This invention relates to clips for use by hairdressers when colouring hair, eg highlighting or low lighting discrete strands of hair- Presently a perforated cap is often used by hairdressers when adding high and/or low lights to a client's hair. In use, strands of hair to be coloured are pulled through the perforations of the cap and subsequently coated with colorant, eg a tinting or bleaching medium. These perforated caps suffer from a number of disadvantages these including in time, an inability to prevent tinting or bleaching medium passing through the caps perforations so discolouring hair sections not intended to be treated. Also, these caps tend to be uncomfortable and because the positions of the perforations are preset, it is often the case that exact colouring of required strands cannot be effected.

It is also known for hairdressers to coat discrete

hair strands with a tinting or bleaching medium and to wrap these coated hair strands in pieces of metallic foil in an attempt to prevent the tinting or bleaching medium affecting adjoining hair strands. In use however the foil wraps tend not to stay in place so causing unwanted discolouring to occur.

The present invention sets out to provide a clip for use by hairdressers when high lighting or low lighting discrete hair strands which avoids possible leaking of tint or bleach to the hair roots.

According to the present invention in one aspect there is provide a clip for use when colouring discrete hair strands which comprises two elongate gripper members joined by a hinge and including at their free ends means for selectively connecting one gripper member to the other and a strip of flexible impervious material carried by each gripper member.

The gripper members are preferably produced from a plastics material, the hinge comprising a resilient plastics strip joining one gripper member to the other.

The end of one gripper member remote from the hinge may be formed with an opening through which an extension piece of the other gripper member can pass, the extension piece including a protrusion which flexes to enable the extension piece to pass through the opening and which seats behind the boundary of the opening to connect one gripper member to the other. The impervious material may comprise polyethylene or like material.

In another aspect there is provided a method of colouring discrete strands of hair, the method comprising the steps of retaining strands of hair to be coloured between separable elongate gripper members of a clip, laying these hair strands on a length of impermeable material connected to one of the gripper members, applying a colouring medium (eg a tint or bleach) to the retained hair strands and covering the coated strands with a second length of impermeable material connected to the other gripper member.

The invention will now be described by way of examp ^" = only with reference to the accompanying diagrammat- , drawing in which:-

Figures 1 and 2 respectively ± plan views of a clip in accordance with - ≤ invention in its open and closed positions;

Figures 3 and 4 are side and plan views from above of an alternative clip in accordance with the invention in its open configuration;

Figure 5 is a side view of the clip shown in Figures 3 and 4 in its closed position; and

Figure 6 is a section taken along line VI-VI of Figure 5.

The illustrated clip may be produced from a plastics or metallic material and comprises elongate gripper members 1, 2 joined together by a thin strip which defines a hinge 3 about which the members 1, 2 can move. Each gripper member has a generally parallel sided shank 4 and is formed

at its free end with one half of a clasp 5 by means of which the gripper member can selectively be attached one to the other. As shown the free end of gripper member 2 is formed with an opening 6 through which an inwardly extending head 7 carried by the gripper member 1 can pass. The head 7 is formed with a resilient protrusion 8 which flexes to enable the head 7 to pass through the opening 6 to seat behind the boundary of the opening to attach the gripper members together.

It will be appreciated that other clasp arrangements and hinges can be employed. Thus the free end of each gripper member may be indented in a complementary sense to enable one to lie closely adjacent the other, means being provided to retain the free ends of the gripper members in place. For example a separable resilient band or the like may be provided which slides over the free ends of the gripper members when they are in their closed positions.

Also a simple hinge retained together by a pin or screw may be employed. If the gripper members are produced from a metallic material, they may be suitably coated with a resilient or covering material.

Carried by each shank 4 of the gripper members 1, 2 is a length 9 of impervious flexible material, eg of polyethylene or like material. As illustrated each material length 9 is formed at one end with a sleeve 10 into which the shanks 4 of the gripper members can slide. Other means of attaching the material sheets to the gripper members may be provided. Also, alternative materials other

than polyethylene can be employed. Each length of impervious material is selected to be at least equal to lengths of hair likely to be treated. These lengths may vary depending on the length of a client's hair or the particular hair sections to be treated. Typically two lengths of material are provided these being 150 mm by 65 mm and 120 mm by 65 mm.

The width of each gripper member is as small as possible to reduce the amount of hair covered thereby without detracting from the required strength characteristics of the clip itself.

Turning now to Figures 3 to 6 of the drawings ( in which like integers to those illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 have been given the same reference numerals), the gripper member 1 includes an upstanding wall 12 which locates within a groove 14 of the gripper member 2. The wall 12 is tapered in cross section and, as shown in Figure 6, defines a relatively snug fit in the groove 14. The upper surfaces of 15, 16 of the gripper members 1, 2 are slightly concave to assist handling and closing of the clip when in use. A nib 17 is provided on the free end of gripper member 2 to assist opening of the clip.

As for the clip shown in Figures 1 and 2, sleeved lengths of impervious material are positioned over the shanks of the gripper members in use.

In use strands of hair to be coloured are positioned between the gripper members 1, 2 with one material length 9 on each side of the clip. The members 1, 2 are then

clipped together by the clasp such that the selected hair strands are held firmly in place and are effectively sandwiched between the lengths of material 7. The clip is position so that it lies as close as possible to the client's head. In the embodiment of Figures 3 to 6, the hair is retained firmly in place between the end of the wall 12 and the interior of the groove 14.

Other clips are similarly positioned until all hair strands to be coloured (eg high lighted or low lighted) are retained between the gripper members of the clips used. Colorant (eg tint or bleach) is then applied to each group of trapped hair strands, the polyethylene strips 9 being superimposed and held in place by the colorant employed. The clasps of the clips firmly grip the hair strands thereby preventing egress of colorant between the gripper members 1, 2.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the clips described prevent colorant, eg tinting or bleaching med-ium, reaching hair sections not to be treated. Also, the clips allow, if appropriate, the colouring of all selected hair strands to be carried out continuously in one operation thereby enabling the areas to be coloured to be checked with the client or a supervisor before the colorant is applied. Further, the overall processing time for the applied colorant is reduced. It is also possible using clips in accordance with the present invention to apply different colours or shades of colours to individual hair strands so that their colour changes from one end to the

other. This is achieved simply to spacing individual clips along the lengths of discrete strands and applying different colours/shades between the spaced clips.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing is merely exemplary of clips in accordance with the invention and that modifications can readily be made thereto without departing from the true scope of the invention.