Hair and Textile Fiber

Hair examination is one of the oldest forms of physical evidence. Its use is older than
fingerprints. It is valuable because the hair of each kind of animal is different and distinct
for all others. Like fiber it is mostly likely to be involved in contact between the victim and
the suspect. Most crimes cause contact between one person and another and there may be
transfer of fibers and hairs from the victim to the criminal and vice – versa. The successful
investigation of crimes of violence such as rape, murder, assault, kidnapping, hit and run,
etc. are frequently materially assisted by the result of the examination of the hairs and fibers.
Hairs are very resistant to decomposition and putrefaction thus they often remain as a means
of identification long after others such as facial and fingerprints have been destroyed.

The work of Glaister Hussman and others has made relatively simple and quite
positive the identification of hair as to species. In the negative sense human hair may often
be definitely shown not have come from a particular individual. The obvious difference in
color, length and texture can distinguish one hair from another and served to eliminate a
suspect. The use of hair as means of positive identification is more uncertain and indeed
no expert in his right mind/senses will venture to give a definite statement as to individual
origin of hair.

History of Hair Examination

1847 First used as physical evidence.

1897 Rudolph Virchow become the first person to do an in depth study of hair.

1906 Hugo Marx wrote a paper on the use of hair in forensic investigation to determine
identity.
1931 Dr. Paul Kirk works on new ways to improve the use of hair in forensic investigations.

A. Collection, Packing and Preservation of Hair

a. Collection of Specimen
1. Complete search at the crime scene must be done. Use vacuum cleaner.
2. All of the hair in the questioned specimens should be submitted but do not mix hairs at
different places.
3. Search for and collection of hair evidence should begin as soon as possible. Hair evidence
is easily transferred to and from the crime scene.
4. Collection should be done by:
a. Hand if the location of the hair is important
b. Lint rollers
c. Special filtered vacuum cleaner – collect hairs and fibers in mass from carpet,
bedding, etc.
(Take Note: If the evidence is stick to another object, the entire object should be packaged and
labeled)
(Take Note: If lint rollers are used, the entire surface used should be packed into a
polyethylene storage bag)
5. In vicious assault and murder cases, obtain the clothing of the victim from the hospital or
morgue to avoid the loss of evidence by careless handling and to prevent the clothing from
being destroyed.
6. Representative samples of hair from the victim as well as the suspect should be obtained if
possible. To be a representative head hair samples from a particular individual it should consist
of at least a dozen hairs from different areas of the scalp and preferably full – length hair. Take
from all pertinent regions of the body:
a. 50 head hairs
b. 24 pubic hairs
(Take Note: Root still intact is preferable)
7. Don’t mix known samples of hair from different parts of the body.
8. Hair evidence should be looked for in the following: clothing, combs, weapons, pockets,
fingers, hat and etc.
9. Get samples from both victim and suspect (Dead body: Head hair and pubic hair). It should
be taken before it is buried.
10.Best way to collect hair is by combing.
 b. Packing of Specimen
1. Hair evidence should be packaged into paper packets.
2. The hairs should be placed in a folded paper or in a white mailing envelope, but the corners
of the envelope should be sealed with scotch tape.
3. Do not secure the hair samples to a piece of paper with scotch because this will damage
the hair.
4. All foreign fibrous debris should be removed from the submitted specimen.
5. Fragmentary hairs or underdeveloped hairs are not suitable for examination.
6. Areas on an object containing hairs should be protected with cellophane or paper taped
over the area before wrapping the object from transmittal to laboratory.
c. Preservation of Specimen
1. Methods of packing hair: Pill box or test tube.
2. Questioned specimen’s druggist powder papers.
3. Properly folded, sealed and labeled.
4. Big envelope containing all the papers with hair and fibers

B. Hair – This refers to a specialized e epithelial outgrowth of the skin which occur everywhere on the
human body except on the palm of the hands and the sole of the feet. It is an appendage of the
skin. Hair is not completely round but may be oval or flattened. Its width is not always the
same along its length. It starts out pointed and narrow and then strays or less the same.
a. Two Kinds of Hair (among mammals including human being)
1. Real Hair – This refers generally to long and stiff hair.
2. Fuzz Hair – This refers generally to short, fine at times curly and wooly hair.
b. Parts of the Hair
1. Root – This refers to portion of embedded in the skin.
2. Shaft – This refers to portion above the surface of the skin. It is the most distinctive part of the
hair.
3. Tip – This refers to distal end of an uncut hair shaft. It is refers sometimes to point.

(Source: Paawanee, 2016)

C. The Human Hair

Parts of the Shaft

1. Cuticle – This refers to the outermost covering of the hair. It is consists of one layer of
non – nucleated polygonal cells which overlaps like the scales on fish.
2. Cortex – This refers to the intermediate and the thickest layer of the shaft and is
compose of elongated, spindle shaped fibrils which cohere. They contain pigment granules in
varying proportion depending on the type of the hair.
3. Medulla or Core – This refers to the central canal of the hair that may be empty or
may contain various sorts of cells more or less pigmented and begins more or less near the root

(Source: Kleffner, 2018)

 Certain hair has medulla. Therefore hair can be classified into two categories namely:
1. Hair without medulla
2. Hair with medulla
Medulla can be interrupted, continuous, fragmented, solid or none/absent.

(Source: Bradford, 2016)

D. Microscopic Examination of Human Hair

Before performing the examination take note of any foreign material on the hair
and should be identified if present in sufficient quantity. Hair should be cleaned with a
mixture of equal parts of alcohol and ether.
1. Color – This can be examine using the naked eye or under the microscope.
Melanin – This refers to the brownish – black pigment in the hair, skin, etc. It
is the chemical responsible for the color of the hair. Black and brown hair differs only on
the amount of melanin. Red hair is thought to be due to iron.
2. Length by Actual Measurement
3. Character of the Hair – whether stiff, wiry or soft
4. Width Breath
5. Character of the Hair Tip if present – Tip of the hair may show whether a hair has
been cut. Tips of body hair become rounded from rubbing against the cloths. Hair of
human usually shows a fine tip. Men’s hair tip is apt to be cutoff square.

Split Ends

(Source: The Editors,

2016)

6. Manners by which Hair had been cut

 (Source: Texas Education Agency, 2011)

7. Condition of Root or Base or Bulb of Hair

(Source: Hikmet, 2019)

The roots do not five much information as to the origin of the hair. Very often the root is missing on
hair found on cloth at the scene of the crime, on weapon, etc. The examination of the root will only
give clue as to whether the hairs have been pulled away by force or have fallen out spontaneously
and there are three possibilities:
a. All hairs have roots – in this case they have not fallen out themselves but have been
pulled away by force.
b. All hairs have dry roots – in this case they have most certainly fallen out themselves.
c. Some hairs have living and some dry roots – in this case they have been pulled away
by force, the living hairs with dry ones.
8. Character of Cuticle – The size, the general shape and the irregularity of the scales are
observed.
9. Character of Cortex – Structural features is studied under the microscope. Cortex is
embedded with the pigment granules that impart hair with color. It is the color, shape and
distribution of these granules that provides the criminalist with important points of comparison
between the hairs of the different individuals.
10. Presence of Dye in Hair – Dyed hair can be distinguished from natural hair. Under the
microscope dyed hair has a dull appearance and the color tone is constant, whereas natural is
not and the individual pigment granules stand more shapely. If there has been subsequent
growth of the hair since dyeing, the undyed root end portion will stand out markedly. Bleached
hairs have a rough appearance, are more uniform in shade and contain less pigment depending
on the amount of bleaching. Dye absorption and chemical tests have been developed for the
detection of bleached hair.
11. Determination of whether Naturally or Artificially Curled
12. Character of Medulla
Medulla – This refers to the innermost layer of your hair. It consists of a soft, thin core
of transparent cells and air spaces (Kingsley, 2016). The medulla and cortex is the most
characteristic portion of the hair. It has more distinguishing quantities, thus cortex and medulla
yields the most reliable criteria in the diagnosis of hair. Medulla or core or the central canal of
the hair can be continuous or interrupted. It is continuous in large number of animals, very
often interrupted in human, monkey and horses.

Medulla’s diameter can be absolutely constant. At times alternately narrow and broader.
The diameter of the medulla is of very little importance but the relationship between the
diameter of the medulla and the diameter of the whole hair is the great importance.
 (Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2004

E. Medullary Index (M.I.) – This refers to the relationship between the diameter of the
medulla and the diameter of the whole hair usually expressed in fraction. Its determination
is performed under a microscope provided with micrometer eyepiece.
1. Hair with narrow medulla (less than 0.5) belongs to human and certain
monkey hair.
2. Hair with medulla (approximately 0.5) belongs to hair of cow, horse and others.
3. Hair with thick medulla (greater than 0.5) almost all animals belongs to this.
Based on the medulla examination it can be determined whether hair is human or
animal origin. The medulla is usually narrower in width in human hair when present. It has
finer and more numerous cross striations. Animal hairs usually consist of both heavy guard
hair and finer fur hair whereas human hair does not.

A comparison of the medullary index of the hair from the different parts of the
body between man and woman is given on the table below:
Body Parts Man Woman
Neck 0.115 0.163
Forehead 0.132 0.148
Eyebrows 0.236 0.233
Eyelashes 0.095 0.146
Beard 0.260 -
Genitals 0.153 0.114
Armpits 0.102 0.179

Comparison between Human and Animal Hair

Human
1. Medullary index is less than 0.5
2. Medulla may not be present
3. Scale pattern is fine and each
one overlaps the other more than
4. Pigment granuls are fine
Animal
1. Medullary index is more than 0.5
2. Medulla always present
3. Scale is coarse and overlaps less
than ½
4. Pigment granules are course

F. Other Aspects of Hair Examination

1. Determination of characteristics by race
In most instances it can be determined whether a human hair came from Negroid,
Mongoloid or Caucasian race.

a. Negroid Race Hair:

1. Contain heavy pigment distributed unevenly
2. A thin cross section
3. Hair is usually kinky with marked variation in the diameter along the shaft

(Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2004)

 b. Mongoloid Race Hair:
1. Hair contains dense pigment distributed more evenly than Negroid race hair.
2. Cross section of the hair will be round to oval in shape.
3. Hair is coarse and straight with very little variation in diameter along the shaft of
the hair.
4. Usually contains a heavy black medulla or core.

(Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2004)

c. Caucasian Race Hair:

1. Hair contains very fine to coarse pigment and more evenly distributed than is found in
Negro or Mongolian.
2. Cross section will be oval to round in shape
3. Usually straight or wavy and not kinky

(Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2004)

2. Determination of characteristics by sex

Sex cannot be definitely determined from a hair examination. Male hair is generally larger
in diameter, shorter in length, more wiry in texture than that of a female. Male hair average
approximately 1/350 of an inch in diameter.
Female hair averages approximately 1/450 of an inch in diameter.
If a hair is as much as six inches in length and has a split end, these are good
indications that the hair is from a female, though not a positive proof.
Pinning, curling, brushing and combing the hair will cause the tip ends to split. Most males
have their haircut often enough to prevent having head hair with split tip ends.

3. Determination of the region from which the human hair has been removes
The region of the body from which the human hair has been removed can be determined
with considerable accuracy that is through length, size, color, stiffness, curliness and general
gross appearance.
a. Scalp Hair – They are more mature than any other kind of human hair.
b. Beard Hair – Coarse, curve, very stiff and often triangular in cross section.
 c. Moustache – Usually triangular in shape and very stiff.
d. Hairs from eyebrows, eyelid, nose and ear – short stubby and have wide medulla.
Eyebrow and eyelashes are usually very short and has a sharp tip.
e. Trunk Hair – Vary in thickness along the shaft and are immature but are somewhat
similar to head hairs. They have fine, long tip ends.
f. Limb Hair – Similar trunk hairs but usually are not so long or so coarse and usually
contain less pigment.
g. Axillary Hair – Fairly long with unevenly distributed pigment. They vary considerably in
diameter along the shaft and have frequently a bleached appearance. It has an irregular
shape and structure. Looks like pubic hair but the ends are sharper and the hair is not so
curly.
h. Pubic Hair – Similar to axillary hairs but are coarser and do not appear bleached.
Wirier, have more constriction and twists and usually have continuous broad medulla.
Have many broken end because the clothing rubs off against it.
4. Determination of the approximate age of individual
The approximate age of an individual cannot be determined from hair examination with
any degree of certainty except in infant hairs. Infant hairs are fine, short in length, have the fine
pigment and are rudimentary in character.
Children’s hair through adolescence is generally finer and more immature than adult hair
but cannot be definitely differentiated with certainty.
If it is noted that pigment is missing or starting to disappear in the hair, it can be stated
that the hair is from adult. It is common for a relatively young person to have prematurely gray
or white head hair but not body hairs. The root end of hair from an aged person may show a
distinctive degeneration.

G. Hair Microscopy
a. Light Microscopy
a. Identification of questioned hair
b. Comparison of questioned and known hair
b. Comparison Microscope
Link the suspect to a crime scene. Control hairs match that of the suspect. Exclude the
suspect from a crime scene, meaning that a control hair does not match the evidential hair.
c. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
Determine the species, race, and somatic origin of a hair. In addition:
a. DNA on the follicular tag
b. Drug Test – to test and determine whether a drug was used.
1. A drug that is ingested enters the blood stream and is broken down to a specific metabolite.
2. Hair strands normally grow at an average rate of 1.3 centimeters every month; they absorb
metabolized drugs that are fed to the hair follicle through the blood stream.
3. Drug will only disappear if exposure to the drug is ceased, and the hair containing the drug is
cut.
4. Hair analysis can be used for the detection of many therapeutic drugs and recreational drugs,
including cocaine, heroin, benzodiazepines (Valium – type drugs) and amphetamines.
a. Two Assays Used in Forensic: Radioimmunoassay (RIA) and Enzyme – Linked
Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
b. DNA Analysis – it can be extracted from the root or follicular tag of on anagenic hair. Nuclear
DNA (nDNA) comes from both parents that lead to individualization. Mitochondrial DNA
(mtDNA) passed only from mother to offspring.
c. Environmental toxins – Microscopic appearance is affected by natural biological fluctuations
and environmental influences. Pubic hairs are less influenced. Several years may not severely
impact on meaningful pubic hair comparisons.
 Textile Fibers

In general and broad sense the word “textile” is derived from the Latin word “textillis” and the French “textere”, to
weave, hence fiber means that can be converted into yarn. A yarn consists of fibers or filaments that have been
twisted together.

(Source: ISO, 2012)

Test for Textile Fibers

1. Burning or Ignition Test – It is a preliminary macroscopic examination. A test that determines

whether fiber is mineral, animal or vegatble fiber. Procedure:
A single fiber is applied with flame at one end and the following are noted:
a. Manner of burning
b. Odor of fumes
c. Appearance of burnt end
d. Color of ash
e. Action of fumes on moisten red and blue litmus paper
f. Effect of litmus on a piece of filter paper moistened with lead acetate

For animal’s fibers – fibers smolders or burn slowly and give odor like that of burning
feather. When removed from the flame they do not continue to burn readily and a charred bead
remains at the end of the fiber. Fumes turn red litmus blue.
Wool – odor strong, disagreeable; fumes turn lead acetate paper black or brown.
Silk – odor not so pungent, fumes have no effect on lead acetate paper.
For vegetable fibers – fibers burn rapidly with a flame and give off but little smoke or
fumes. Charred bead not present when fiber is removed from the flame. Fumes turn blue litmus
red.
2. Fluorescent Test – Frequently used to determine the general group to which a fiber belongs. It is not
reliable for positive identification of fibers. In general, the vegetables fibers exhibit a yellow
fluorescence in ultra – violet light, whereas the animal fibers show bluish fluorescence.
The fluorescence of some common fibers is given in the following table as obtained by Noptisch
and given by Mr. O’neil:

Material Color under Daylight Color

Ultraviolet
1. Unbleached Wool Bright Light Blue Light yellow
2. Bleached Wool Bluish – white to White
bluish yellow
3. Bleached Cotton Light – yellow White
4. Mercerized Cotton Light – yellow White
5. Bleached Linen Brilliant yellowish – White
white
6. Cuprate Silk Reddish white with Brownish – white
blue – violet shadow
7. Viscose Silk Sulfur yellow with blue Brownish – white
shadow
8. Nitro Silk Brilliant flesh yellow Yellowish
9. Acetate Silk Bluish violet White
10. Natural Silk Very bright light blue, much White
brighter and whiter than acetate
silk

1. Microscopic Examination – In general, it is the most reliable and best means identifying
fiber. The fiber is placed on a glass slide, teased and covered.
The following are the characteristics of common textile fibers:
a. Cotton – Unicellular filament, flat, ribbon – like, twisted spirally to right or left on its axis,
central canal or lumen broad uniform in diameter; cell wall thick, covered by a thin,
structureless, waxy cuticle. Fiber tapers gradually to a blunt or rounded point at one end.
b. Mercerized Cotton – Straight, cylindrical, with occasional twists; evenly lustrous, smooth
except for occasional transverse folds or wrinkles. Cuticle mostly lacking, lumen irregular in
width.
c. Linen – Multicellular filament, straight and cylindrical, not twisted and flattened, tapering
to a sharp point. Cell wall thick, the lumen appearing as a narrow dark line in the center of the
fiber. Filament marked by transverse lines at intervals causing fiber to appear jointed,
resembling bamboo. Cross lines frequently interest appearing like the letter x.
d. Cultivated Silk – Smooth, cylindrical, lustrous threads, usually single but often double, the
twin – filaments held together by an envelope of gum. More or less transparent, without
definite structure.
e. Wild Silk – Similar to cultivated silk but broader and less regular in outline. Marked by
very fine longitudinal striations with infrequent diagonal cross – markings.
f. Artificial Silk – Cylindrical, lustrous, appearing like a glass rod. Microchemical
reactions, dissolved rapidly by half saturated chromic acid; not colored by Millon’s
reagent as in case of true silk.
g. Wool – Easily distinguished by presence of flattened, over lapping epidermal scales not found on
silk or any of the vegetable fibers. Fiber many – celled, cylindrical; shaft composed of three layers;
central core or medulla (seldom seen), c ortex and scaly cuticle.
 (Source: The Crown in Right of Tasmania, the Department of Education, n.d.)
2. Chemical Analysis of Fibers – If the sample submitted for analysis is fairly large, such as a
piece of cloth or a number or large threads, it is suggested that a chemical analysis be made to
supplement the microscopic examination and confirm the results obtained form that procedure.

a. Staining Test – The fiber is stained with picric acid, Millon’s reagent, stannic chloride or
iodine solution.
Test Result
Picric acid + silk Dyed
Picric acid + wool Dyed
Picric acid + cellulosic fibers Unchanged
Millon’s reagent + silk Brown
Millon’s reagent + wool Brown
Millon’s reagent + cellulosic No reaction
reagent
Stannic chloride + cellulose Black

b. Dissolution Test – If the fiber is white or light colored it is treated with the following
chemicals. If dyed, the fiber is first decolorized by boiling in ether 1% hydrochloric acid,
acetic acid or dilute potassium hydroxide.
Reagents:
1. 10% sodium hydroxide
2. 5% oxalic acid
3. Half saturated oxalic acid
4. Concentrated sulfuric acid
5. Conc. and dilute Ammonium hydroxide
6. Concentrated nitric acid
Results:
1. 10% NaOH + wool-------------Dissolved
2. 10% NaOH + cultivated silk----------------Dissolved
3. 10% NaOH + cotton linen, wild silk, cellulose silk----------------------Undissolved

XXX_______________________________________________________________________________XXX

Read the following:

People vs. Yatar G.R. No. 150224

People vs. Rondero G.R. 125687

REFERENCES:
Books
 Urbano, A.A. (2008). Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology (Lecture Guide and
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Unpublished Sources
 Corpuz, J.C. (2015). Handouts and Pop sheets on Forensic Chemistry.
University of Baguio (UB): Baguio City.
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 https://www.textileschool.com/330/microscopic-appearance-of-fibres/#longitudinal-view-8