The present invention relates to a hair curler.

The invention falls within the sector of hair curlers, i. e. light but rigid objects which are normally made of plastic and are intended to be fixed to a person's head with locks of hair wound around them for the time needed to achieve, automatically or with the aid of a person, setting of the hair or a so-called"perm". The shape and the materials with which these hair curlers are formed are of the most varied kind.

The known art, despite the fact that numerus products are present on the market, basically consists of two types: -The first type which is by far the most used has a cylindrical shape, is internally hollow, may have variable dimensions and is mainly made of plastic; this allows its weight to be reduced, makes it easier to use and limits its cost. This type of hair curler has on its external surface small filaments which are made of the same material and have the function of fixing the damp hair, once it has been wound around it, for the time needed to dry it. A clip is provided for fixing the lock of hair at the ends of the hair curler.

The effect which this type of hair curler has on hair, once the locks of hair have been released from the hair curlers, is that of obtaining and maintaining for a certain period of time a set of"curls"which are all of the same size and uniformly distributed over the head.

It should be emphasized that the shape assumed by each individual hair after the treatment is helical in nature.

-The second type is compose of two rollers which have small dimensions and are also made of light material. being fixed parallel to one another and together by means of a bar

which is normally made of the same material. The distance between the rollers must be such as to allow a lock of hair to pass through them, said lock of hair being wound several times between and around the said rollers.

The effect which is obtained in this case, once the locks have been released from the hair curlers, is that of obtaining and maintaining for a certain period of time a practically sinusoidal progression of each hair which results in all the hair extending and spreading in a wavy-like manner over the person's head and shoulders.

The drawback of the known art is that both the first type of hair curler and the second type allow only one form of treatment to be carried out on the locks of hair. The first type allows the hair to be provided with a helical progression with locks of hair bunched together uniformly over the head, while the second type results in a practically sinusoidal progression with wavy hair extending over the person's head and shoulders.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION.

The object of the present invention is that of eliminating the abovementioned drawbacks and in particular providing a hair curler which allows both types of treatment to be carried out on locks of hair and hence allows one to achieve for each individual hair both a so- called helical and a so-called sinusoidal-type pers.

Said object is fully achieved by the subject of the present invention which is characterized by the contents of the claims indicated below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.

These and other characteristic features will emerge more clearly from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated, purely by way of a non-limiting example, in the accompanying illustrative plate, in which: -Figure I shows a plan view of the hair curler; -Figure 2 shows a side view of the curler;

-Figure 3 shows an enlarged plan view of the hair curler, in which the direction of winding of the lock of hair is indicated.

With reference to the Figures, it is possible to state that the hair curler in question is of the type comprising three rollers which are made of light material so as not to constitute an excessive weight on the head, but which are rigid such that the locks of hair can be bunched together against the head.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION.

The first roller I is parallel to the second roller 2 and is fixed together with it in the vicinity of one of the ends of both rollers by means of a bar 4 which is also made of rigid material so as to maintain a constant distance between the two rollers during use.

The second roller 2 is also fixed together with a third roller 3 by means of a rigid bar 5 which keeps the said rollers parallel and equidistant and joins them together in the vicinity of the end.

The three rollers are joined so that the sides of a hypothetical triangle with its vertices located at the centres of the three rollers form angles which are practically identical to one another. In the third roller 6 it can be noted that there is a groove 6 suitable for insertion of an elastic 7 having the purpose of fixing the hair to the curler.

The plan view of the curler in Figure 3 also shows the direction in which the hair is wound.

The lock of hair is inserted between the first roller I and the second roller 2 and is then passed between the first roller I and the third roller 3 and then performs a complete revolution in the clockwise direction around the third roller 3. The hair is then inserted between the third roller 3 and the second roller 2 and is then wound in an anti-clockwise direction around the roller 2. Finally the hair is passed between the third roller 3 and the second roller 2 and between the first roller I and the third roller 3 so as to perform a

complete revolution in an anti-clockwise direction around the first roller 1.

It is possible to identify the same path by following the direction of winding of the hair as indicated by the sequence of letters: A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-L-M-N.

At this point it is possible to start again the operation of winding of the lock of hair and repeat it several times until the hair has been wound up along the whole of its length.

It is necessary to leave a small tuft of hair so that the rollers can be fixed to the head by means of the elastic 7 located in the special groove 6.

With this type of winding it is possible to achieve the effect of wavy hair with a practically sinusoïdal progession and hair extending over the person's head and shoulders; if it is required to achieve the classic effect with the hair bunched together in a spiral shape close to the head, it is necessary to wind the entire length of the lock of hair around the outside of the three rollers and then fix it by means of the elastic 7 in the vicinity of the skin. Instead of the bars 4 and 5 which fix together the rollers it is possible to envisage using a small plate made of the same material as the rollers, which connects all three bases of the rollers themselves.

A further embodiment envisages the use of hollow rollers-a solution which reduces the weight and cost of the hair curler and allows clips to be used to fix the hair instead of the elastic 7.

It is also convenient to envisage the rollers being provided with many uniformly distributed radial holes so as to facilitate, in the case of a perm, penetration of the liquid necessary for styling the locks and subsequently favouring the passage of air so as to accelerate drying of the hair.

Another variation of embodiment illustrated may consist of the insertion of small hooks located at the end of a roller for fixing the elastic 7. instead of the groove.

A further variation of embodiment envisages that one of the rollers is longer than the other

ones in order to be able to start winding of the lock of hair from the tip rather than from thebase.

According to a preferred, but not exclusive embodiment, the diameter of the rollers is substantially equal to the distance between them.