve back upon itself to form circle like figures
when placed on a flat surface
 Curly hair- hair that curls back upon itself to form circles or circle like forms
when placed on a flat surface
 Loose curl- hair that forms circle like figures with a degree of curl from 04-06
cm
 Tight curl - hair that forms circle like figures with a degree of curl from 07-09
cm
Degree of Hair  Natural Straight hairs

Curl  Naturally Curly hairs

  The Shaft length is defined as the entire length of the hair, and
it is expressed in centimeters

 The shaft length is determined by manually straightening the

hair next to a ruler
Shaft Length
 The shaft length may be an important characteristic if the hairs
from a known source and the questioned hairs are collected
within a short time frame
HUMAN HAIR
MICROSCOPIC  Cuticle – consist of overlapping scales with cover the hair shaft
CHARACTERI  Medulla – canal of air or liquid filled cells in the center of the
STICS cortex
 Cortex – main body of the hair which consists of keratinized
fibers oriented parallel to the long axis of the hair and which
contains a number of inclusions that are outlined
  Colour of the hair depends on the pigment present , the surface
transparency and the reflectivity of the hair
 Pigments Melanin (Brown pigment)

Colour Phaeomelanin (Red pigment)

  Refers to the abundance of pigment granules observed using
light microscopy
 The density of pigment granules appears to be highly correlated
with microscopic hair colour and therefore may represent
redundant hair characteristics in the context of hair comparison
 Variates :-
Pigment a. Absent

Density b. Light
c. Light to Medium
d. Medium to Heavy
e. Heavy to opaque
f. Opaque
  Refers to the size of the individual melanin pigment granules
 Variates
Pigment  Absent/Obscured
Granule size  Fine
 Coarse
  Refers to the distribution and concentration of the pigment
granules in various areas of the hair shaft

 Variates
 Absent
Pigment  Uniform

Distribution  Peripheral
 One-sided
 Central
 Random
 other
  Refers to the appearance of the pigment granules when they are
concentrated in a mass that has a recognizable form

Pigment  Variates
 Absent/ No aggregates
Aggregate  Streaked
Shape  Clumped
 Other
  Refers to the size of the aggregates
 Variates
 Absent/ No aggregates
 Small Streaks
 Large Streaks
Pigment  Medium Streaks
Aggregate Size  Small Clumps
 Medium Clumps
 Large Clumps
 Other
  Refers to the nature of opaque and translucent forms of the
Medulla medulla form the proximal end o the distal end of the hair shaft

Continuity  The Medulla form in human hair can be described as

amorphous
  Absent
 Continuous
Continuity  Interrupted
Patterns  Fragmentary
 Combinations
  Appearance of the medulla as viewed with transmitted light
compound light microscope
 Variates
Medulla  Absent

Opacity  Opaque
 Translucent
 Opaque/Translucent
  Cuticle – layer of overlapping scales that forms the outer layer
of the hair
 The variates for cuticle thickness ae based on measurement and
Cuticle include the terms Thin, Thick, Varies and Not apparent
Thickness  Measurement of the cuticle should be performed at the
maximum shaft diameter and is determined by measurement
with an ocular micrometer calibrated with a stage micrometer
  Refers to the border between the cuticle and the cortex
Inner Cuticle  The variates of the inner cuticle margin consist of Indistinct,
Margin Distinct, and varies as viewed Longitudinally
  Refers to the pattern of the outermost edge of cuticle jutting
from the hair surface when the hair is viewed in the
longitudinal mount
 The condition of the cuticle profile can be natural or the result
of environmental factors

Outer Cuticle Variates-

Scale Profile  Smooth

 Serrated
 Ragged
 Looped
 Other
  Refers to the condition of the scales on the surface of the

Cuticle Surface cuticle as seen in a longitudinal air mount or in a scale cast

 Variates – Damaged / Normal
  The Variates for pigment in cuticle include Present or Absent
 The presence of melanin pigment granules in the cuticle
Pigment in appears to be correlated with pigment density
cuticle  The presence of pigment in the cuticle is more commonly
observed in heavily pigmented hairs
  Refers to the appearance of the cortex as viewed in a
longitudinal mount
 Variates
Cortical Texture  Absent
 Present
 Obscured
  The Cortical fusi are small, fusiform (spindle –shaped) bodies
that lie between the cortical cells of the cortex
 They are commonly found in the hair root and immediate
proximal portion of hair shaft
 Variates
 Absent
Cortical Fusi  Root Only
 Rare
 Common
 Profuse
 Obscured
  Ovoid bodies exist in the hair cortex and are aggregations of
pigment that can have a spheroidal or oblong shape

Ovoid bodies  Ovoid bodies can range in a diameter from 3 to 20μm

 Variates – Absent, Few, many, and obscured
  The Characteristic variates of the hair root growth stages
represent the growth stage of the hair at the time of its removal
or loss from the body and include
 Absent
Root Growth  Anagen (active growth phase)
Stage  Catagen ( transitional phase between anagen and telogen
phases)
 Telogen ( terminal stage prior to the hair falling out of the hair
follicle)
  The characteristic variates of the distal hair tip may relate to the grooming
history of the hair and include:
 Natural Taper,
 Rounded Taper
 Square cut/Straight Edge
 Angled Cut/Straight Edge

Distal Tip  Square cut/Rounded Edge

Angled cut/rounded Edge
Characteristics  Split
 Frayed
 Crushed
 Singed
 Broken
 other
  The maximum shaft diameter of the hair shaft is determined by
measurement with an ocular micrometer calibrated with a stage
micrometer
Maximum  The maximum Shaft Diameter is the widest diameter along the
Shaft Diameter shaft axis (when scanning from root to tip) and the widest
cross- sectional diameter
 Variates – fine, Medium and coarse
  Refers to a departure from the “normal” hair, shaft, which
usually has a relatively uniform diameter from the root to an
area near the tip and has a relatively smooth exterior without
abrupt changes as seen in the longitudinal mount
 Variates –
 Normal
Shaft  Buckling
Aberration  Shouldering
 Splitting
 Undulating
 Convoluting
  Variates
 Absent/Not Apparent
 Dyed

Hair Treatments  Bleached

 Permed
 Combination
Thank You
The macroscopic traits that can be
observed in the hair are-
 ●       Colour- White, blonde, red, brown, black, and other.
 ●       Hair form- Straight, curved, waved, curled, kinked.
 ●       Diameter- fine, medium, coarse, variations.
 ●       Length
The microscopic traits that can be
observed in the hair are-
 ●       Colour- Natural/treated
 ●       Pigmentation- distribution, Aggregation (density, size), granule (colour, size,
shape, density)
 ●       Structure- diameter, artificial treatments, shape (cross-section, configurations),
acquired hair (root shaft [cortex, cuticle, medulla], Tip), diseases
DETERMINATION OF RACE
 
Race Diameter Cross-section Pigment Cuticle Undulation
(waviness)
African 69-90 μm Flat Dense, Very thick Prevalent
clumped
European 70-100 μm Oval Evenly Medium Uncommon
distributed

Asian 90-120 μm Round Dense Thick Never

Auburn
 HUMAN AND ANIMAL HAIR
Characteristic Human Hair Animal Hair
Pigment pattern Denser toward the cuticle Central or denser toward the medulla. Often found
in solid masses called ovoid bodies.

Colour Usually one colour along the length Abrupt colour change in banded patterns.

Medulla Small, discontinuous Larger, continuous

Medullary index 0.33 or less 0.5 or greater

Cuticle Flat, narrow, uneven -Coronal cuticle (rodents, bats)

-Spinous (Cats, seals)

Scales Imbricate Coronal, Ring form

BODY AREA DETERMINATION
Area Diameter Shaft Shift
Head Even Straight or curly; some waviness; may Usually cut
be very long

Pubic Varies Buckling; sometimes extreme waviness Usually pointed; may be razor cut
or curls

Facial Wide; even Triangular in cross-section; some Usually cut; may be scissors or razor
shouldering cut.

Chest Even to some variation Wavy to curly; some can be straight Usually pointed

Axillary Even, some variation Less wavy/ curlier than chest hair Usually pointed; maybe colorless

Limb Fine; tapering Slight arc Usually pointed

Eyebrow/ Eyelash Tapering Arc; short pointed

EXAMINATION OF HAIR
 Temporary mount– A temporary mount of the hair sample is made on a clean slide using distilled water or
glycerin solution. It is covered with a coverslip and the morphological structures of the hair are observed
under a microscope.
 Scale Casting-
 Permanent mount- The hair sample is placed on a clean slide in a drop of xylene and a few drops of the
permanent mounting medium are added. A cover-slip is placed, the slide is labeled appropriately, and is
allowed to dry for 48 hours.
 Cross sectioning- The hair sample is placed in a solution of ether and ethanol in the ratio 1:1. The samples
are bundled and dipped in a block of molten wax and is then allowed to cool. Cross-sections can either be
taken using a sharp blade or with a microtone to a thickness of 5-10 microns. These sections are placed on a
clean slide and the wax is dissolved with a drop of xylene. A permanent mount of the sections is prepared
and then examined under a microscope. The cross-section of straight hair is fairly circular and gets
increasingly oval for wavy and curly hair.
 Micrometry- Various lengths, distances, and indexes can be calculated with the help of a micrometer.
SCALE CASTING-
 Cellulose Acetate method- A thin layer of cellulose acetate paste that has low viscosity is
placed on a clean microscopic slide. Using forceps, the hair is placed onto the paste and
is pressed with another clean slide. It is allowed to dry for 2-5 minutes and the scales of the
hair can be microscopically observed.
  Polaroid Coater Method- The hair sample is placed on a clean microscopic slide and the
ends of the strand are secured with cellophane tape. A polaroid film coater is applied 2-3 times
along the length of the hair. This coating is allowed to dry for 23-24 hours. After the
cellophane tape is removed, the hair is gently peeled from the slide. The excess coating that
protrudes above the flat surface of the cast is sliced away with the aid of a sharp scalpel. Now,
the impressions of the scales can be microscopically observed.