GB2160419A

GB2160419A - Treatment of hair, skin and nails

Info

Publication number: GB2160419A
Application number: GB08414596A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Aran Kumar Puri
Original assignee: CRESTOL Ltd
Current assignee: CRESTOL Ltd
Priority date: 1984-06-08
Filing date: 1984-06-08
Publication date: 1985-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 2004-06-08
Also published as: GB2160419B; FI860500A; FI860500A0; GB8414596D0; EP0183763A1; WO1986000013A1

Abstract

The condition of the hair, skin and nails is improved by treatment 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. When the treatment is applied to the hair as a cold waving or permanent cold waving, the treated hair has a greatly improved condition, with a better and more natural feel when both wet and dry a good shine.

Description

SPECIFICATION Treatment of hair, skin and nails This invention relates to the treatment of hair, skin and nails so that they acquire an improved condition.

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 reformation of sulphide 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 a better and more natural feel when both wet and dry and a good shine. Surprisingly it is 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 effect.

According to the present invention there is provided a process for improving the condition of the hair, skin or nails, which process comprises contact of the hair, skin or nails 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 hydrolysate is preferably at pH 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), when the condition of the hair, skin and nails may be even further improved.

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 keratin. These agents include thioglycollicorthiolacticacid or their salts, or an alkali metal or ammonium sulphite or bisulphite, or thioglycerol. With thioglycollic acid the composition preferably contains 2 to 20% by weight. The composition is suitably an aqueous solution, and adjuvants such as surfactants, perfumes 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 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 given a shampoo. The hair is then wound on rods in the usual way and 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 protein hydrolysate is applied. Finally the neutralising composition is applied. The hair may then be washed, suitably before removal of the rods.

A similar procedure is used with the hair and nails. Compositions of the type used with the hair may be applied, and these compositions of the type used with the hair may be applied and these compositions may be modified if desired. For example thickening or gelling agents may be included to give compositions that are retained on a particular area after application.

The following Examples illustrate the invention.

EXAMPLE 1 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 composition was applied. This composition contained 10% by weight ofthioglycollic 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 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% by weight of sodium bromate, 5% 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 been previously 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% by weight of "Merquat"-100. The subjects had an exellent hair wave, and it was stable fo r 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% of perfume, 0.2% of disodium ethylenediaminetatra-acetate, 0.5% of opaquing agent, aqueous ammonia solution to pH 9.3 and de-ionised 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% 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% oftriethanolaminesulphate, 1.5% of coconut diethanolamide, 0.3% of perfume, 1% of ethoxylated lanoline derivative, 0.05% of phenacetin and de-ionised 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 separate bottles. The three bottles were placed in a packaging container to give a permanent waving for home or professional use.

Claims

1. A process for improving the condition of the hair, skin or nails, which process comprises contact of the hair, skin or nails with a reducing composition, rinsing of the treated part with water, contact of the rinsed partwith an aqueous protein hydrolysate and then contact with a neutralising composition.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aqueous protein hydrolysate is obtained by using a protein having a large number of disulphide linkages.

3. A process as claimed in claim 2, wherein the protein contains at least 1% of cysteine.

4. A process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protein hydrolysate is obtained by treating keratin with aqueous sodium hydroxide under mild conditions.

5. A process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the hydrolysed protein has an average molecular weight of 2000--200,000 daltons.

6. A process as claimed in claim 5, wherein the hydrolysed protein has a molecular weight of over 50,000 daltons.

7. A process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the aqueous protein hydrolysate is at pH 5 to8.

8. A process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the aqueous protein hydrolysate contains a cationic polymer.

9. A process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the reducing composition contains thioglycollic acid orthiolactic acid or their salts, or an alkali metal or ammonium sulphite or bisulphite, or thioglycerol.

10. A process as claimed in claim 9, wherein the reducing composition contains thioglycollic acid at 2 to 20% by weight.

11. A process as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the neutralising composition contains an oxidising agent.

12. A process as claimed in claim 11, wherein the oxidising agent is hydrogen peroxide or sodium bromate.

13. A permanent waving kit for use in a process as claimed in claim 1, the kit containing in separate containers a neutralising composition, a protein hydrolysate and a reducing composition.

14. A process for conditioning the skin or nails substantially as described with reference to Example 3 hereinbefore set forth.

15. A process for conditioning the hair substantially as described with reference to any one of the Examples, except Example 3, hereinbefore set forth.