DEVICE AND METHOD FOR TREATMENT OF HAIR

Abstract: A method of waving a tress of hair comprises the steps of inserting the tress of hair (14) into an elastic tube (11), securing one end of the tube to the tress of hair, extending the tube lengthwise and securing the opposite end thereof to the tress of hair. When the elastic tube is released, the tress of hair contained therein is caused to assume a sinuous waved form. The tress of hair is treated with a chemical substance either prior to insertion in the tube or when in the tube to cause the tress of hair to retain its waved form.

Description: DEVICE AND METHOD FOR TREATMENT OF HAIR This invention relates to treating hair and in particular to a method of waving of hair and a device for carrying out the method. In known methods of waving or imparting a curl to hair, the hair is rolled onto a roller and subjected to heat and/or to a hair treatment chemical which has the effect of retaining the waving or curling in the hair for a period of time. According to one aspect of the invention a device for use in imparting a wave to a tress of hair comprises a tube open at, at least, one end to receive a tress of hair extending lengthwise of the tube,- said tube being formed of an elastic material such as to permit said tube to be stretched lengthwise by manually applied force and to return to an unstretched state when the manual force is removed; and first and second gripping means located at locations spaced apart along the tube for securing the tube at said spaced locations to the tress of hair. According to another aspect of the invention a method of treating hair includes the steps of inserting a tress of hair into a tube of resiliently extendible material; securing the tube at a first lengthwise location thereof to the tress of hair; extending said tube lengthwise; while said tube is so extended, securing the tube at a second location thereof spaced lengthwise of the first location to the tress of hair; permitting the tube to return to an unextended state to thereby cause the hair contained in the tube to assume a waved form; and subjecting the hair contained within the tube to a chemical hair treatment substance effective to retain the hair substantially in said waved form. An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings in which:- Figure 1 shows a first step of the method, Figure 2 shows a second step of the method, and Figure 3 shows a third step of the method in accordance with the invention and Figures 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d show alternative constructions of gripping means on one end of a device for use in the method. Referring first to Figures 1, 2 and 3 the method of treating hair is carried out using a device 10. The device includes a tube 11 of elastic material open at both ends 12 , 13. Initially the tube 11 is in an unextended state as shown in Figure 1 and a tress of hair 14 is inserted such as to extend lengthwise along the tube with a free end 15 of the tress of hair projecting from the end 13 of the tube . A first gripping means 16 is used to secure end 12 of the tube, adjacent the scalp 17, to the tress of hair. The end 13 of the tube is pulled manually in a direction, indicated by arrow 18, away from the scalp 17 such as to extend the tube 10, to an extended state shown in Figure 2, and thereby cover at least a part of the length of the free end 15 of the tress of hair. When the tube has been extended to a sufficient extent, a second gripping means 19 at the end 13 of the tube is used to secure the end 13 of the tube, while the tube remains held manually in its extended state, to the tress of hair. The gripping means 16 and 19 are effective to secure the ends of the tube to the tress of hair with sufficient force as to prevent slipping of the tress of hair relative to the ends of the tube. When the end 13 of the tube is released, thereby removing the force holding the tube in its extended state, the tube contracts lengthwise such that the end 13 moves in the direction of arrow 20 and thereby draws the hair gripped at the end 13 of the tube toward the hair gripped at the end 12 of the tube. As a consequence the length of the tress of hair contained within the tube is forced to occupy an overall length shorter than that of the tress of hair when lying straight and the tress of hair takes up a generally sinuous form 21, as shown in Figure 3, within the confines of the contracted tube 11. Prior to inserting the tress of hair into the tube, the tress of hair is treated with a chemical hair treatment substance effective to cause the hair to be retained in a form into which the tress of hair has been set. Accordingly, the hair treatment substance acts to cause the hair to retain the sinuous form into which it is set as a result of being contained within the tube and by subsequent contraction of the tube. Preferably the tube is perforated, or is air permeable, order to permit free exchange of air between the interior and exterior of the tube during extension and contraction of the tube. If desired, instead of applying the hair treatment substance to the tress of hair prior to insertion of the tress of hair into the tube, the hair treatment substance may be applied through the perforations into the interior of the tube after the hair has been inserted into the tube either before or after the hair has been set into the sinuous form by contraction of the tube. After elapse of a time sufficient for the chemical treatment substance to act on the tress of hair, the gripping means 16, 19 are released and the device 10 is removed from the tress of hair. Any operation required to neutralise and/or remove the treatment substance from the tress of hair is then carried out. It will be appreciated that the tube is formed such as to be stretchable lengthwise from an unextended state to an extended state by application of an extending force and to contract back from the extended state to or towards its original unextended state upon removal of the extending force . Conveniently the tube may be formed of thin rubber or latex but if desired may be formed of other materials or be constructed of a combination of materials. The gripping means may be of any convenient construction. Examples of gripping means are illustrated in Figures 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d. Figure 4a illustrates a gripping means comprising first and second strips 22, 23 in which ends 30, 31 respectively of the strips are formed such that the ends 30 of one strip 22 may be engaged and retained by a snap action with the ends 31 of the other strip 23. Figure 4b illustrates gripping means in which one strip 22 is formed with projections 24 which are an interference fit in apertures 25 in the other strip 23. If desired, as shown in Figure 4c, the strips 22, 23 may be joined at one end by a hinge connection 26 and inter engaging means such as shown in Figure 4a or Figure 4b provided on the free ends of the strips. The gripping means 13, 16 may be provided separately from the tube 10 and be positioned on the tube by the person carrying out the hair treatment or one or both gripping means may be secured to the tube 10 at or adjacent the ends thereof . The gripping means may be secured to the tube in any convenient manner, for example by adhesive, by welding or by clamping of the wall of the tube between a strip 23 and a cooperating element 32. The strips 22, 23 may be formed integrally with co-operating elements 32 and formed to fold lengthwise along an integral hinge 34 (Figure 4c) to clamp the wall of the tube within the fold. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 4d, an element 27 may be located within the tube and the strips 22, 23 secured to parts 28 of .the element such as to secure the wall of the tube between the strips and the element. The parts 28 of the element 27 are formed, for example by hinge connections 29 such as to collapse when the strips 22, 23 are urged toward one another and secured together to grip the hair therebetween. It will be appreciated that the strips 22, 23 are formed so as to be sufficiently rigid to apply the required pressure to the hair to prevent slipping of the ends of the tube relative to the hair. The gripping means may be formed with grooves and ridges or teeth, indicated by 33 in Figure 4b, or in some other manner to increase the frictional forces acting on the hair gripped thereby. If desired the gripping means may be constructed so as to be bistable, having an open state to permit the hair to be inserted into the tube and to snap into a closed hair gripping state by application of manual pressure. The gripping means would be releasable from its closed state by appropriate pressure to its open state to permit removal of the device 10 from the set tress of hair after completion of treatment thereof. For example, the parts 28 of Figure 4d may be formed such that although they collapse under pressure, the parts 28 are sufficiently resilient as to return to a non-collapsed state when the pressure is removed. Thus the parts 28 initially hold the strips 22, 23 spaced apart to permit insertion of the hair, permit the strips 22, 23 to be moved into a hair gripping state and, upon release of the strips 22, 23 from another, exert resilient force to move the strips 22, 23 apart from one another to release the hair. The gripping means may be formed as mouldings of synthetic plastics material. However it is to be understood that the gripping means may be of any suitable construction and may be formed in any manner desired provided that such gripping means is capable of securing the ends of the tube to the tress of hair with sufficient frictional force to prevent slipping of the tube relative to the tress of hair. In the embodiment described hereinbefore, the first and second gripping means are located adjacent the ends of the tube, however the gripping means may be located inwardly of the ends of the tube at locations spaced from the ends of the tube provided that, when the tube is in its extended state, the gripping means are spaced apart along the length of the extended tube.

Claims: CLAIMS 1 A device for use in imparting a wave to a tress of hair comprises a tube open at, at least, one end to receive a tress of hair extending lengthwise of the tube; said tube being formed of an elastic material such as to permit said tube to be stretched lengthwise by manually applied force and to return to an unstretched state when the manual force is removed; and first and second gripping means located at locations spaced apart along the tube for securing the tube at said spaced locations to the tress of hair. 2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tube is perforated. 3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tube is air permeable. 4. A device as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the tube is formed of latex or rubber. 5. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the gripping means includes a pair of members extending transversely of the length of the tube and secured to a wall of the tube at approximately diametrically opposed positions, said members including retention means to retain the members in close proximity to one another so as to apply a gripping force effective to secure the wall of the tube to the tress of hair. 6. A device as claimed in claim 5 wherein the pair of members are connected by a hinge connection. 7. A device as claimed in claim 5 or 6 wherein the retention means includes a recess or aperture in one member of the pair of members to receive a projecting element of the second member of the pair of members . 8. A device as claimed in claim 5, 6 or 7 wherein opposed faces of the pair of members are formed to enhance securing of the wall of the tube to the tress of hair. 9. A method of treating hair including the steps of inserting a tress of hair into a tube of resiliently extendible material; securing the tube at a first lengthwise location thereof to the tress of hair; extending said tube lengthwise; while said tube is so extended, securing the tube at a second location thereof spaced lengthwise of the first location to the tress of hair; permitting the tube to return to an unextended state to thereby cause the hair contained in the tube to assume a waved form; and subjecting the hair contained within the tube to a chemical hair treatment substance effective to retain the hair substantially in said waved form.

Inventors: DE BENEDICTIS ALFREDO, DE BENEDICTIS, ALFREDO
Applicants: BENEDICTIS ALFREDO DE, DE BENEDICTIS, ALFREDO
Application year: 1995
Main classification: A45D2
IPC codes: A45D2, A45D6, A45D7