Patent Publication Number: US-2018042354-A1

Title: Hair pickup tool

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a hair pickup tool for picking up strands of hair as a bundle of hair. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     When dyeing hair at home, beauty salons, and the like, there are cases where the hair is not entirely dyed but partially dyed in streaks, often referred to as highlighting or lowlighting. In such cases generally a method is adopted by use of a specialized tool in which claw portions in the form of protrusions are provided at a leading end of a handle portion of a comb or at a leading end of a knitting needle-like stick member. Bundles of hair each consisting of a plurality of strands of hair are picked up as streaks by these claw portions, the bundles of hair are held on other strands of hair by using a clip or the like as necessary, and the bundles of hair are individually dyed. 
     Moreover, the operation of picking up the bundles of hair each consisting of a plurality of strands of hair as streaks by using the claw portions provided at the leading end of the handle portion or the stick member is not easy and requires experience and skill. Often it is difficult to pick up bundles of hair each consisting of an appropriate amount of hair through a single pickup operation. The result is uneven application of the dye and a undesirable appearance. For these reasons, a comb for hair coloring and a weaving comb have been developed which make it possible to pick up bundles of hair in a straightforward manner without requiring experience and skill and which also make it possible to pick up an appropriate amount of hair as bundles of hair (see Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, for example). 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     Patent Literature 1 JP 3027042U 
     Patent Literature 2 JP 2013-154152A 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a hair pickup tool for picking up strands of hair as a bundle of hair, the hair pickup tool including a base portion, an upright stem portion extending upright from the base portion, and a stick-shaped pickup portion projecting from the upright stem portion. The stick-shaped pickup portion extends obliquely sideways from the upright stem portion toward a side opposite to the base portion at an angle of inclination of 10 to 70 degrees relative to a plane that is perpendicular to an upright extending direction of the upright stem portion. The stick-shaped pickup portion is provided with one or two or more hair holding protrusions protruding toward the base portion side. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1( a )  is a perspective view of a hair pickup tool according to a preferred first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1( b )  is a side view schematically showing a relevant portion of the hair pickup tool of the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 2( a )  is a side view illustrating another form of a stick-shaped pickup portion and schematically showing a relevant portion. 
         FIG. 2( b )  is a side view illustrating another form of the stick-shaped pickup portion and schematically showing a relevant portion. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram for explaining how a bundle of hair consisting of strands of hair is picked up by the stick-shaped pickup portion. 
         FIG. 4( a )  is a perspective view of a hair pickup tool according to a preferred second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4( b )  is a side view schematically showing a relevant portion of the hair pickup tool of the second embodiment. 
         FIG. 5( a )  is a perspective view of a hair pickup tool according to a preferred third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5( b )  is a side view schematically showing a relevant portion of the hair pickup tool of the third embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a hair pickup tool according to a fourth embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a hair pickup tool according to a fifth embodiment. 
         FIG. 8( a )  is a perspective view illustrating a hair pickup tool that is to be used attached to a container containing a hair treatment agent. 
         FIG. 8( b )  is a cutaway perspective view taken along line A-A in  FIG. 8( a ) . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In the above-described conventional comb for hair coloring and weaving comb, with which bundles of hair are picked up, claw portions are provided at leading end portions of some or all of a plurality of comb teeth that are arranged parallel to one another in a comb portion, and strands of hair are picked up by these claw portions. Thus, bundles of hair can be widely picked up from a shallow section. However, the other comb teeth become an obstruction, and it is difficult to efficiently pick up strands of hair in a deep section near the scalp as bundles of hair by, for example, while sliding the leading ends of the comb teeth along the scalp, inserting the claw portions at the respective leading ends underneath strands of hair in a section near the scalp from obliquely below. 
     The present invention relates to a hair pickup tool with which strands of hair in a deep section near the scalp can be efficiently picked up as a bundle of hair. 
     The present invention provides a hair pickup tool for picking up strands of hair as a bundle of hair. The hair pickup tool includes a base portion, an upright stem portion extending upright from the base portion, and a stick-shaped pickup portion projecting from the upright stem portion. The stick-shaped pickup portion extends obliquely sideways from the upright stem portion toward a side opposite to the base portion at an angle of inclination of 10 degrees to 70 degrees (about 10 degrees to about 70 degrees) relative to a plane that is perpendicular to an upright extending direction of the upright stem portion. The stick-shaped pickup portion is provided with one or two or more hair holding protrusions protruding toward the base portion side. 
     Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the drawings. A hair pickup tool  10  according to a preferred first embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 1( a )  is used when partially dyeing hair by applying a hair dye, for example, which serves as a hair treatment agent, in producing streaks to the hair. The hair pickup tool  10  of the first embodiment makes it possible to gather and pick up an appropriate plurality of strands of hair in a streak as a bundle of hair, thereby facilitating the operation of partially dyeing the hair in a streak by applying the hair dye to the bundle of hair that has been picked up. The hair pickup tool  10  of the first embodiment has the function of making it possible to efficiently pick up strands of hair  61  in a deep section near the scalp  60  as a bundle of hair by, for example, pressing a leading end portion  10   a  of the hair pickup tool  10  against the scalp  60  (see  FIG. 3 ) or sliding the leading end portion  10   a  along the scalp  60 . 
     The hair pickup tool  10  of the first embodiment is a pickup tool for picking up strands of hair  61  as a bundle of hair, and includes a base portion  11 , an upright stem portion  12  extending upright from the base portion  11 , and a stick-shaped pickup portion  13  projecting from the upright stem portion  12 . As also shown in  FIG. 1( b ) , the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  extends obliquely sideways from the upright stem portion  12  toward the side opposite to the base portion  11  at an angle θ of inclination of 10 to 70 degrees relative to a plane P that is perpendicular to an upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12 . The stick-shaped pickup portion  13  is provided with one or two or more hair holding protrusions  14  protruding toward the base portion  11  side. 
     In the first embodiment, the base portion  11  is provided at an upper end portion of a handle portion  15  by which the hair pickup tool  10  is held and operated, and the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12  extends along the direction of the central axis of the handle portion  15  (in  FIG. 1( b ) , the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12  coincides with the direction of the central axis of the handle portion  15 ). That is to say, the base portion  11  includes the handle portion  15  on the side opposite to the upright stem portion  12 , and the upright stem portion  12  extends upright along the direction of the central axis of the handle portion  15 . Since the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12  runs along the direction of the central axis of the handle portion  15 , the ease of operation when picking up hair is improved. Moreover, the base portion  11  is made of, similarly to the handle portion  15 , a synthetic resin, such as a general-purpose resin including preferably polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin, and the like, a reprocessed resin, or a plant-derived resin including PLA, bioethanol, and the like. The handle portion  15  including the base portion  11  may be integrally molded with the upright stem portion  12  and the stick-shaped pickup portion  13 . It is also possible to mold the base portion  11 , the upright stem portion  12 , and the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  separately from the handle portion  15  and then fix the base portion  11  to a leading end portion of the handle portion  15 , thereby forming the hair pickup tool  10  into which these portions are integrated. The handle portion  15  is formed to have an elongated substantially cylindrical tube shape so that it is easy to hold the handle portion  15  with fingers and perform the operation of picking up a bundle of hair consisting of strands of hair  61 . 
     It should be noted that the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12  is not necessarily required to extend along the direction of the central axis of the handle portion  15 , and may also intersect the direction of the central axis of the handle portion  15  at an angle of for example, 30 degrees, for example. 
     In the first embodiment, the base portion  11  includes an end surface plate  11   a  that is disposed at a leading end of the handle portion  15  and that has a circular plate shape, and the upright stem portion  12  extends upright further in the direction of the leading end from the end surface plate  11   a . It should be noted that a configuration may also be adopted in which the base portion  11  does not include the end surface plate  11   a , and the leading end portion of the handle portion  15  doubles as the base portion  11 . In addition, a configuration may also be adopted in which a hemispherical base portion  11  is provided at the leading end portion of the handle portion  15 , and the upright stem portion  12  is provided on a top portion thereof. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1( a ) and 1( b ) , the upright stem portion  12  is integrally molded with the base portion  11  by using the same synthetic resin as that used for the base portion  11 . In the first embodiment, the upright stem portion  12  extends upright to a height of, for example, 5 mm to 20 mm from the end surface plate  11   a  in a direction that is parallel to the direction of the central axis of the base portion  11 . The upright stem portion  12  has a vertically elongated, substantially isosceles triangular side-surface shape, and is provided extending upright with its central position shifted from the center of the end surface plate  11   a  to the projecting side of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13 . A configuration may also be adopted in which, as schematically shown in  FIG. 1( b ) , the upright stem portion  12  does not have a substantially isosceles triangular side-surface shape, but rather extends upright while having a uniform cross-sectional shape like a rod. The cross-sectional area of the upright stem portion  12  in the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12  is preferably not more than half the area of the base portion  11  in plane view. 
     The stick-shaped pickup portion  13  is formed by using the same synthetic resin as that used for the base portion  11 , and projects obliquely sideways from a leading end portion of the upright stem portion  12  for a length of, for example, 2 mm to 15 mm (about 2 mm to about 15 mm) while being inclined to the side opposite to the base portion  11  at a predetermined angle θ of inclination. Here, the projecting length of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  correlates with the width of a bundle of hair consisting of strands of hair  61  to be picked up by the hair pickup tool  10 . In view of this, the projecting length of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  is, for example, preferably 2 mm to 15 mm, more preferably 2 mm to 10 mm, even more preferably 3 mm to 8 mm, and particularly preferably 4 mm to 6 mm. The flexural modulus of the synthetic resin forming the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  is preferably 300 to 3500 MPa in the case that a general-purpose resin is used, or is preferably 500 to 2500 MPa in the case that linear low-density polyethylene or an ABS resin is used. From the standpoint of the ease with which the stick-shaped pickup portion can get under the hair and making it easy to obtain a reaction force that counteracts a force by which the hair is pulled in the direction of the scalp after the hair has been collected, the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  preferably has a cross-sectional area of 0.2 to 3 mm 2  and more preferably has a cross-sectional area of 0.2 to 2 mm 2 . 
     Moreover, in the first embodiment, the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13 , which is inclined obliquely sideways to the side opposite to the base portion  11 , relative to the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12  is 10 degrees to 70 degrees. From the standpoint of the ease with which the stick-shaped pickup portion can get under the hair (i.e., the ease of operation when inserting the leading end portion, in which the hair holding protrusion  14  is provided, of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  underneath the strands of hair  61  in a section near the scalp  60  from obliquely below), the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  is preferably not less than 10 degrees, more preferably not less than 20 degrees, and even more preferably not less than 30 degrees. From the standpoint of making it easy for strands of hair  61  that are riding on the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  to be held on the stick-shaped pickup portion  13 , the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portions  13  is preferably not more than 70 degrees, more preferably not more than 65 degrees, and even more preferably not more than 60 degrees. 
     In the first embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 1( b ) , the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  is provided with two hair holding protrusions  14  in the leading end portion and an intermediate portion, respectively, of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13 , the hair holding protrusions  14  protruding, for example, toward the base portion  11  side to a height of 0.5 mm to 6 mm and having a triangular side-surface shape. As shown in  FIG. 2( a ) , one hair holding protrusion  14  may be provided only in the leading end portion of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13 . Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 2( b ) , three or more (four in  FIG. 2( b ) ) hair holding protrusions  14  may be provided in portions, preferably including the leading end portion, of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13 . 
     Moreover, the protruding height of the hair holding protrusions  14  protruding from the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  toward the base portion  11  side is preferably 0.1 to 3 mm and more preferably 0.2 to 2 mm. 
     Since two or more hair holding protrusions  14  protruding toward the base portion  11  side of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  are provided, the load that is applied to the hair holding protrusions  14  by strands of hair  61  can be distributed, and therefore, strands of hair  61  that have been picked up can be prevented from easily coming out in a lateral direction. In the case where the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  is provided with two or more hair holding protrusions  14 , the plurality of hair holding protrusions  14  may be adjacent to each other. However, if the hair holding protrusions  14  are arranged so as to be appropriately spaced apart from each other, strands of hair  61 , of a bundle of hair, attempting to come out in the lateral direction can be supported in a substantially uniformly distributed manner. Therefore, a bundle of hair consisting of strands of hair  61  can be more stably picked up. In view of this, the plurality of hair holding protrusions  14  are preferably arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other by a distance of 0.5 mm to 4 mm and more preferably arranged spaced apart from each other by a distance of 1 mm to 3 mm. 
     In the first embodiment, the hair holding protrusions  14  protruding toward the base portion  11  side of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  have a triangular side-surface shape, and a surface  14   a  of each triangular-shaped hair holding protrusion  14  on the upright stem portion  12  side is an inclined surface that is inclined to the base portion  11  side at an angle θ′ of inclination relative to the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12 . The angle θ′ of inclination of the surface  14   a  of the hair holding protrusion  14  on the upright stem portion  12  side, the surface  14   a  being inclined to the base portion  11  side relative to the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12 , may be less than 90° (see  FIG. 1( b ) ), or may be more than 90° (see  FIG. 2( b ) ), from the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12 . Since the surface  14   a  of each hair holding protrusion  14  on the upright stem portion  12  side is an inclined surface that is inclined to the base portion  11  side, strands of hair that have been collected can be easily held on the stick-shaped pickup portion  13 . In view of this, the angle θ′ of inclination of the surface  14   a  of each hair holding protrusion  14  on the upright stem portion  12  side is preferably 10 to 135°, more preferably 10 to 90°, even more preferably 30 to 90°, and particularly preferably 30 to 70° relative to the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12 . 
     With the hair pickup tool  10  of the first embodiment that is configured as described above, strands of hair  61  in a deep section near the scalp  60  can be efficiently scooped up (picked up) as a bundle of hair. 
     That is to say, the hair pickup tool  10  of the first embodiment includes the base portion  11 , the upright stem portion  12  extending upright from the base portion  11 , and the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  projecting from the upright stem portion  12 , the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  extending obliquely sideways from the upright stem portion  12  toward the side opposite to the base portion  11  at an angle θ of inclination of 10 to 70 degrees relative to the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12 , and the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  being provided with one or two or more hair holding protrusions  14  protruding toward the base portion  11  side. 
     Therefore, according to the first embodiment, if a user holds the handle portion  15  and slides the upright stem portion  12  and the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  along the scalp  60  in the projecting direction of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  while pressing the leading end portion of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  against the scalp  60  as shown in  FIG. 3 , for example, since the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  points in the direction of the scalp  60  on the side opposite to the base portion  11  from the stem portion  12 , the stem portion  12  does not become an obstruction, so that the leading end portion, in which the hair holding protrusion  14  is provided, of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  can be inserted underneath strands of hair  61  in a deep section near the scalp  60  from obliquely below, and the strands of hair  61  in the deep section near the scalp  60  can be efficiently picked up as a bundle of hair. Moreover, since the protruding height of the hair holding protrusions  14  protruding from the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  is not excessively high, the strands of hair  61  easily ride onto the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  whose leading end portion is pressed against the scalp  60 . The stick-shaped pickup portion  13  extends obliquely sideways relative to the upright stem portion  12 , that is, at an angle that is less than vertical. This configuration, in combination with the effect of the hair holding protrusions  14 , enables the strands of hair  61  riding on the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  to be easily held on the stick-shaped pickup portion  13 . 
     Moreover, in the first embodiment, since the cross-sectional area of the upright stem portion  12  in the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12  is preferably not more than half the area of the base portion  11  in plane view, the thickness of the upright stem portion  12  is reduced to a certain extent, and accordingly, the ease of operation when picking up hair can be improved. Here, it is preferable that the cross-sectional area of the upright stem portion  12  in the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12  is not more than half the area of the base portion  11  in plane view, regardless of the position of the plane P with respect to the upright extending direction X. 
     As described above, with the hair pickup tool  10  of the first embodiment, the ease of introducing strands of hair  61  and the ease of holding the introduced strands of hair  61  are excellent, and thus, a bundle of hair consisting of strands of hair  61  can be easily picked up, so that hair can be efficiently picked up from strands of hair  61  in a deep section near the scalp  60 . It should be noted that the amount of strands of hair  61  to be picked up as a bundle of hair can be easily adjusted by changing the height of each hair holding protrusion  14  provided on the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  and the length of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13 . 
       FIGS. 4( a ) and 4( b )  show a hair pickup tool  20  according to a preferred second embodiment of the present invention. In the hair pickup tool  20  of the second embodiment, the form of stick-shaped pickup portions  23   a  and  23   b  differs from the form of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  of the hair pickup tool  10  of the above-described first embodiment. With regard to the hair pickup tool  20  of the second embodiment, constituent portions that are different from those of the hair pickup tool  10  of the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described, while constituent portions that are the same as those of the hair pickup tool  10  of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted. The description regarding the hair pickup tool  10  of the above-described first embodiment is appropriately applied to those constituent portions that will not be specifically mentioned. 
     In the hair pickup tool  20  of the second embodiment, a stick-shaped pickup portion  23   b  which is at least one (one) of a plurality (two) of stick-shaped pickup portions  23   a  and  23   b  projects obliquely sideways at an angle θ of inclination that is different from the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion  23   a  which is the other (the other one) of the plurality (two) of stick-shaped pickup portions  23   a  and  23   b . The angle θ of inclination of stick-shaped pickup portion  23   b  and the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion  23   a  are the angle of inclination relative to the plane that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion  12  In addition, the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion  23   b  that is disposed at the leading end side of the upright stem portion  12  is larger than the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion  23   a  that is disposed at the base end portion side (base portion  11  side) of the upright stem portion  12 . 
     Since the stick-shaped pickup portion  23   b , which is at least one, but not all, of the plurality of stick-shaped pickup portions  23   a  and  23   b , projects obliquely sideways at an angle θ of inclination that is different from the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion  23   a , which is the other of the plurality, no matter how the stick-shaped pickup portions  23   a  and  23   b  are applied to the scalp  60 , and even when the stick-shaped pickup portions  23   a  and  23   b  are used from various angles, a bundle of hair consisting of strands of hair  61  can be stably picked up. In addition, since the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion  23   b  that is disposed at the leading end side of the upright stem portion  12  is larger than the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion  23   a  that is disposed at the base end portion side of the upright stem portion  12 , the projecting direction of the stick-shaped pickup portion  23   b  that is disposed closest to the leading end side of the upright stem portion  12  is closest to vertical, and the closer to the base end portion side a stick-shaped pickup portion is located, the closer to flat the projecting direction of that stick-shaped pickup portion, that is, the stick-shaped pickup portion  23   a . Thus, even when the hair pickup tool  20  is pressed against the scalp  60  at various angles during use, strands of hair  61  can be more stably picked up as a bundle of hair. 
       FIGS. 5( a ) and 5( b )  show a hair pickup tool  30  according to a preferred third embodiment of the present invention. In the hair pickup tool  30  of the third embodiment, the form of stick-shaped pickup portions  33   a  and  33   b  differs from the form of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  of the hair pickup tool  10  of the above-described first embodiment. With regard to the hair pickup tool  30  of the third embodiment, constituent portions that are different from those of the hair pickup tool  10  of the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described, while constituent portions that are the same as those of the hair pickup tool  10  of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted. The description regarding the hair pickup tool  10  of the above-described first embodiment is appropriately applied to those constituent portions that will not be specifically mentioned. 
     In the hair pickup tool  30  of the third embodiment, a plurality of stick-shaped pickup portions  33   a  and  33   b  project from the same position with respect to the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion  12  while being spaced apart from each other in the upright extending direction of the upright stem portion  12 . That is to say, in the third embodiment, four gently-inclined stick-shaped pickup portions  33   a  in the intermediate portion and one steeply-inclined stick-shaped pickup portion  33   b  in the leading end portion are provided, the stick-shaped pickup portions projecting from the same position with respect to the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion  12  in such a manner as to be lined up in the vertical direction. 
     Since the plurality of stick-shaped pickup portions  33   a  and  33   b  are spaced apart from each other in the upright extending direction of the upright stem portion  12  and project from the same position with respect to the circumferential direction while being arranged in a single line in the vertical direction, a gap having a considerable space is formed between the stick-shaped pickup portions  33   a  and  33   b  that are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. Consequently, the maximum amount of strands of hair  61  to be picked up can be limited, and also strands of hair  61  that are riding in the gaps suppress vertical rotation of the strands of hair  61 , so that the strands of hair  61  can be prevented from easily coming out in an up-down direction. 
       FIG. 6  shows a hair pickup tool  40  according to a preferred fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the hair pickup tool  40  of the fourth embodiment, the form of stick-shaped pickup portions  43   a  and  43   b  differs from the form of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  of the hair pickup tool  10  of the above-described first embodiment. With regard to the hair pickup tool  40  of the fourth embodiment, constituent portions that are different from those of the hair pickup tool  10  of the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described, while constituent portions that are the same as those of the hair pickup tool  10  of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted. The description regarding the hair pickup tool  10  of the above-described first embodiment is appropriately applied to those constituent portions that will not be specifically mentioned. 
     In the hair pickup tool  40  of the fourth embodiment, a plurality of lined-up pickup portions  44  each constituted by a plurality of stick-shaped pickup portions  43   a  and  43   b  projecting from the same position with respect to the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion  12  are provided so as to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion  12 . That is to say, in the fourth embodiment, three lined-up pickup portions  44  spaced apart from each other by equal angles of 120° in the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion  12  are provided. Each of the lined-up pickup portions  44  includes four gently-inclined stick-shaped pickup portions  43   a  in the intermediate portion and one steeply-inclined stick-shaped pickup portion  43   b  in the leading end portion. The stick-shaped pickup portions project from the same position with respect to the circumferential direction in such a manner as to be lined up in the vertical direction. 
     Since the plurality of lined-up pickup portions  44 , each of which includes the plurality of stick-shaped pickup portions  43   a  and  43   b , are provided so as to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion  12 , when the hair pickup tool  40  is rotated during use, some of the stick-shaped pickup portions  43   a  and  43   b  act to restrict strands of hair  61 , and other stick-shaped pickup portions  43   a  and  43   b  of the stick-shaped pickup portions  43   a  and  43   b  act to penetrate into the strands of hair  61 , so that deeper strands of hair  61  can be picked up. 
       FIG. 7  shows a hair pickup tool  50  according to a preferred fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the hair pickup tool  50  of the fifth embodiment, the form of stick-shaped pickup portions  53   a  and  53   b  differs from the form of the stick-shaped pickup portion  13  of the hair pickup tool  10  of the above-described first embodiment. With regard to the hair pickup tool  50  of the fifth embodiment, constituent portions that are different from those of the hair pickup tool  10  of the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described, while constituent portions that are the same as those of the hair pickup tool  10  of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted. The description regarding the hair pickup tool  10  of the above-described first embodiment is appropriately applied to those constituent portions that will not be specifically mentioned. 
     The hair pickup tool  50  of the fifth embodiment includes at least one juxtaposed pickup portion  55  (in the fifth embodiment, two juxtaposed pickup portions  55  that are arranged back-to-back). The juxtaposed pickup portion  55  includes a pair of lined-up pickup portions  54  each including four gently-inclined stick-shaped pickup portions  53   a  in the intermediate portion and one steeply-inclined stick-shaped pickup portion  53   b  in the leading end portion. The pair of lined-up pickup portions  54  projects in the same direction, and preferably are arranged side-by-side so as to be parallel to each other. 
     That is to say, in the fifth embodiment, an upright stem portion  52  extending upright from the base portion  11  includes, as also shown in  FIGS. 8( a ) and 8( b ) , a pair of upright plate portions  52   a  that are arranged so as to face each other and a pair of connecting plate portions  52   b  that connect lateral side edge portions of the pair of upright plate portions  52   a  on both lateral sides and that have a lower height than the upright plate portions  52   a . A total of four lined-up pickup portions  54  are provided as two pairs, the lined-up pickup portions  54  being disposed along respective lateral side edge portions on both lateral sides of surfaces of the pair of upright plate portions  52   a , the surfaces being on the opposite side to opposing surfaces of the pair of upright plate portions  52   a  and being arranged back-to-back. Each pair of lined-up pickup portions  54  provided on a corresponding one of the upright plate portions  52   a  are arranged side-by-side so as to extend parallel to each other and project in the same direction. Thus, two juxtaposed pickup portions  55  are formed, and the two juxtaposed pickup portions  55  are arranged in back-to-back positions on the upright stem portion  52  so as to face in the opposite directions. 
     Since at least one juxtaposed pickup portion  55 , in which a pair of lined-up pickup portions  54  is arranged side-by-side so as to project in the same direction, is provided on the upright stem portion  52 , the stick-shaped pickup portions  53   a  and  53   b  are arranged parallel or substantially parallel to one another. Thus, after strands of hair  61  have been picked up, the picked-up linear strands of hair  61  can be restricted at three points, that is, the stick-shaped pickup portions  53   a  and  53   b  of one of the lined-up pickup portions  54  of the juxtaposed pickup portion  55 , the hair holding protrusions  14  provided on these stick-shaped pickup portions  53   a  and  53   b , and the stick-shaped pickup portions  53   a  and  53   b  of the other lined-up pickup portion  54 . Therefore, the effect of holding the strands of hair  61  can be further improved. 
     Moreover, in the hair pickup tool  50  of the fifth embodiment, the inside of the upright stem portion  52  is a hollow portion surrounded on all sides by the pair of upright plate portions  52   a  and the pair of connecting plate portions  52   b . This hollow portion enables the upright stem portion  52  to also be configured to include a treatment agent reserving portion  56  that is in communication with a container containing a hair treatment agent. 
     That is to say, a hair treatment agent can be fed into and stored in the hollow portion of the upright stem portion  52  by, for example, providing the base portion  11  with an attachment skirt portion  11   b  and attaching that portion to a neck portion of the container containing the hair treatment agent, and in this manner, the upright stem portion  52  can also be made to function as a portion for applying a hair dye to the picked-up strands of hair  61 . 
     It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, and various changes can be made thereto. For example, the hair holding protrusions protruding toward the base portion side of the stick-shaped pickup portion are not necessarily required to have a triangular side-surface shape. For example, surfaces of the hair holding protrusions that are located on the opposite side to the upright stem portion side may be curved surfaces or may have any other shapes. Moreover, the hair holding protrusions may also be protrusions (e.g., hook-like, claw-like, etc.) having any other various shapes.