Curly or kinky human hair is permanently relaxed into a relatively smoothed or S-curved condition by a series of treatments involving application of a non-injurious composition containing a water solution of a salt of a weak acid to disrupt internal bonds of the hair, while manipulating and straightening the hair, then removing and replacing the first composition with a fixative to reconstruct or modify the structure of the hair, and finally applying a stabilizing composition which also acts to set and condition the hair.
A method for determining the effectiveness of hair relaxer treatments immediately after treatment, and a method for determining the amount of curl reversion at specified time periods after relaxer treatment.
A process for the permanent waving of hair in which hair wound on a mandrel is exposed to the action of a reactive waving solution containing at least one reducing agent capable of cystine cleavage to achieve cystine cleavage and the step of applying an oxidizing agent to the hair to reform the cystine bonds, is improved by contacting the hair for from about 5 to 15 minutes with the reactive waving solution to achieve a substantially-maximum cystine bond cleavage; blotting the hair to remove the reactive waving solution; and contacting the hair with a protein flow solution for a period of time sufficient to induce protein flow in the hair to achieve a desired curl configuration prior to application of the oxidizing agent to reestablish the cystine bonds to fix the curl. The protein flow solution is an aqueous protein flow solution having a pH of from about 2 to about 10. The protein flow solution is preferably an aqueous solution of at least one protein flow agent which is a polyvalent metal ion, a water-soluble hydroxyorganic compound containing up to about 4 carbon atoms, and at least one hydroxyl group or mixtures thereof.
A method for detecting a condition of permanent waves during a permanent wave hairdressing, by using a chemical liquid which makes permanent waves and which produces a hydrogen sulfide gas at a predetermined temperature, and by exposing a lead acetate test paper to the hydrogen sulfide gas which changes colors to indicate the condition of the permanent wave. An apparatus having a light emitting diode detects the change in color of the test paper and activates a buzzer when a predetermined change of color is detected.
An improved hair straightening system based upon a pre-shampoo normalizer is disclosed. The improved system provides for rinsing the hair after the straightening composition has been applied to the hair for a sufficiently long period of time and then applying the pre-shampoo normalizer to the hair before the shampoo step. The pre-shampoo normalizer preferably includes between about 0.25 and about 10% by weight of a medium molecular weight cationic polymer, between about 2 and about 20% by weight of a hydrolyzed animal protein having a molecular weight of between about 200 and about 15,000 and less than about 10% by weight of a surface active agent. The pre-shampoo normalizer should also be adjusted to a pH of between about 2.5 and about 7 by using a conventional acid composition.
A composition for treating hair includes at least one of the following: a) a cationic polymer made from the reaction of secondary amines and epihalohydrin and further cross-linked with the addition of a small amount of ethylene diamine; b) dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate and one of a precomponent of an active hair relaxing ingredient, guanidine hydroxide or a shampoo base; c) polyquaternium 10 and at least one of an active hair relaxing ingredient and an active hair relaxing ingredient; and d) polyquaternium 32 and mineral oil. A method of using at least one of a cationic polymer, dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate, polyquaternium 10 or polyquaternium 32 includes the steps of applying one of the above to hair that is in risk of damage from a cosmetic procedure and exposing the hair to a cosmetic procedure.
