DEVICE FOR TREATING THE HAIR

Abstract

A device for treating, notably for shaping, in particular straightening, the hair, having at least one active portion comprising at least one light emission source that is able to emit, towards the hair, light radiation having a dominant wavelength peak of between 0.8 m and 5 m. The invention also relates to a method for treating the hair, notably for straightening it, using such a device.

Claims

1. A device for treating, notably for shaping, in particular straightening, the hair, having at least one active portion comprising at least one light emission source that is able to emit, towards the hair, light radiation having a dominant wavelength peak of between 0.8 m and 5 m.

2. The device according to claim 1, which is a straightening, curling or crimping device, having two arms that are able to move relative to one another between a moved-together configuration for treating the hair and a spaced-apart configuration for inserting hair to be treated between said arms, the arms defining half-handles that are continued towards their distal ends by jaws, said at least one active portion being carried by one of the two jaws.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the two jaws is flat, and better still both of the jaws are flat.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein each of the two jaws carries at least one active portion comprising at least one light emission source that is able to emit, towards the hair, radiation having a dominant wavelength peak of between 0.8 m and 5 m.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the light source or sources has or have at least one light-emitting diode emitting in the infrared.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the light source or sources has or have at least one carbon infrared emitter, notably a halogen lamp with a carbon filament.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the light source or sources has or have at least one infrared emitter comprising a carbon filament with a diameter ranging from 8 mm to 25 mm.

8. The device according to claim 6, wherein the light source or sources has or have at least one infrared emitter comprising a carbon filament with a length ranging from 200 mm to 400 mm.

9. The device according to claim 2, wherein the jaws of the arms do not have heating elements other than the active portion or portions comprising the light source or sources.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein said at least one light source is disposed at the centre or at the ends of the jaws of the arms, the device having notably a plurality of light sources disposed in one or more rows, or in an array of light sources.

11. The device according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the two jaws has at least one additional heating element intended to come into contact with the hair, and better still each of the two jaws has at least one additional heating element, the additional heating element or elements preferably having a plate defining a hot surface for contact with the hair, notably made of metal, glass or ceramic.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one light source is a pulsed-light source.

13. A method for treating, notably shaping, in particular straightening, the hair, using a device for treating the hair, notably according to claim 1, wherein, in said method, in order to treat the hair, at least one lock of hair is exposed to light radiation having a dominant wavelength peak of between 0.8 m and 5 m.

14. The method according to claim 13, having an additional step of applying one or more hair compositions to all or part of the head of hair to be treated, before, during or after the use of the treatment device.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the hair composition used comprises at least one agent for breaking the disulfide bridges present in the hair, preferably at least one thiol.

16. The method according to claim 13, also comprising a step of treatment using steam, notably during the exposure to light, the steam flow rate being notably less than 1 g/min.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0063] The invention will be understood better from reading the following description and examining the accompanying figures. These are presented only by way of non-limiting indication of the invention.

[0064] FIG. 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a hair treatment device according to the invention,

[0065] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the lower arm on its own,

[0066] FIG. 3 shows a view similar to the one in FIG. 2 of a variant of the device according to the invention,

[0067] FIG. 4 shows a view similar to the one in FIG. 2 of a variant of the device according to the invention,

[0068] FIG. 5 shows a view similar to the one in FIG. 2 of a variant of the device according to the invention, and

[0069] FIG. 6 is a schematic view in cross section of the device in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] FIG. 1 shows the handpiece 2 of an example of a hair treatment device according to the invention.

[0071] In this example, the device is a straightening device, with the handpiece 2 having two jaws 3 and 4 that are able to move with respect to one another between a spaced-apart configuration (not shown) for introducing a lock of hair between said jaws, and a moved-together configuration for treatment, illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0072] The jaws 3 and 4 are carried by an upper arm 5 and a lower arm 6, respectively, which, in the example in question, are connected together at one end by a joint 8, the handpiece 2 thus forming tongs.

[0073] The arms 5 and 6 define, between the joint 8 and the jaws 3 and 4, respective half-handles 10 and 11 on which the user can press in order to move the jaws 3 and 4 together.

[0074] An elastic return member (not visible) is preferably provided to return the jaws 3 and 4 into the spaced-apart configuration, this elastic return member being for example a spring disposed around a pin of the joint 8.

[0075] The invention is not limited to a particular manner of connecting the arms 5 and 6 together and the jaws 3 and 4 may be rendered able to move in some other way without departing from the scope of the present invention. However, the presence of a joint is largely preferred for the ergonomics that it affords.

[0076] The jaws 3 and 4 define between one another a region for treating the hair, said region being intended to receive a lock of hair to be treated, along which the handpiece 2 is moved during the treatment, for example in the direction from the root to the end of the hairs.

[0077] In the example in question, the device is configured to carry out a heat treatment of the hair via the exposure of the latter to a light source having a particular dominant wavelength peak, as described below.

[0078] The direction D of movement of the handpiece 2 over the hair is preferably substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X thereof.

[0079] In the example in question, the handpiece 2 is connected by a line 14 to a base station (not shown) that is fixed during the treatment and is connected to the mains.

[0080] This base station supplies power to the handpiece 2 and may also carry out additional functions of processing electrical signals received from the handpiece 2. The line 14 that connects the handpiece 2 to the base station may thus have various electrical conductors.

[0081] A user interface (not shown in the figures) may be present on the handpiece in order to allow the user, for example, to start up or not to start up certain components thereof.

[0082] The device according to the invention has at least one active portion 16, shown in FIG. 2, comprising at least one light emission source 22 that is able to emit, towards the hair, light radiation having a dominant wavelength peak of between 0.8 m and 5 m.

[0083] The device according to the invention advantageously has at least one sensor (not shown) configured to detect the opening of the jaws 3, 4 and to bring about the deactivation of the source or sources 22 when the jaws are open.

[0084] In the example in FIG. 2, each of the two jaws 3, 4 carries an active portion 16 comprising a plurality of, pulsed-light, light sources 22 disposed at the lateral ends of the jaws of the arms. In this example, the light source or sources have at least one light-emitting diode emitting in the infrared. In one variant, the light sources have a plurality of light-emitting diodes having different wavelengths, but at least some of which have a dominant wavelength peak according to the invention. In another variant, the light sources have at least one carbon infrared emitter.

[0085] The surface power density brought about by the light sources 22 on the hair may range from 0.1 W/cm.sup.2 to 100 W/cm.sup.2, better still from 0.2 W/cm.sup.2 to 70 W/cm.sup.2, better still from 0.3 W/cm.sup.2 to 50 W/cm.sup.2.

[0086] In the example illustrated, the device has a plate 18, which is smooth and transparent to the radiation of the light sources 22 and which is situated between the latter and the hair.

[0087] The length I of the active portions 16 defines the extent of the treatment region perpendicularly to the direction D of movement of the handpiece 2 relative to the hair. The active portions 16 are for example flat and have a rectangular contour, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0088] In the variant in FIG. 3, the light emission source 22 is disposed at the centre of the active portion 16 and has a halogen lamp with a carbon filament having a diameter equal to 10 mm and a length equal to 300 mm. The light source 22 is able to emit, towards the hair, light radiation having a dominant wavelength peak equal to 1.64 m. In a variant that is not shown, the diameter of the filament is equal to 19 mm and its length is equal to 300 mm, the dominant wavelength peak being equal to 3.48 m.

[0089] In the examples described with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3, the jaws of the arms do not have additional heating elements other than the active portion 16 comprising the light source or sources.

[0090] In a variant shown in FIG. 4, each of the two jaws has an additional heating element intended to come into contact with the hair, these additional heating elements each having a plate 14, 15 defining a hot surface for contact with the hair and carried respectively by the upper arm 5 and lower arm 6. The heating plates 14 and 15 are made of any material suitable for the treatment to be carried out, for example a metal, ceramic or glass.

[0091] In this case, the light sources 22 can be disposed at the periphery of the heating plates 14, 15 and extend laterally with respect to the latter, upstream of the additional heating element during the use of the device on the hair, as can be seen in FIG. 4. The device may have one or more sensors for sensing the temperature of the additional heating element or elements (not shown).

[0092] In the variant shown in FIG. 5, the light source 22, a halogen lamp having a carbon filament, is disposed within the heating plate 15 along the longitudinal axis X of the handpiece.

[0093] FIG. 6 shows the plate 18 transparent to the radiation of the light source 22, which is situated at a non-zero distance d.sub.p from the latter, thereby forming a void between the latter and the plate. In this example, a heating plate 15 is also present, the light source being disposed laterally with respect to the latter.

[0094] In the examples described, the light sources and the additional heating elements are powered independently of one another, notably by different electrical power sources. In one variant, the light sources and the additional heating elements are powered by one and the same power source.

[0095] The surface state of the plates 14 and 15, in the region of contact with the hair, depends on the desired treatment, and preferably the plates are substantially smooth when the device is intended to straighten the hair.

[0096] One of the plates is for example mounted in a fixed manner on the corresponding arm while the other is mounted in an articulated manner, for example with the aid of a ball joint, so as to allow the plates to extend parallel to one another and to a median treatment plane in the closed configuration of the jaws. If appropriate, at least one of the plates is disposed on one of the arms 5 and 6, being supported by a structure that forms a spring.

[0097] The heating plates 14 and 15 may each have an electrical resistor electrically powered by the base station, preferably with temperature regulation by virtue of one or more sensors disposed in the vicinity of the heating resistors or in contact with the plates.

[0098] When a user wishes to shape their hair, they move the device according to the invention towards the lock of hair or they move said device along a lock of hair in order to expose the latter to the active portion 16. They then repeat the operation on other locks of hair until the desired shaping result has been achieved.

[0099] The treatment makes it possible to fix the shape of the hair.

[0100] Numerous modifications can be made to the devices that have just been described, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0101] Other types of light emission sources can be used, and/or the light sources can be disposed in some other way.

[0102] The device may also be configured to carry out a treatment by spraying steam and/or applying a hair product in the form of one or more cosmetic compositions, comprising preferably at least one agent for breaking the disulfide bridges present in the hair, the composition preferably comprising at least one thiol. The device may have a vaporization member and a member for applying a cosmetic product disposed so as to come into contact with the hair extending through the treatment region (these not being shown).

[0103] The vaporization member may consist of a resistive element present in an evaporation chamber supplied with water by the base station or from a reservoir present in the device. The evaporation chamber is disposed on one of the arms, the steam outlet being provided on the same arm. The base station may have an electrically driven pump, preferably a peristaltic pump, that draws up water to be sent to the handpiece 2 from a reservoir of water. The device itself may have a peristaltic pump. The pump is for example as disclosed in the publication FR 2 967 018. The evaporation chamber may be produced in accordance with the teaching in the application EP 2449909A1 or in some other way, and communicate with at least one steam outlet.

[0104] The steam flow rate ranges preferably from 0.7 to 0.9 g/min.

[0105] The cosmetic product is preferably contained in a reservoir carried by the upper arm 5 of the handpiece 2. The applicator member 23 is supplied with the aid of a product dispensing mechanism which is actuated automatically during the use of the handpiece 2.