TREATMENT OP HAIR, SKIN AM) NAILS

Field of the Invention

This invention ^, relates to the treatme t' of hair, skin and nails so that they acquire an improved condition.

Disclosure of the Invention

For hair the present treatment is incorporated in the cold waving or permanent waving procedures of the well known types. These procedures usually involve contact of the hair with a reducing agent to cleave the disulphide bonds of the hair keratin,, so that the- hair can be reshaped. After this contact, the hair is rinsed, reshaped and treated with a neutralising agent. This last treatment causes re-formation of disulphide linkages. It is well known that hair is damaged in such processes and many chemical modifications of the processes have been proposed and tried, with varying degrees of success _*

We have now developed a process in which the treated hair has a greatly improved condition, with 3. better and more natural feel when both wet and dry and a good shine. Suprisingly it was found that the improved condition persists through a number of subsequent shampoo treatments. When the treatment is applied to skin and nails, there is also a beneficial conditioning

ef ec .

According to the present invention there is provided a process for improving the condition of the hair, skin or nails, characterised by contact o£ that body part with a reducing composition, rinsing of the treated part, contact of the rinsed part with an aqueous protein hydrolysate and then contact with a neutralising composition. Preferably the aqueous protein hydrolysate is obtained by using a protein having a large number of disulphide linkages, especially a protein containing at least 1% of cysteine. A particularly effective hydrolysate may be obtained by hydrolysis of keratin with aqueous sodium hydroxide under mild conditions. The hydrolysed protein preferably has an average molecular weight of 2,000 to 200,000 daltons and especially over 50,000 daltons. The aqueous protein hydrolysate is preferably at pK 5 to 8 for use, and after it has been prepared the pH may be adjusted if necessary. Any desirable additive may be incorporated in the hydrolysate, for example a cationic polymer product of the type

used in hair treatment preparations, and a perfume. A particularly suitable cationic polymer is the commercial product "Merquat"-100 ( Registered Trade Mark ), and the condition of the hair, skin and nails may be even

further improved when it is used.

The reducing composition may contain any of the known types of reducing agents known for softening of the hair by cleavage of disulphide bonds in the hair c keratin. These agents include thioglycollic or thiolactic acid or their salts, or an alkali metal or ammonium sulphite or bisulphite, or thioglycerol. With thioglycollic acid the composition preferably contains 2 to 2C?6 by weight. The composition is suitably an Q aqueous solution, and adjuvants such as surfactants, etc. may also be included.

The neutralising- composition may contain an oxidising agent such as hydrogen peroxide or sodium bromate. Hydrogen peroxide may be at pH 3 to 4 to ensure

• _jc that hair swelling is reduced, with restoration of keratin linkages. Again any desired materials may be included in the composition, for example surfactants and perfumes. In the waving of hair, preferably the hair is first _Q given a shampoo. The hair is then wound on rods in the usual way and tne reducing composition is applied. Alternatively the composition may be applied to the hair before it is wound on the rods. The hair is then rinsed, for example with water, and the aqueous

_2j - protein hydrolysate is applied. ?inally the

neutralising composition is applied. The hair may then be washed, suitably before removal of the rods. A similar procedure is used with the skin and nails. Compositions of the type used with the hair may be c applied,, and these compositions may be ' modi ied if desired. For example thickening or gelling agents may be included to give compositions that are retained on a particular area after application. The invention also includes a kit for use in a τ_Q process as defined above, the kit containing a reducing composition, an aqueous protein hydrolysate and a neutralising composition each in separate bottles.

The following Examples illustrate the invention.

Example 1

15 In the hair clinic, tests were made with the hair of a number of subjects. For each a shampoo was first applied to ensure that the hair was clean. Then the hair was wound on rods and a reducing

20 composition was applied. This composition contained 10 % by weight of thioglycollic acid in deionised water. Concentrated ammonia solution was added to pH 9. 5, and 0.1 % by weight of the disodium salt of ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid and 1 by weight of " Triton " X-100 ( registered Trade Mark ) were

25 included, together with perfume.

After an appropriate time, usually 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the subject, the hair was rinsed with warm water. An aqueous keratin hydrolysate containing 20 % by weight of solids and at pH 6.5 was applied to the hair. Then after 1 minute a neutralising composition containing 10 yo by weight of sodium bromate, 5 ft by weight of sodium lauryl ether sulphate, 1 % by weight of coconut diethanolamide and perfume in deionised water and at pH 6.8 was applied. The hair was then rinsed with water and the rods were removed.

The results were good with subjects having hair in good condition or hair that had previously been chemically treated, permanent waved,, bleached or coloured _* The feel and condition of the hair were greatly enhanced, and the waves remained in the hair after a number of subsequent shampoo treatments

Example 2 In the procedure of Example 1 the aqueous protein hydrolysate contained 5 % b weight of " Merquat "-100. The subjects had an excellent hair wave, and it was stable for 8 to 12 weeks, although subsequent shampoo treatments were applied. The hair had a good feel and condition, and so other conditioning treatments were not required over the whole period.

Example 3 A reducing composition was prepared to contain by weight 11 % of ammonium thioglycollate,, 1 % of non-ionic surfactant, 0.2 fa of perfume, 0.2.% of disodium ethylenediaminetetra-acetate, 0.5 of opaquing agent, aqueous anmonia solution to pH .3 and deionised water to 100 %. The solution was applied to the skin of a test subject. After 15 minutes the skin was rinsed lightly with water and then an aqueous keratin hydrolysate containing 15 fo of solids was applied to the skin. After 1 minute a neutraliser composition was applied. This composition contained by weight 2 % of hydrogen peroxide, 3 % of triethanolamine sulphate, 1.5 % o£ coconut diethanolamide, 0.3 jό of perfume, 1 % of ethαxylated lanoline derivative, 0.05 % of phenacetin and deionised water to 100 - After 5 minutes the skin was rinsed and dried. It had a greatly improved feel» A similar effect was achieved when the nails on one hand of a test subject were treated in this way, by comparison with the nails on the untreated hand.

Example 4 A neutraliser composition of the type described in Example 1, an aqueous keratin hydrolysate and a

reducing composition of the type described in Example 3 were placed in a packaging container to give a permanent waving kit for home or professional use.

Example 5 A reducing composition containing sodium sulphite instead of ammonium thioglycollate was prepared. It was applied to the hair of test subjects whose hair had been given a shampoo and wound on rods. After 25 minutes the hair was rinsed and an aqueous protein hydrolysate ( molecular weight about 90,000 daltons ) was applied. Then after about 1 minute a neutralising composition containing hydrogen peroxide was applied. The properties of the treated hair were greatly improved in comparison with those of hair either not treated with the protein hydrolysate or treated with it at a different stage of the procedure.

Example 6 The procedure of Example 5 was repeated, except that a protein hydrolysate of molscular weight of about 150,000 daltons was used. Again the treated hair had improved and desirable properties.