PROCESS FOR TREATING HAIR FIBRES

Abstract

Process for treating hair fibres, comprising: (i) combing said fibres, (ii) applying vapour to said fibres, the flow rate of vapour applied being strictly less than 1 g/min, (iii) hair shaping, by heat treatment without vapour, of the hair fibres by conduction and/or by radiation, steps (ii) and (iii) being separate.

Claims

1. Process for treating hair fibres, comprising: (i) combing said fibres, (ii) applying vapour to said fibres, the flow rate of vapour applied being strictly less than 1 g/min, (iii) hair shaping, by heat treatment without vapour, of the hair fibres by conduction and/or by radiation, steps (ii) and (iii) being separate.

2. Process according to claim 1, wherein step (ii) of applying vapour to said fibres is carried out in a confined space.

3. Process according to claim 1, wherein the flow rate of vapour applied is from 0.7 g/min to 0.9 g/min.

4. Process according to claim 1, wherein the treatment steps are carried out in the following order: (i), (ii), then (iii).

5. Process according to claim 1 wherein at least steps (ii) and (iii) are carried out in a single pass per lock of hair fibres.

6. Process according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment in step (iii) is carried out at a temperature ranging from 90 C. to 230 C.

7. Process according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment step (iii) without vapour is carried out by bringing the hair fibres into contact with at least one hot surface, the surface(s) being formed of one or more heating plates.

8. Process according to claim 1, wherein steps (ii) and (iii) are carried out within the same apparatus for treating the head of hair, said apparatus comprising at least two plates, at least one of which is heating, arranged facing one another, between which the hair fibres pass in order to carry out step (iii), said apparatus also comprising at least one vapour outlet acting on a zone of the hair fibres other than that included between the plates at a given moment.

9. Process according to claim 8, wherein the treatment apparatus has a groove and, facing said groove, said at least one vapour outlet, said at least one vapour outlet and this groove being offset relative to the plates.

10. Process according to claim 8, wherein, in step (ii), the hair fibres are made to pass between said at least one vapour outlet and the groove.

11. Process according to claim 8, wherein step (i) of combing is carried out within the same apparatus, the apparatus comprising a comb, especially arranged upstream of said vapour outlet.

12. Process according to claim 1, comprising an additional step of applying at least one cosmetic composition to the hair fibres.

13. Process according to claim 12, wherein said at least one cosmetic composition has a viscosity of less than or equal to 400 cps at a shear rate of 1 s.sup.1.

14. Process according to claim 12, wherein said at least one cosmetic composition comprises at least one ingredient chosen from solvents, surfactants, thickeners, preservatives, fragrances, dye precursors, direct dyes, silicone or non-silicone and fixing or non-fixing polymers, fatty substances, such as mineral, vegetable or synthetic oils, and waxes, reducing agents, oxidizing agents, UV screening agents, conditioning agents, agents for combating free radicals, sequestering or stabilizing agents, antioxidants, acidifying agents, alkaline agents, volatile or non-volatile silicones, reactive or chemically inert polymers, pigments, solid organic or inorganic particles, vitamins, plant extracts, or propenetrating agents or fibre-swelling agents.

15. Process according to claim 12, the additional step of applying at least one cosmetic composition taking place after the step (i) of combing the hair fibres and before the step (ii) of applying vapour to the hair fibres.

16. Process according to claim 1, not comprising a step of applying a cosmetic composition to the hair fibres.

17. Process according to claim 1, wherein the hair fibres are human hair.

18. Process according to claim 1, the flow rate of vapour applied ranging from 0.75 g/min to 0.85 g/min.

19. Process according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment in step (iii) is carried out at a temperature ranging from 120 C. to 210 C.

20. Process according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment in step (iii) is carried out at a temperature ranging from 170 C. to 210 C.

21. Process according to claim 12, wherein said at least one cosmetic composition has a viscosity of less than or equal to 200 cps at 22 C. and 1013.25 hPa, and at a shear rate of 1 s.sup.1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0043] The invention may be understood better from reading the following detailed description of nonlimiting exemplary embodiments thereof and from studying the appended drawing, in which:

[0044] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the process according to the invention,

[0045] FIG. 2 is a partial schematic depiction in cross section of an example of an apparatus for treating the head of hair that may be used for carrying out the process according to the invention,

[0046] FIG. 3 is a view, similar to that of FIG. 2, illustrating prior art,

[0047] FIG. 4 is a basic diagram of an experiment carried out with an extensometer for the comparison of the treatment of a lock of hair fibres with an apparatus according to FIG. 2 and with an apparatus according to FIG. 3, and

[0048] FIG. 5 represents three locks of hair fibres after various treatments described below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0049] In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the process according to the invention comprises three successive steps 1, 2 and 3 carried out on a lock of hair fibres by an apparatus for treating hair fibres. The apparatus is configured to carry out the various steps of the process successively on the hair fibres, by movement of said apparatus along the lock of hair fibres, especially over a portion of the hair fibres inserted between two arms of the apparatus, forming tongs.

[0050] Step 1 is a step of combing hair fibres, making it possible to separate the hair fibres. After this step 1, the lock receives vapour in step 2 in an amount equal to 0.8 g/min in this example. Then, separately from step 2, but immediately thereafter, the hair fibres are subjected to a heat treatment without vapour by conduction and/or radiation in a step 3, with the aim of smoothing them.

[0051] For this purpose, an apparatus 10 for treating the head of hair, comprising two arms articulated together so as to form tongs, depicted partially schematically in FIG. 2, may be used.

[0052] Step 1 is thus carried out by the comb 11, one tine 12 of which can be seen in this figure, in a combing zone 4.

[0053] Step 2 is carried out by a row of vapour outlet nozzles 13, one of which can be seen in FIG. 2, in a vapour application zone 5. This row of nozzles 13 faces, along the axis X, perpendicular to the lock of hair fibres during treatment thereof, a groove 14 that makes it possible to confine the vapour emitted along the axis X by the nozzles 13. The nozzles 13 are borne by one arm of the apparatus, while the groove 14 is defined by the other arm. The lock passes between the row of nozzles 13 and the groove 14. The groove 14 does not have its own heating means.

[0054] Finally, in a zone 6 for heat treatment without vapour, step 3 is carried out by passing and grasping the lock between two plates 15 facing one another, each borne by one of the arms of the apparatus 10. At least one resistive heating element 16 makes it possible to heat at least one of the plates 15. The vapour application zone 5 and the zone 6 for heat treatment without vapour are thus separate on the apparatus.

[0055] The apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. 3 originates from the prior art, and the vapour application zone 5 is located between two zones 6 and 6 for heat treatment by conduction/radiation, by contact with heated surfaces. Thus, a lock of hair fibres passing into the apparatus 10 is subjected to a step of combing in the combing zone 4, undergoes heat treatment and grasping between the heating plates 15 in zone 6, then undergoes application of vapour in zone 5 and another heat treatment in zone 6.

[0056] Comparative Test

[0057] The treatment of a lock of hair fibres in accordance with the process according to the invention, for example using an apparatus 10 for treating the head of hair as described above, was compared with that of a lock of hair fibres in accordance with a process of the prior art, for example using an apparatus 10 for treating the head of hair which differs from the apparatus 10 by the fact that steps (ii) and (iii) are carried out simultaneously over the same portion of hair fibres. An untreated control lock was also observed.

[0058] In order to carry out the comparison, a Lloyd LS1 type extensometer is used, equipped with a system for clamping the heating plates of smoothing irons in a manner force-controlled by a dynamometer. The basic diagram is given in FIG. 4. The extensometer makes it possible to control the speed of movement of the lock M through the smoothing iron. The extensometer makes it possible to control the pressure, so as to apply identical pressure from the heating plates to the hair fibres during the movement of the lock in the direction of the arrow illustrated in FIG. 4, from one apparatus to another.

[0059] Two locks of type 4 curly hair fibres (2.7 g/27 cm) were treated, as indicated above, under the following experimental conditions.

[0060] The speed of movement in this example is constant and is fixed at 108 cm/min. The clamping force of the heating plates 20 is controlled at 5 N along a straight axis relative to the axis of the lock.

[0061] The heating temperature of the plates is 200 C. The vapour flow rate is 0.8 g/min.

[0062] A single pass in the apparatus is performed for each lock.

[0063] The result obtained for the three locks of hair fibres M1, M2 and M3 is illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0064] The lock M1 is an untreated control lock. It is curly.

[0065] The lock M2 was treated as in the apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. 3 under the experimental conditions described above.

[0066] The lock M3 was treated as in the apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 according to the process in accordance with the invention with the same experimental conditions.

[0067] Qualitatively, these locks M1, M2 and M3 were classified by a panel of five evaluators on the criterion of manageability (alignment of the fibres relative to one another) in the following decreasing order: M3 superior to M2 greatly superior to M1 (M3>M2>>M1).

[0068] Visually, in terms of volume, the locks M1, M2 and M3 were also evaluated on the criterion of volume in the following decreasing order: M3 superior or equal to M2 greatly superior to M1 (M3M2>>M1).

[0069] With identical clamping of the tool and identical speed of movement of the lock of hair fibres, carrying out the process according to the invention, with a step of combing, a step of vapour application and a step of heat treatment without vapour, especially between two plates, is more effective in terms of visual smoothing (alignment of the fibres and reduction of the volume) from the first pass than carrying out a process outside the invention with a step of combing, a step of heat treatment between two plates, a step of vapour application and a step of heat treatment between two plates.