Patent Publication Number: US-11641922-B2

Title: Hair applicator

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a hair applicator for applying a hair cosmetic such as a hair dye, which is attached to a container body to apply an application liquid (hair dye, hair styling agent, hair restorer, etc.) stored in the container, to hair (hair including humans and other pet animals) while combing the hair. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Conventionally, there has been known hair applicators for dyeing hair by leading a hair dye or the like contained in a container between the comb elements of a comb attached to the container and combing the hair with the comb. 
     As to such hair applicators, the following Patent Documents 1 to 4 disclose hair applicators which have a structure including a combing body joined with an applying part of a porous material such as a sponge to apply and infiltrate the application liquid to the hair while combing with the combing body. 
     However, Patent Documents 1 to 4 have the following problems. 
     First, in the hair applicator described in Patent Document 1, in order to fix an applying part, the applying part is pressed and fitted into a combing body. However, in this method, when a soft felt is used as the applying part, the applying part is easily displaced due to a dropped impact. On the other hand, use of a hard applying part can increase the fixing strength but lowers the porosity to narrow the fluid passage, so that it becomes impossible to secure a sufficient coating amount. 
     In the hair applicators of Patent Documents 2 and 3, the combing body is fixed by provision of a bridge to prevent the porous applying part from falling off. However, in this hair applicator, since the spacing between the comb elements is wide, the tips of the comb elements easily sink into the skin, so that the applying part easily touches and stains the skin. If a large clearance is secured between the combing body and the applying part in order to prevent the skin from being stained, there occurs a problem that the strength of contact of the applying part against the hair is weakened, so that the coating amount decreases. 
     Further, in the hair applicator disclosed in Patent Document 4, a non-infiltration member is integrally molded around the applying part (cosmetic penetrating member) to prevent the skin from being stained due to displacement of the applying part. However, the molding method is limited to extrusion molding, so that the manufacturing method and configuration lose flexibility. In addition, this method is easily expected to raise the costs required for, for example, the integral molding of the non-infiltration member and the grinding process after the integral molding. 
     PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS 
     Patent Document 
     [Patent Document 1] 
     Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Hei 11 No. 169224 
     [Patent Document 2] 
     Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-087068 
     [Patent Document 3] 
     Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-104482 
     [Patent Document 4] 
     Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-260137 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Problems to be Solved by the Invention 
     The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hair applicator which can fix an applying part to a comb with a sufficient fixing strength to prevent the applying part from being displaced even by an impact from a fall and also can dispense a sufficient coating amount. 
     Means for Solving the Problems 
     The present invention resides in a hair applicator comprising: an applying part made of a porous material; and a comb having a plurality of comb elements provided with the applying part, to thereby apply a hair dye from a container through the applying part to the hair while combing hair with the comb, and is characterized in that the coating amount by the applying part is 0.090 g/m or greater (porosity is 80% or higher) and the hardness (ISO7619A) of the applying part is less than A70. 
     Effect of the Invention 
     According to the hair applicator of the present invention, the applying part can be secured to the comb with a sufficient securing strength, so that it possible to prevent the applying part from being displaced even by an impact from a fall and obtain a sufficient coating amount. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    Illustrative diagrams showing a hair applicator in its capped state, according to a first embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a perspective view from the front side, (b) is a view from the front side, (c) is a view from one side, (d) is a longitudinal section cut along a line D-D in (b), (e) is a view from the other side, (f) is a longitudinal section cut along a line F-F in (b), (g) is a perspective view from the rear side, and (h) is a view from the rear side. 
         FIG.  2    Illustrative diagrams showing the hair applicator of  FIG.  1    in its uncapped state, (a) is a perspective view from the front side, (b) is a view from the front side, (c) is a view from one side, (d) is a longitudinal section cut along a line D-D in (b), (e) is a view from the other side, (f) is a longitudinal section cut along a line F-F in (b), (g) is a perspective view from the rear side, and (h) is an enlarged perspective view showing the front end part. 
         FIG.  3    Part drawings showing the front barrel of the hair applicator of  FIG.  1    in its uncapped state, (a) is a perspective view from the front side, (b) is a view from the front side, (c) is a view from one side, (d) is a longitudinal section cut along a line D-D in (b), (e) is a view from the other side, (f) is a longitudinal section cut along a line F-F in (b), (g) is a perspective view from the rear side, (h) is a view from the rear side, and (i) is an enlarged perspective view showing the front end part. 
         FIG.  4    Part drawings showing an applying part of the hair applicator of  FIG.  1   , (a) is a side perspective view, (b) is a view from one side (wide side), and (c) is a view from the other side (narrow side). 
         FIG.  5    (a) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of a comb in a front barrel of a comparative example, and (b) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of a comb in a front barrel of a variational example 1. 
         FIG.  6    (a) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of a comb in a front barrel of a comparative example, (b) is an enlarged side view of the vicinity of a comb in a front barrel of the first embodiment, and (c) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of a comb in a front barrel of the first embodiment. 
         FIG.  7    Illustrative diagrams showing a hair applicator in its capped state, according to a second embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a perspective view from the front side, (b) is a view from the front side, (c) is a view from one side, (d) is a longitudinal section cut along a line D-D in (b), (e) is a view from the other side, (f) is a longitudinal section cut along a line F-F in (b), (g) is a perspective view from the rear side, and (h) is a view from the rear side. 
         FIG.  8    Illustrative diagrams showing the hair applicator of  FIG.  7    in its uncapped state, (a) is a perspective view from the front side, (b) is a view from the front side, (c) is a view from one side, (d) is a longitudinal section cut along a line D-D in (b), (e) is a view from the other side, (f) is a longitudinal section cut along a line F-F in (b), (g) is a perspective view from the rear side, and (h) is an enlarged perspective view showing the front end part. 
         FIG.  9    Part drawings showing the front barrel of the hair applicator of  FIG.  7    in its uncapped state, (a) is a perspective view from the front side, (b) is a view from the front side, (c) is a view from one side, (d) is a longitudinal section cut along a line D-D in (b), (e) is a view from the other side, (f) is a longitudinal section cut along a line F-F in (b), (g) is a perspective view from the rear side, (h) is a view from the rear side, and (i) is an enlarged perspective view showing the front end part. 
         FIG.  10    Part drawings showing an applying part of the hair applicator of  FIG.  7   , (a) is a side perspective view, (b) is a view from one side (wide side), and (c) is a view from the other side (narrow side). 
         FIG.  11    Illustrative diagrams showing a hair applicator in its capped state, according to a third embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a perspective view from the front side, (b) is a view from the front side, (c) is a view from one side, (d) is a longitudinal section cut along a line D-D in (b), (e) is a view from the other side, (f) is a longitudinal section cut along a line F-F in (b), (g) is a perspective view from the rear side, and (h) is a view from the rear side. 
         FIG.  12    Illustrative diagrams showing the hair applicator of  FIG.  11    in its uncapped state, (a) is a perspective view from the front side, (b) is a view from the front side, (c) is a view from one side, (d) is a longitudinal section cut along a line D-D in (b), (e) is a view from the other side, (f) is a longitudinal section cut along a line F-F in (b), (g) is a perspective view from the rear side, and (h) is an enlarged perspective view showing the front end part. 
         FIG.  13    Part drawings showing the front barrel of the hair applicator of  FIG.  11    in its uncapped state, (a) is a perspective view from the front side, (b) is a view from the front side, (c) is a view from one side, (d) is a longitudinal section cut along a line D-D in (b), (e) is view from the other side, (f) is a longitudinal section cut along a line F-F in (b), (g) is a perspective view from the rear side, (h) is a view from the rear side, and (i) is an enlarged perspective view showing the front end part. 
         FIG.  14    Part drawings showing the cap in the hair applicator of  FIG.  11   , (a) is a longitudinal section cut along a line A-A in (b), (b) is a view from the rear side, and (c) is a perspective view from the rear side. 
     
    
    
     MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     First Embodiment 
       FIGS.  1  to  6    are illustrative diagrams showing a hair applicator according to the first embodiment. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1  to  3   , the hair applicator according to the embodiment includes an applying part  10  of a porous material and a comb  12  having comb elements  12   a , formed with the applying part  10 . The hair applicator is an applicator for hair that can dispense a hair dye in the front barrel (corresponding to the “container”)  14  from the applying part  10  to the hair when the comb  12  combs the hair. 
     Detailedly, as shown in  FIG.  1   , the hair applicator has a cap  16  detachably attached to a front end part  14   a  of the front barrel  14  so as to cover the applying part  10 . The cap  16  prevents the applying part  10  from drying by putting an inner cap  16   a  in hermetic contact with the outer peripheral side of the front end part  14   a  of the front barrel  14 . 
     [Front Barrel  14 ] 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , the front barrel  14  has a substantially hollow cylindrical shape with the front end part  14   a  formed in a spatulate flat appearance having an opening forward of the hollow. The comb  12  is formed in the front end part  14   a  so as to surround the opening, and the applying part  10  is exposed from the opening. A tail plug (lid)  18  is fitted to the rear end of the front barrel  14  to close the hollow inside the front barrel  14  so as to provide a container function. In addition, an absorbent fabric  20  is stuffed in the closed space in the front barrel  14 , and impregnated with the hair dye. 
     The applying part  10  is arranged inside the comb  12  of the front barrel  14 . The rear end of applying part  10  is inserted into the front portion of the absorbent fabric  20 , so that the hair dye of the absorbent fabric  20  permeates the applying part  10 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the front barrel  14  is covered from the center to the rear with a rear barrel  22 . The rear barrel  22  has a cylindrical shape with a closed rear end, and a rib  22   a  for preventing rotation of the front barrel  14  is formed on the inner periphery along the axial direction. The rib  22   a  is formed as a projected portion such as a parallel rail. The front barrel  14  has a recess  14   i  formed along the axial direction on the outer surface in the rear portion thereof (see  FIG.  3   ). 
     The recess  14   i  of the front barrel  14  mates with the locking rib  22   a  to prevent the front barrel  14  from rotating with respect to the rear barrel  22 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the front barrel  14  has a male thread  14   b  on the outer peripheral side of the front end part  14   a  for the cap  16  to be screwed thereon. In addition, a flange  14   c  is formed on the outer periphery adjacent to the rear of the male screw  14   b . Further, a fitting rib  14   d  is formed behind the flange  14   c  on the outer periphery. 
     The rear barrel  22  has an annular projected portion  22   b  on the inner surface in the front part thereof. 
     When the rear part of the front barrel  14  is pushed rearward into the front opening of the rear barrel  22  until the flange  14   c  abuts the rear barrel  22 , the projected portion  22   b  inside the rear barrel  22  is engaged with the rib  14   d  so that the rear barrel  22  will not come off (fall out) from the front barrel  14 . 
     In addition, projected portions  14   e  are formed inside the front end part  14   a  of the front barrel  14  to catch a step portion  10   c  of the applying part. 
     [Applying Part  10 ] 
     The applying part  10  is formed of a porous material, which dispenses a coating amount of 0.090 g/m or greater (porosity of 80% or higher) and has a hardness (ISO7619A) of less than A70. 
     Specifically, as shown in  FIG.  4   , the applying part  10  is given in the form of a flat plate having a greater width relative to the thickness. The applying part  10  is formed of a front portion (applying tip side)  10   a  of a width W 1  and a rear portion  10   b  of a width W 2  smaller than W 1 , forming a substantially T-shape. 
     The applying part  10  uses felt as the porous material in the embodiment. The dimensions of the applying part  10  are such that the thickness t is about 7 to 2 (mm), the width W 1  of the front portion  10   a  is wider than the width W 2  of the rear part  10   b  (W 1 &gt;W 2 ), and a step  10   c  is formed at the boundary between the front portion  10   a  and the rear portion  10   b . The width W 1  can be 15 to 10 (mm) and the width W 2  can be 13 to 8 (mm). Further, the length of the front portion  10   a  can be 15 to 10 (mm) and the length of the rear portion  10   b  can be 13 to 8 (mm). The rear endface of the rear portion  10   b  contacts the absorbent fabric  20 , but can be made flat. 
     As shown in  FIG.  1   , in the state where the applying part  10  is attached to the front barrel  14 , the front portion  10   a  of the width W 1  serving as the applying tip is fitted inside of the front end part  14   a . Further, the step  10   c  located at the boundary to the rear portion  10   b  of the width W 2  is locked by the projected portions  14   e  formed in the front end part  14   a  of the front barrel  14 . Therefore, this locking prevents the applying part  10  from sliding backward into the absorbent fabric  20  in the front barrel  14 . 
     [Comb  12 ] 
     In the comb  12 , as shown in  FIGS.  2  and  5   , a plurality of comb elements  12   a  extending forward are formed integrally with the front end part  14   a  of the front barrel  14 . 
     The front end part  14   a  has a rectangular opening, and holds the applying part  10  therein. The front end part  14   a  is configured such that the applying part  10  is held by the comb  12  on the front side with the tips of the comb elements  12   a  project forward beyond the front end of the applying part  10 . 
     In the comb  12 , as shown in  FIGS.  2  and  5   , beams  12   b  for anti-falling (preventing the applying part  10  from falling forward) are formed so as to connect the opposing comb elements  12   a . In addition, the step  10   c  abuts against the projected portions  14   e  inside the front barrel  14  (the front end part  14   a ) in the interior of the comb  12  to prevent the applying part  10  from moving rearward. 
     Therefore, even if the applying part  10  is made of a felt or the like that is softer than the applying part that is press-fitted in the conventional front barrel (Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 4), the applying part  10  is positioned and fixed on the front side by the beams  12   b , and on the rear side by the projected portions  14   e , so that the applying part  10  will not be displaced. 
     As described later, in the first embodiment, as shown in  FIGS.  2  and  5   ( b ), the beam  12   b  between the comb elements  12   a  has a hollow  12   b   1  formed on the surface thereof. Further, the surface area of the tip of the comb element  12   a  is specified to be 0.3 to 1.0 mm 2 . 
     As to the applying part  10 , the higher the porosity, the greater the coating amount. When the coating amount is 0.090 g/m or greater (porosity of 80% or higher) while the hardness (ISO7619A) of the applying part  10  is less than A70, the hardness is sufficient, so that it is possible to prevent the applying part from coming off from the front end part  14   a  of the front barrel  14 . 
     Therefore, according to the hair applicator according to the first embodiment, the applying part can be fixed to the comb elements with a sufficient fixing force, and prevented from being displaced even by an impact from a fall while an ample coating amount can be secured. 
     Yet, since the hardness of the applying part  10  may degrade when the porosity is increased, the beams  12   b  are provided between the comb elements  12   a  of the front end part  14   a , as described above. As shown in detail in  FIGS.  2  and  5   , the beams  12   b  provide a stopper function for the applying part  10 . 
     (Hair Bundle Application Test) 
     With the hair applicator according to the embodiment, an evaluation test was performed on the applying part  10  that was specified so that the coating amount was 0.090 g/m or greater (porosity is 80% or higher) and the hardness (ISO7619A) of the applying part  10  was less than A70. 
     The felt cores for the evaluated applying parts are as shown in Table 1 below. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
             
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Felt Core 
                 Porosity 
                 Hardness 
                 Applied Amount 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                 Example 1 
                 90% 
                 A40 
                 0.115 g 
               
               
                 Example 2 
                 81% 
                 A60 
                 0.104 g 
               
               
                 Comp. Example 1 
                 73% 
                 A80 
                 0.079 g 
               
               
                 Comp. Example 2 
                 68% 
                 A55 
                 0.069 g 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     In Table 1, the applying parts of Examples 1 and 2 of the present invention were felt cores, and the coating amount was 0.115 (g) in Example 1 and 0.104 (g) in Example 2. 
     The applying parts of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were felt cores, and the coating amount was 0.079 (g) in Comparative Example 1 and 0.069 (g) in Comparative Example 2. 
     The porosity of each of Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 is an actual measurement value, which was obtained as the volume converted from the full filling weight of ethanol. 
     The hardness is also an actual measurement value, which was obtained by using a rubber hardness meter (conforming to ISO7619A). 
     The investigation of the amount of liquid applied in Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 was based on the measurement of the applied material by the following hair bundle application test. 
     The object to be coated:
         goat hair bundle (10 cm·1 g)×2 bundles       

     Application speed: 10 cm/sec (second) 
     Preparation for application test: put a sponge in zipper bag on wall. 
     Application test procedures:
         (1) Set two hair bundles on the sponge;   (2) “Apply 10 cm-&gt;1 sec break”×10 strokes-&gt;measure the liquid consumption;   (3) Turn over the hair bundles;   (4) “Apply 10 cm-&gt;1 sec break”×10 strokes-&gt;measure the liquid consumption; and   (5) Prepare new hair bundles and return to (1).       

     The results obtained by repeating (1) to (5) ten times are shown in Table 1. 
     As shown in Table 1, each coating amount was 0.115 (g) in Example 1 and 0.104 (g) in Example 2, whereas the coating amount was 0.079 (g) in Comparative Example 1, and coating amount of Comparative Example 2 was 0.069 (g). The applicators of Examples 1 and 2 have a coating amount of 10 to 12 times or more that of the applicators of Comparative Examples 1 and 2. Thus, according to the present invention, it has become clear that a markedly sufficient amount of coating (approximately an order of magnitude greater) can be applied to the hair. 
     Next, measures against skin stains in the hair applicator of the first embodiment will be described. 
     In  FIG.  5   , (a) shows a comparative example, and (b) shows a variational example 1. 
     Because the comb  12  of the front barrel  14  has its front end located ahead of the applying part, if the front end of the comb  12  is formed flat as in the comparative example shown in  FIG.  5 ( a ) , the fluid may adhere to the skin. 
     More specifically, the cosmetic (application liquid) applied to the hair transfers to the flat top surface of the comb  12  and the top surface touches the skin so that the hair cosmetic is transferred to adhere to and stain the skin. 
     To deal with this, in the variational example 1 shown in  FIG.  5 B , the hollow  12   b   1  is formed on the front endface of the beam  12   b  of the comb  12  to reduce the contact area between the skin and the comb  12 , so that transfer of the liquid can be avoided. 
     Another countermeasure against staining will be described with reference to  FIG.  6   . 
     In  FIG.  6   , (a) shows a comparative example, and (b) and (c) show the front barrel of the first embodiment. 
     In the hair applicator according to the first embodiment, the cosmetic is more likely to adhere to the skin than in the conventional product. That is, as the comb elements  12   a  of the comb  12  are reduced in number, the contact area is reduced, hence it became easier to sink into the skin, and the applying part  10  easily comes into direct contact with the skin. 
     To deal with this, though the comb  12  in the comparative example shown in  FIG.  6 A  has two pairs of comb elements  12   a , the comb  12  of the first embodiment shown in  FIGS.  6 B and  6 C  has five pairs of comb elements  12   a  so as to suppress sinking into the skin and make staining the skin unlikely. 
     In addition, as shown in detail in  FIG.  6 C , in the first embodiment, the beam  12   b  is provided in every other pair of the comb elements  12   a  among the five pairs in the comb  12 , and hollows  12   b   1  are also formed. Specifically, in the first embodiment, the area of the flat part in the front end of the comb part  12  was 0.4 mm 2 , and the gap between the comb elements  12   a  was 1.3 mm. 
     The step height of the hollow  12   b   1  in the preferred comb  12  was found to be 0.5 to 0.9 mm. 
     Second Embodiment 
     Next, a hair applicator according to a second embodiment will be described. 
       FIGS.  7  to  10    are illustrative diagrams of a hair applicator according to a second embodiment, and  FIG.  10    is an illustrative view of an applying part. The hair applicator according to the first embodiment is configured such that the comb elements  12   a  of the comb  12  are arranged and formed in the direction perpendicular to the center axis of the front barrel  14 . On the other hand, in the hair applicator according to the second embodiment, the comb elements  12   a  of the comb  12  are arranged and formed in an inclined manner at an angle θ with respect to the center axis of the front barrel  14  (indicated by the symbol “C” in  FIG.  8   ). 
     Corresponding to the formation and arrangement of the comb elements  12   a  with respect to the center axis of the front barrel  14 , the applying part  10  is slanted forming a front part  10   a  of the facet inclined at the angle θ with respect to the center axis (indicated by the symbol “C” in  FIG.  10   ) 
     As to the other parts, the same components as those in the first embodiment are allotted with the same reference numerals. 
     According to the second embodiment, since the arrangement of the comb elements  12   a  of the comb  12  is slanted, the applicator can be obliquely applied to the hair unlike the first embodiment in which the applicator is applied vertically. It is hence suitable for application to the hairline and the like. Others are the same as in the first embodiment. 
     Third Embodiment 
     Next, a hair applicator according to a third embodiment will be described. 
       FIGS.  11  and  12    are illustrative diagrams of the hair applicator according to the third embodiment.  FIG.  13    is an illustrative diagram of a front barrel, and  FIG.  14    is an illustrative diagram of an applying part. The same parts as those in the first embodiment shown in  FIGS.  1  to  4    are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the third embodiment, the applying part  10  and the absorbent fabric  20  are the same as those in the first embodiment, and those in the second embodiment can also be adopted. The third embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in the configurations other than the applying part  10  and the absorbent fabric  20 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  11  and  12   , in the hair applicator of the third embodiment, a container for accommodating the absorbent fabric  20  is formed with the rear end of the front barrel  14  closed by a tail plug  18 . The tail plug  18  abuts the inner surface  22   c  (bottom surface) at the rear end of the rear barrel  22 . The front part of the tail plug  18  serves as a part closing the rear end of the front barrel  14 . The rear end of the tail plug  18  that is greater in diameter than the front end thereof serves as a part closing the rear end of the rear barrel  22 . 
     The hair applicator also has a cap  16  that covers the applying part  10  and the comb  12 , as shown in  FIG.  11   . The cap  16  can be fitted to a thread  14   b  on the front barrel (forming a container with the tail plug  18 )  14  by a thread (female thread)  16   b . The cap  16  and the front barrel  14  are formed with projections  16   c  (see  FIG.  14   ) and  14   f , which ride over each other into a fitted state. 
     Detailedly, as shown in  FIG.  13   , the front barrel  14  has a pair of projections  14   f  that allow the projections  16   c  (not shown) to ride over. Each projection  14   f  protrudes radially outward adjacent to the front side of the flange  14   c.    
     A rib  14   g  for stopping the rotation of the front barrel  14  relative to the rear barrel  22  is projectively formed on the rear side of the flange  14   c . The projection  14   f  and the rib  14   g  are formed at the same position with respect to the circumferential direction of the front barrel  14 . The rib  14   g  is formed as a projection on the inner surface of the front barrel so as to be engageable with a recess  22   d  to prevent the rear barrel  22  from rotating (see  FIG.  12   ). The rib  14   g  and the recess  22   d  can be appropriately provided in any form as long as they are engaged with each other. 
     As shown in  FIG.  13   , the front barrel  14  has the comb  12  in the front end part  14   a . A groove  14   h  for air replacement is formed on the inner side surface of a comb element  12   a  in contact with the applying part  10 . As shown in  FIG.  13   , the groove  14   h  is formed in a portion facing one side surface of the applying part  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  14   , the cap  16  has an inner cap  16   a  fitted and accommodated inside a main body forming an outer covering. In the front end of the cap, ribs  16   d  for receiving the application liquid are formed radially on the inner surface of the inner cap. There are two projections  16   c  in the cap  16  shown in  FIG.  14    and two projections  14   f  in the front barrel  14  (see  FIGS.  12  and  13   ). However, one or three or more projections  16   c  and  14   f  may be formed. 
     According to the third embodiment, the projections  16   c  and  14   f  are formed on the cap  16  and the front barrel  14 , respectively. Therefore, when the cap  16  is screw-fitted to the front barrel  14 , the projections  16   c  ride over the projections  14   f  to create a clicking sensation when riding over. 
     The user can make sure from the click feeling that the cap  16  and the front barrel  14  have been fitted when the cap  16  is closed. Also, once the projections  16   c  and  14   f  ride over, the projections again need to ride over each other when turning in the removal direction, so that unintentional removal can be prevented. 
     Since the air replacement groove  14   h  is provided on the inner surface of the comb  12 , air-liquid replacement can be smoothly performed in the applying part  10  and others. Thus, the air displacement from the applying part can be ensured, so that it is possible to prevent a supply shortage at the time of application. 
     In addition, the tail plug  18  abuts the inner surface  22   c  (bottom surface) at the rear end of the rear barrel  22 , to reliably prevent the tail plug  18  from falling off inside the rear barrel  22 , thereby making it possible to prevent the absorbent fabric  20  from falling from the applying part  10 . 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The hair applicator of the present invention can be used not only for human hair but also for animals. 
     EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS 
       10  applying part 
       12  comb 
       12   a  comb element 
       12   b  beam 
       12   b   1  hollow 
       14  front barrel 
       14   a  front end part 
       14   b  male thread 
       14   c  flange 
       14   d  rib 
       14   e  projected portion 
       14   f  projection 
       14   h  groove 
       16  cap 
       16   b  thread 
       16   c  projection 
       20  absorbent fabric 
       22  rear barrel