The present invention relates to a device for treating a head. In particular, the present invention relates to a device for delousing a scalp and hair of the head.

A commonly known device for delousing the scalp and hair is a fine -toothed comb. Such a fine- toothed comb removes lice and nits by combing them from the hair. A disadvantage of such control using a fine -toothed comb is that it is time-consuming. The hair must be wetted, rubbed with hair conditioner and then combed every day for two weeks. Such combing treatment is often insufficiently effective, with lice and nits still being present on the scalp and in the hair after two weeks.

An alternative way of controlling head lice is by applying an anti-lice product such as dimeticone, malathion or permethrin to the scalp and hair, and then combing the lice killed by the anti-lice product from the hair using a fine -toothed comb. Such products control head lice by poisoning or suffocating them. A disadvantage of such products is that they may cause irritation, an allergic reaction and/or sensitisation of the skin, making the products fairly unfriendly for children. The products are moreover expensive, and quite often the lice are or become immune to the toxic products.

Another alternative for controlling lice is to treat the scalp and the hair with hot air. Blowing hot air through the hair and over the scalp kills the lice and nits by desiccating them. This treatment is very effective in comparison with the aforementioned treatments. However, this form of lice control involves the disadvantages of being very expensive and time-consuming.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a cheap, non-toxic, simple and effective alternative for controlling lice.

To this end the invention provides a device of the kind mentioned in the introduction characterised in that it comprises a cap-shaped head covering that is configured to be arranged over at least part of the head and to adjoin the head in an at least substantially fluid-tight manner along an edge thereof, the head covering comprising an inlet for supplying a fluid to a chamber between the head and head covering. In particular, the invention provides a device for delousing a scalp and hair characterised in that it comprises a cap-shaped head covering that is configured to enclose, in a liquid-tight manner, an area of a head to be treated, and to incorporate a liquid in a chamber between the area and the head covering. With such a head covering, an area of the head to be treated can be immersed in a liquid to treat that area. Because the entire area is immersed in the liquid, the scalp and the hair in that entire area come into contact with the liquid in a single operation. This is a particular advantage in treating the scalp and hair against head lice and nits, causing all the lice and nits in the entire area to come into contact with a head-lice -killing liquid in one operation. In other words: the head covering ensures that all living lice can be killed by a liquid via a single immersion in the liquid, making the head covering an extremely simple, effective and hence cheap means for combating lice. Such an immersion treatment takes only 10 minutes. The head covering hence makes it possible to remove lice and nits from the area to be treated within a short amount of time. It should be added that the fluid may comprise any fluid, preferably a liquid that is suitable for the desired treatment of the scalp and/or the hair. It is also noted that the head covering is suitable not only for controlling lice, but also for many other purposes. Combined with a cooling fluid, the head covering according to the invention can for example also be used as an effective and cheap means for cooling the scalp to prevent baldness due to a chemotherapeutic treatment. Current solutions for retaining hair involve the use of ice packs cooled by a cooling liquid applied to the head to cool the scalp, reducing the supply of blood to the hair roots, and hence also the supply of the cytostatics that damage the hair roots. However, a disadvantage of such solutions is the presence of hair between the ice packs and the scalp to be cooled, precluding direct cooling of the follicles. The head covering according to the invention can be filled with a liquid that cools the scalp, making it possible to bring the follicles into direct contact with the cooling agent by immersing the area to be treated, which results in a treatment that is more effective and cheaper than the present treatment methods. With respect to the head covering for cooling the scalp after a chemotherapeutic treatment it should be added that the applicant would gladly discuss the manufacture and/or exploitation of the head covering with interested parties, or work together with them.

In a preferred embodiment, of the invention the inlet narrows in width outwards from the head and is preferably substantially spout-shaped. Particular advantages of an inlet shaped like that are that the chamber between an area of the scalp to be treated and the head covering can be completely filled with liquid in a controlled manner, that the chamber between the area and the head covering can be completely filled without the liquid flowing over the edge of an inlet orifice of the inlet , and that the inlet orifice can be easily sealed, for example by pinching off the spout-shaped inlet to prevent the risk of the liquid flowing away during the treatment of the area. The spout-shaped inlet hence serves as a liquid guide, as an overflow reservoir and as a sealing element. In a preferred embodiment, of the invention the edge of the head covering curves inwards to create a fluid channel. This will ensure that the inside of the bottom edge of the cap-shaped head covering curls upwards as a result of the gravitational force exerted by the liquid on the inward curved edge of the head covering when liquid is supplied to the chamber between the area to be treated and the cap-shaped head covering. This results in a channel for liquid along the edge and reduces the liquid pressure at the point at which the head covering adjoins the head to minimise the risk of liquid flowing away towards the face.

In a preferred embodiment, the device further comprises a hairnet that can be arranged under the head covering for holding hair of the head together. Such a hairnet is preferably configured to cooperate with the head covering on the inside of the head covering. Such a hairnet presents the particular advantage that long hair can be held in place under it in such a way as to facilitate the arrangement of the cap-shaped head covering over the area.

In a preferred embodiment, the head covering is made in one piece, preferably by means of dip moulding. Dip moulding is a moulding process in which a product acquires its shape through the dipping of a mould of the product - in this case a plate with a thickness from around 0.5 cm to around 3 cm shaped like the side-view profile of the head covering - in a bath filled with the product's material in a liquid form. The mould is subsequently removed from the bath and the material remains on the mould in the shape of the product. After the material has solidified the end product is removed from the mould. A particular advantage of a head covering made in one piece is that it has neither seams nor connection points via which liquid could leak. A particular advantage of dip moulding is that identical head coverings can be produced in large numbers in a simple manner.

In a preferred embodiment, the head covering is made of an elastically deformable material. A particular advantage of a head covering made of an elastically deformable material is that the head covering can enclose differently sized heads tightly, and preferably in a liquid-tight manner. An added advantage is that the head covering can expand to some extent when the chamber between the area of the head to be treated and the head covering is filled with liquid, as a result of which the pressure on the area is distributed across the area.

In another preferred embodiment, the head covering is made of latex. A particular advantage of a latex head covering is that latex can be stretched to three times its original dimensions without any risk of plastic deformation. This makes this material extremely suitable for realising a liquid-tight connection to the head. In a preferred embodiment, the device further comprises the fluid in the chamber, the fluid comprising an oily substance. The device preferably comprises a liquid in the chamber between the area to be treated and the head covering, with the liquid comprising an oily liquid. A major advantage of such a liquid is that oil is viscous and will consequently less readily flow away than less viscous liquids, and will therefore relatively readily remain under the cap-shaped head covering. A second very important advantage of an oily substance is that the lice will suffocate in such a substance, making it an effective means for controlling lice and nits.

In another preferred embodiment, the oily substance comprises a fat that is liquid at room temperature. The fat preferably comprises olive oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, argan oil, salad oil or the like. A particular advantage of such a fat is that it is relatively cheap and cannot cause any irritation, allergic reaction and/or sensitisation of the scalp, making it a (child-)friendly means for controlling lice and nits and other treatments of the scalp and hair. Such fats also offer the advantage of involving little environmental burden.

Other advantages, characteristics and details of the present invention will be elucidated with reference to the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, in which reference is made to the enclosed drawings, in which: - Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention arranged on a head;

Figure 2 shows a side view of a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention arranged on a head; and

Figure 3 shows the side view of Figure 2 being filled with a viscous liquid.

Figures 1-3 show different views of a head covering 100 arranged on a head. The head covering 100 is shaped so that it can be arranged over a human head 101. The head covering 100 is designed so that it covers an area 102 of the head 101, adjoining the head in a liquid-tight manner along a contour line 103 of the area 102. There is an inlet orifice 105 in a spout-shaped central part 104 of a side of the head covering 100 lying opposite the head area 102 for supplying a liquid 109 to the chamber 106 between the area 102 of the head 101. A bottom edge 107 of the head covering 100 lying near the contour line 103 extends inwards towards the contour line 103, creating a channel filled with liquid 108 along the contour line 103 of the area 102 when the chamber 106 is filled with the liquid 109. Optionally a hairnet 110 that can be arranged under the head covering 100 complements the head covering to hold the hair in place so that the head covering 100 can be easily arranged over the head 100. In practice, a preferred embodiment of the head covering according to the present invention for controlling lice and nits occurring in the hair on the scalp can be used as follows:

Before the head covering 100 is arranged over the head 101, hair present on the head is combed, preferably using a fine-toothed comb, to make sure it is free of tangles. This will make it easy to comb killed lice and nits from the hair after the treatment.

Then the hair is arranged under the hairnet 110.

Next, the cap-shaped head covering 100 is placed over the head 101 and the head covering 100 is pressed down to cause the bottom edge extending inwards 107 to form a shallow channel 108.

When the head covering 100 has been properly arranged over the area 102 and adjoins the head 101 properly along the contour line 103, a viscous liquid 109, preferably olive oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, argan oil, salad oil or the like, is poured into the inlet orifice 105 of the spout-shaped inlet 104, using for example a funnel, to completely fill the chamber 106 between the area 102 and the head covering 100 with the liquid 109. The gravitational force that the liquid 109 exerts on the shallow channel 108 at the edge of the head covering 100 extending inwards 107 makes the channel 108 deeper along the contour line 103 and reduces the pressure at the point at which the head covering 100 adjoins the head 101 along the contour line 103 to minimise the risk of liquid 109 flowing away towards the face.

Any bubbles of air that may be present in the viscous liquid 109 may optionally be removed by rubbing them towards the inlet orifice 105. The liquid 109 will consequently be present everywhere on the head 101 under the head covering 100, so that the entire scalp in the area 102 and all the hair contained in the chamber come into contact with the viscous liquid 109, which will make it possible for all the lice and nits contained in the chamber to be killed by the liquid 109.

The cap-shaped head covering 100 filled with liquid 109 is preferably held on the head 101 for at least 10 minutes.

After the treatment, the cap-shaped head covering 100 may be removed from the head 101 and the dead lice and nits may optionally be combed from the hair using a brush and/or a fine -toothed comb. An added advantage of using an oil as the liquid 109 is that nits will be effectively released from the hair and can hence readily be removed by combing. It is particularly preferable for the aforementioned treatment steps to be repeated after 6 to 7 days to ensure that any remaining hatched nits will not have the time to become fertile.

It is also recommendable to wash the latex head covering 100 immediately after a treatment, i.e. filling it with oil 109, two to three times with detergent or shampoo to preserve it, to then dry it inside and out and scatter talcum powder in and on it. This way the head covering 100 will remain intact and can be used many times.

The invention is not restricted to the illustrated embodiment but it also extends to other preferred variants that fall within the scope of the appended claims.