Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I'm stuck on choosing a question & trying to formulate another question. Both questions are about the same thing. The question I did manage to form is:
How does chemically bleaching hair affect its structure?
I could get swatches of hair and bleach one and keep the other one unbleached to see what changes the hair underwent besides a color change.
But more recently I had this amazing idea:
What if I bought like 3 different brands of hair bleaching product and tested each one on a swatch of hair to see which brand caused the most damage to the hair? I could keep the time of bleaching and the brand and type of hair the same. My question is which option sounds the best, and how could I formulate option 2 into a question using an "If....., then...." statement? THNAKS IN ADVANCE!!!!! ♥

Interesting topic! It would be preferable to choose the experiment comparing the effects of three different brands because you may already be aware that bleaching can cause harm to hair by making it drier, thinner, and weaker than unbleached hair. (Sometimes bleached hair may feel like cotton, and not hair, in extreme cases!)

You should keep in mind that bleaching can have varying effects. Needless to say, this is because each person is different, with different colored hair. For instance, the darker hair is, the more time needed to keep the bleach on, which can cause even more damage. Do some reading on the effects of bleaching. This site is particularly helpful: http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/g ... n99504.htm, as it delves into the chemistry of bleaching, which can give you some information for your hypothesis.

As for your experimental setup, be careful distinguishing the question and the hypothesis. The question would be something along the lines of "Which bleaching product has the most adverse effects on the quality/texture of hair?" The hypothesis, not the question, is put in the "if... , then" form. It appears that you know your question very well, so research the three brands that you will be using. Has one shown more harmful effects than the other two? How exactly? Write everything you find down and create your hypothesis, which should be backed by your research. This experiment seems like it would have more qualitative than quantitative results, so keep that in mind, as well.

If you have any further questions, please ask! Also, when doing your experiment, be careful with the bleaching products! Read the instructions on the bottles and handle them with caution.