Abstract:
A reusable absorber capable of absorbing perm chemicals and configured to enable at least a portion of the absorber to remain in place at an individual&#39;s hairline during a perm treatment. The absorber includes a cord, features for securing first and second ends of the cord together, and a lateral having at least one of two ends attached to the cord at a location in proximity to one end of the cord. The cord comprises an absorbent material that is resistant to chemical attack by perm chemicals and is capable of absorbing the perm chemicals.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/499,426, filed Jun. 21, 2011, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to hair styling products. More particularly, this invention relates to an absorber adapted to be worn by an individual during the application of hair styling chemicals to the individual&#39;s hair for the purpose of preventing runoff of the chemicals onto the individual&#39;s face and body. 
         [0003]    A permanent wave, or simply a “perm,” is a well-known hair treatment to create waves or curls in an individual&#39;s hair. A perm treatment involves the application of a chemical solution to the hair, for example, an alkaline chemical such as ammonium thioglycolate or an acidic chemical such as glycerol monothioglycolate, which will be referred to hereinafter simply as perm chemicals. During the application of a perm chemical to an individual&#39;s hair, it is desirable to minimize contact with the skin due to the harsh nature of the chemicals. For this purpose, one known practice is to wrap a cotton coil or the like around an individual&#39;s head along the hairline to absorb any runoff or drips that might otherwise come into contact with the individual&#39;s skin below the hairline. Though generally effective, a cotton coil can quickly become saturated, necessitating frequent replacement during a perm treatment. The coil may also have the tendency to slide downward from the hairline, necessitating frequent repositioning and/or replacement of the coil. Another disadvantage of cotton coils is that they are not reusable, and are therefore typically thrown away after a single use. 
         [0004]    Accordingly, there is a need for an absorbent product that is capable of absorbing perm chemicals and remaining in place at an individual&#39;s hairline during application of the chemicals to the hair. It would also be desirable if such a product could be reused and, in doing so, be more ecologically and environmentally “friendly” than cotton coils. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention provides a reusable absorber that is capable of absorbing perm chemicals and is configured to enable at least a portion of the absorber to remain in place at an individual&#39;s hairline during a perm treatment. 
         [0006]    According to a first aspect of the invention, the absorber includes a cord having first and second ends, features for securing the first and second ends of the cord together, and a lateral having first and second ends of which at least one of the first and second ends is attached to the cord at a location that is closer in proximity to the first end of the cord than to the second end of the cord. The cord comprises an absorbent material that is resistant to chemical attack by perm chemicals and is capable of absorbing the perm chemicals. 
         [0007]    Another aspect of the invention is a process of using an absorber comprising the elements described above. As an example, such a method includes wrapping the cord around the head of an individual so that the cord is located at the hairline of the individual, securing the first and second ends of the cord together, and routing the lateral on the crown of the individual&#39;s head so as to anchor the cord to the head and inhibit the cord from slipping from the hairline of the individual. 
         [0008]    A technical effect of the invention is that the absorber is absorbent to perm chemicals and is configured to have securement features that enable the absorber to remain in place at an individual&#39;s hairline during a perm treatment. As a result, the absorber does not require frequent repositioning or replacement during a perm treatment. In preferred embodiments, the absorbent material comprises a bamboo material that enables the absorber to be washed and reused numerous times, while also being biodegradable and as such is more environmentally friendly than existing cotton coils. 
         [0009]    Other aspects and advantages of this invention will be better appreciated from the following detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  schematically represents an absorber adapted for absorbing chemicals during a perm treatment in accordance with a first embodiment of this invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a photograph of an absorber in accordance with a second embodiment of this invention. 
           [0012]      FIGS. 3 and 4  are photographs showing the absorber of  FIG. 2  positioned on an individual&#39;s head and at the individual&#39;s hairline. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]      FIGS. 1 and 2  depict absorbers  10  that represent different embodiments of the present invention. Each absorber  10  is adapted to be worn along the hairline of an individual. Furthermore, each absorber  10  is particularly adapted to absorb chemicals used during a perm treatment to absorb any runoff or drips that might otherwise come into contact with the individual&#39;s skin below the hairline. For convenience, consistent reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to identify the same or functionally equivalent elements of the absorbers  10 . 
         [0014]    Each absorber  10  is constructed to include a cord  12  that comprises an absorbent flexible material that is capable of absorbing perm chemicals (including alkaline and acidic perm chemicals) while also being resistant to chemical attack by such chemicals to permit repeated use of the cord  12 . A preferred material is believed to be bamboo batting, generally characterized by nonwoven discontinuous bamboo fibers, though it is foreseeable that the bamboo fibers could be combined with fibers of another fibrous material. Bamboo is a particularly preferred material for the cord  12  in that bamboo materials are highly absorbent, reusable, and biodegradable. As represented in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the cord  12  may have a core  14  formed of bamboo batting, which is then wrapped, sleeved or otherwise enclosed within an outer cover  16  formed of a suitable flexible material. A wide variety of materials can be used for the cover  16 , including various textiles, including fabrics, clothes and weaves. The core  14  and cover  16  of the cord  12  may be assembled to permit removal of the core  14  from the cover  16 , after which the core  14  can be replaced (if necessary) with a new core  14  or can be washing and reinstalled in the cover  16 . This approach also permits separate washing and, if necessary, replacement of the cover  16 . Alternatively, as seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , it is foreseeable that the cover  16  can be partially or entirely omitted. 
         [0015]    Each absorber  10  is also equipped with a lateral  18  that is attached to and extends from the cord  12 . The lateral  18  may be formed similarly to the cord  12 , in other words, to have a bamboo core  14  within an outer cover  16 . However, the lateral  18  may be simply formed of the same or similar material used to form the cover  16  of the cord  12 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the lateral  18  is an elongate strip with only one end  26  attached to the cord  12  and an unattached opposite end  28  so that the absorber  10  is roughly T-shaped, with the lateral  18  forming the lower leg of the T and the cord  12  forming the upper cross-member of the T. In the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , the lateral  18  is represented as a loop with each end  26  and  28  attached to the cord  12 . The laterals  18  can be permanently or releasably attached to their respective cords  12 , though it is believed that a permanent attachment may be preferable, which as used herein refers to methods of attaching the lateral  18  to the cord  12  that do not permit the lateral  18  to be detached by simply pulling on the lateral without damage to the lateral  18  or cord  12 . In addition, the end  26  or ends  26  and  28  of the laterals  18  is/are preferably attached to its respective cord  12  in proximity to one of two ends  20  and  22  of the cord  12 . In  FIG. 1 , the end  26  of the lateral  18  is attached to the cord  12  at a location that is closer in proximity to the end  20  of the cord  12  than to the other end  22  of the cord  12 , whereas in  FIG. 2  both ends  26  and  28  of the lateral  18  are attached to the cord  12  at one end  20  or  22  of the cord  12 . 
         [0016]    The cord  12  is adapted to be wrapped around an individual&#39;s head, preferably along the entire extent of the individual&#39;s hairline. As represented in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the cord  12  may be wrapped around the nape  32  of the individual&#39;s neck such that the two ends  20  and  22  of the cord  12  overlap each other at the individual&#39;s forehead  30 , where the ends  20  and  22  of the cord  12  are preferably secured to each other. As an example,  FIGS. 1 and 2  show the absorbers  10  as equipped with complementary hook-and-loop fasteners  24 , for example, VELCRO®, by which the ends  20  and  22  of the cord  12  can be adjustably and releasably joined together, though the use of other types of complementary fastening elements, for example, snaps, etc., is also within the scope of the invention. Once the cord  12  is in position, the lateral  18  is used to wrap the hair at or near the crown (top) of the individual&#39;s head in a manner capable of preventing slippage of the cord  12 . As evident from  FIG. 3 , rods  34  around which the hair is wrapped in preparation for a perm treatment can provide a suitable anchor about which the lateral  18  can be routed on the crown of the individual&#39;s head to prevent the cord  12  of the absorber  10  from slipping downward from the hairline. As further evident from  FIG. 3 , because the end  26  or the ends  26  and  28  of the laterals  18  is/are attached in proximity to one end  20  of its respective cord  12 , the lateral  18  can be routed to define a loop that extends rearward from the individual&#39;s forehead  30 . This rearward looping configuration can be achieved regardless of whether the lateral  18  is attached to the cord  12  at both of its ends  26  and  28  (as represented in  FIG. 3 ) or only at one of its ends  26 , in which case the free end  28  may still be located near the forehead but remain unattached to the cord  12 . 
         [0017]    In view of the above, it can be seen that a significant advantage of the invention is the use of a highly absorbent cord  12  that can be inhibited from slipping during use, and therefore does not require frequent repositioning during use. In addition, the bamboo material of the cord core  14  can be washed and reused numerous times, while also being biodegradable, such that the absorber  10  is being environmentally friendly. 
         [0018]    While the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments, it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by one skilled in the art. For example, the absorbers  10  could differ in appearance and construction from the embodiments shown, the functions of their components could be performed by components of different construction but capable of a similar (though not necessarily equivalent) function, and appropriate materials could be substituted for those noted. Furthermore, while the Figures depict the absorbers  10  and their components in proportions found suitable for use, the particular represented embodiments are not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.