Processing (waving lotion) is applied to break ____________ bones.

Processing (waving lotion) is applied to break ____________ bones.

• A. Disulfide
• B. Hydrogen
• C. Covalent
• D. Ionic

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that processing (waving lotion) breaks the hair’s disulfide bonds in the cortex. Those bonds link sulfur atoms between cysteine units in keratin and hold the hair’s natural shape. The reducing agent in waving lotion cleaves these S–S bonds, allowing the hair to be reshaped around perm rods. After the wrap, the neutralizer restores the bonds in the new configuration, fixing the curl. Hydrogen bonds and ionic (salt) bonds are weaker and mainly influence temporary changes with moisture and pH, not the main bonds targeted by waving lotion. While disulfide bonds are a type of covalent bond, the specific bond being broken here is disulfide.

The key idea is that processing (waving lotion) breaks the hair’s disulfide bonds in the cortex. Those bonds link sulfur atoms between cysteine units in keratin and hold the hair’s natural shape. The reducing agent in waving lotion cleaves these S–S bonds, allowing the hair to be reshaped around perm rods. After the wrap, the neutralizer restores the bonds in the new configuration, fixing the curl. Hydrogen bonds and ionic (salt) bonds are weaker and mainly influence temporary changes with moisture and pH, not the main bonds targeted by waving lotion. While disulfide bonds are a type of covalent bond, the specific bond being broken here is disulfide.