Patent ID: 7820147

Claim:
A method of strengthening damaged or chemically treated hair, comprising: (a) applying to damaged or chemically treated hair a hair restorative composition comprised of: an aqueous solvent; a hair shaft bonding agent based on at least one of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid for chemically reacting with hair and adhering to and filling in discontinuities in hair shafts within damaged hair in an amount greater than 5% by weight of the hair restorative composition; a wetting agent that facilitates absorption of said hair shaft bonding agent into hair shafts being treated; and a thickening agent that increases the viscosity of the hair restorative composition before application to damaged hair; (b) allowing the hair restorative composition to chemically react with and repair and/or strengthen the damaged or chemically treated hair by adhering to and filling in discontinuities in hair shafts within the damaged or chemically treated hair to yield strengthened and/or repaired hair shafts; and (c) washing the hair to remove excess hair restorative composition from the hair, a portion of the hair restorative composition remaining chemically bonded to the hair so as to fill in and permanently mend discontinuities in the strengthened and/or repaired hair shafts after washing.