Abstract:
A method of hairstyling using a comb urged in a pivotal traverse through a patron&#39;s hair to position progressively larger-sized strands thereof in an acute angled cutting plane and after cutting removal, the hair strands remaining have a desirable layered appearance along a head-encircling hairline of the hairstyle.

Description:
The present invention relates generally to improvements in styling a hair salon patron&#39;s hair in which, more particularly, the styling imparts a desirable layered or tapered appearance. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Search 
     It is already well known, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 2,225,454 for “Curler” issued to S. F. Kayn on Dec. 17, 1940 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,254,816 for “Hair Curler” issued to M. Bergmann on Sep. 2, 1941, to mention but a few, that imparted styling of hair can be achieved by having strands of the hair wound about and thus made to assume the circular shape of underlying so-called curlers, wherein the hair strands, when the curlers are removed, retain their circular shape as so-called “curls”. The styling or appearance provided by the curls is however limited in fulfilling fashion trends, particularly a current trend of a layered or tapered appearance in the free ends of the hair strands, and a hair style having a tapered appearance is thus left to the skill of the stylist in using, as this often is typically the case, only a comb and a scissors, and results in inconsistent patron satisfaction. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art. 
     More particularly, it is an object to enable the hair stylist to shape the hair strands with the comb in duplication of the functioning of curlers, but to better advantage in achieving the desired layered or tapered appearance, all as will be better understood as the description proceeds. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings should not be construed as limiting the invention to the example shown and described, because those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains will be able to devise other forms thereof within the ambit of the appended claims. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a hair salon patron having her hair styled according to the method of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of details of the tapered appearance in the area circumscribed by the arrow  2  of  FIG. 1  of the hair style; 
         FIG. 3  is an isolated perspective view of a hair-cutting guide component used in the hair styling method; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a preliminary step in the hair styling method; 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevational view as seen in the direction of the arrows  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a view similar to  FIG. 4  but illustrating a subsequent step in the hair styling method; 
         FIG. 7  is a view similar to  FIG. 5  but as seen in the direction of the arrows  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a side elevational view illustrating the styling of the hair achieved by the method steps C, E and G; and 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating the tapered appearance of the completed hair style. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is a method of styling a hair salon patron&#39;s  10  hair  12 , the nature or characterizing appearance of the hair style being best understood from the detailed description of singled-out hair strands  14 ,  16  and  18  which follow. 
     Each hair strand  14 ,  16  and  18  respectively extends from scalp follicles  14 A,  16 A and  18 A to free ends  14 B,  16 B,  18 B and measured from follicle to free end each is a selected first length  14 C, a slightly greater length  16 C and greatest length  18 C, so that the three lengths and, more particularly, their overlapping relation provide a tapered appearance along the hair line, as noted by the dash line  20 , which results from hair strands  14 D adjacent the hair strand  14 , hair strands  16 D, adjacent the hair strand  16 , and hair strands  18 D adjacent the hair strand  18 , being respectively of the same lengths  14 C,  16 C and  18 C. 
     The tapered appearance  22  applied to the singled-out hair strands  14 ,  16  and  18  and hair strands  14 D,  16 D and  18 D adjacent thereto, is shown in  FIG. 1  embodied in a side  24  of the patron  10 , but is to be understood in practice to be embodied, in a similar fashion as subsequently to be described, to the other side, as noted at  26 , and to the rear, as noted at  28 , to the full head of hair  12  of the patron, so that the tapered appearances  22 ,  30  and  32  are contiguous to each other and are perceived as a hair style along a head-encircling lower edge  34  of full head of hair  12  of the patron  10 . 
     To provide successively tapered appearance  22 , and then the tapered appearances  30  and  32 , use is made of a hair-cutting guide, generally designated  36 , having a cylindrical body  38  provided with a slot  40  oriented lengthwise of the body  38 . Disposed in a friction fit in slot  40  is a base  42  of a comb  44  having teeth, individually and collectively designated  46 , extending from the base  42 . 
     The salon hair stylist  48  places the hair-cutting guide  36  beneath a selected grouping of hair strands as exemplified by the hair strand group  50 , with the comb teeth  46  in an initial position against the scalp of the patron  10 , a scalp contacting position as noted at  52 . 
     Next, the stylist  48 , who has one hand gripped, as at  54 , about an end  56  of the hair-cutting guide  36  urges the comb teeth  46  in a pivotal traverse  58  from the starting position  52  into a subsequent position of rotation  60  to an approximately subtended acute angle  62  which draws the hair strands between the clearance  64  between the teeth  46  into taut conditions extended from their scalp follicles  66  to their engagement, as at  68 , to the teeth  46 . The hair lengths, individually and collectively designated  70 , extending beyond the comb teeth  46  constitute a line of demarcation  72  which is presented to the hair stylist  48  and serves as a cutting guide. 
     With the other hand  74 , the stylist removes, by cutting either with a razor or scissors  76 , the excess hair strand lengths  78  along the guide line  72 . 
     The consequence of the subtended acute angle  62  provides a taper appearance  80  to the hair strand ends  82  in the angled plane  84  of the cutting stroke of razor or scissors. 
     The initial positioning and subsequent pivotal traverses  58  are repeated for the first tapered layer  88  along the head-encircling length  90 , and then the hair-cutting guide  36  moved downwardly into engagement with the hair strands of what will constitute the second or intermediate tapered layer  92  and the initial positioning and subsequent pivotal traverses  58  repeated along the head-encircling length  94 , and in a concluding step the hair-cutting guide is again moved downward into engagement with the hair strands of what will constitute the third or lowermost tapered layer  96  and the initial positioning and subsequent pivotal traverses  58  repeated along the head-encircling length  98 . 
     What has been just described in applying the hair style using the hair-cutting guide  36  along the hair-encircling length  90  is repeated for the hair-encircling lengths  94  and  98  so that a contiguous hair style characterized by a tapered appearance  100  is provided along a head-encircling lower edge  102  of the entire head of hair of the patron  10 . 
     SUMMARY 
     Summarizing the aforesaid inventive hairstyling method and, as best understood from  FIG. 8 , using the hair-cutting guide the stylist  48  places the hair-cutting guide  36  beneath hair strands of a selected extent of not less than three groups  14 ,  16  and  18  which are to be styled in a horizontally oriented condition with the comb teeth  46  extending beneath the three hair strand groups and radially therefrom and in contact with said patron&#39;s scalp  52 ; next the stylist  48  rotates the cylindrical body of the hair-cutting guide  36  from a starting position of movement  59  adjacent a patron&#39;s scalp  52  to a first position of movement  61  subtending a first acute angle effective in drawing taut comb teeth-engaged hair strands  14 ,  16  and  18  of all three groups in extended relation from scalp follicles thereof to said comb teeth; next using as a cutting guide the comb teeth  46  in the rotated position thereof the stylist  48  cuts off only the first group  14  in an external condition of the three groups  14 ,  16  and  18 . Following this step, the stylist  48  rotates the cylindrical body of the hair-cutting guide  36  from the starting position  59  to a next second position of rotation  61  subtending a second acute angle effective in drawing taut the hair strands of the second group  16  in an intermediate condition of the three groups  14 ,  16  and  18 . Next, the stylist  48  cuts off the hair strands of the second group  16  extending outwardly and along the comb teeth  46 , and then rotates the cylindrical body of the hair cutting guide  36  from the second position of movement to a third position of movement  63  subtending a third acute angle effective in drawing taut the hair strands of the third group  18  in an inner condition of the three groups  14 ,  16  and  18 . In cutting off the hair strands of the third group  18  extending outwardly and along the comb teeth  46 , the cut ends  90 ,  92  and  94  of the three groups of hair strands  14 ,  16  and  18  provide a tapered appearance, as noted at  80  which results from the progressively longer lengths of the three groups  14 ,  16  and  18 . 
     While the cutting guide for practicing the within inventive method, as well as said method herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.