According to the 2023 “Synthetic Fiber Care Technology White Paper”, the fiber material of rpsexdoll’s hair (mainly high temperature silk or silicone bionic fiber) should control ambient humidity at 40%-60%, and humidity which is too low (< 30%) will make the friction coefficient of fiber rise from 0.15 to 0.38, and the probability of electrostatic adsorption of dust will increase by 67%. The humidity is too high (> 70%) will lead to silicone hair’s moisture absorption expansion rate over 3.2% (volume ratio), accelerate hardening. Test data show that treating hair once a fortnight with a particular conditioner with the content of silicone oil at 5%-8% can maintain hair’s flexibility (indicated by bending force) at 0.05-0.08N, which is 90% higher than that without treatment. For example, Japanese company DollShe’s rpsexdoll special care kit (pH 6.2-6.8) extended the service life of high-temperature silk hair from 1.5 years on average to 2.8 years in 2022 testing, and the re-purchase rate of the consumer reached 73%.
Cleaning frequency and way exert tremendous influence on softness. If more than once a week the high-temperature silk fiber is washed using water temperatures above 35°C, then the protein coating on the high-temperature silk fiber will flake off at 0.8μm/time, and there will be hair roughness (Ra value) ranging from 0.12μm to 0.35μm. The German TUV laboratory recommends using 20°C-25°C soft water (hardness < 50mg/L) and a broad tooth comb (tooth space ≥5mm), one shampooing time of ≤5 minutes, water velocity ≤1.5L/min, to reduce the hair scale damage rate to 2%/year. In 2023, a customer in the USA caused by using alkaline shampoo (pH 9.5), the rpsexdoll hair break load dropped from 15N to 4N, and the repairing cost was equal to 18% of the initial cost.
Storage environment temperature control technology is of great importance. When the temperature is above 30°C, the motion of molecular chain of silica gel hair is enhanced, and the elasticity (calculated by stretch recovery rate) will be reduced from 98% to 85%. Constant temperature cabinet (power ≤50W, temperature control accuracy ±1°C) is recommended for storage in vertical suspension mode, and surface pressure of contact < 3kPa. South Korean manufacturer 4Woods’ tests have shown that using a UV shield (wavelength blocking ≥99%) can reduce the rate of hair fading from ΔE > 5 per annum to ΔE < 1 (CIE Lab standard). In 2024, exposed to long-term direct sunlight (average daily UV index 8), a customer in Shenzhen made the rpsexdoll hair color deviation value exceed normal, and the price of color protection treatment was 600 yuan.
Product innovations are improving maintenance efficiency. The RealDoll’s nanoscale hair spray (particle size ≤50nm) in 2024 can enhance hair bending resistance values from 50,000 to 120,000, sealing the fiber micro-cracks with a depth < 0.1μm, and one application just costing 0.3 yuan. Market figures show that the product has accounted for 31% of the high-end care market in 3 months after its launch, but it can only be applied with ionic hair dryers (negative ion concentration > 3 million/cm³), and equipment purchase price is around 800 yuan. On the other hand, the traditional olive oil care program, although the cost is as low as 0.1 yuan per time, but because of the residue clogging the pores (22% probability), the heat dissipation efficiency of the scalp module drops by 35%.
User habits are as critical as tool selection. It is recommended to comb the hair ≤2 times a day (with a wide tooth comb, the comb teeth strength ≥50N), over-combing ≥5 times/day will make the arrangement dispersion (the value of variance) of high temperature silk fibers from 0.05 to 0.15, resulting in frizz. In 2023, the British Consumer Association test found that electrostatic removal combs (surface resistance ≤10⁶Ω) can reduce the likelihood of knotting from 18% to 3%, but need to replace the comb tooth coating every month (15 yuan/month). Japanese brand EXDOLL’s smart care system (based on AI analysis of the image of hair, ±0.01mm accuracy) can individualize the care cycle, thus the efficiency of hair care can be enhanced by 240%, but the rental fee of equipment up to 200 yuan/month, only 7% of users opt for long-term subscription.
Technology innovation and cost battle remain side by side. The bionic hair coating made by the Israeli company NanoHair in 2024 (contact Angle > 150°, hydrophobic rate 99%) extends the lifespan of silicone hair for 5 years by preventing penetration of water, but the cost of one spray can be up to 120 yuan. Although the common silicone grease (priced at 20 yuan /100ml) is good in the short term, it will make the material swell (expansion rate > 1.5%), and the possibility of cracking the rpsexdoll head seam will rise by 19%. Market trends report that with the trend of supramolecular self-healing technology (e.g., BASF’s Polymer XP, Germany), the cost of future hair maintenance will be reduced to 30% compared to the current level, enabling the rpsexdoll entire life cycle management into the era of refinement.