US20180014618A1

US20180014618A1 - Hair iron

Info

Publication number: US20180014618A1
Application number: US15/645,375
Authority: US
Inventors: Takehiko OHGI; Tatsuhiko Ohgi
Original assignee: Ohgi Technological Creation Co Ltd
Current assignee: Ohgi Technological Creation Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-07-13
Filing date: 2017-07-10
Publication date: 2018-01-18

Abstract

A hair iron 1 includes a first arm 21 and a second arm 22 to give a treatment by holding hair between the first arm 21 and the second arm 22. The hair iron 1 includes a first contact part 41 that comes into contact with hair during the treatment, a second contact part 42, and heaters 71 and 72 that heat the first contact part 41 and the second contact part 42, respectively. The first contact part 41 is disposed inside an opening 21 a, which is provided in a portion of the first arm 21, the portion facing the second arm 22, while the second contact part 42 is disposed inside an opening 22 a, which is provided in a portion of the second arm 22, the portion facing the first arm 21. The first contact part 41 and the second contact part 42 include a substrate 411 and a substrate 421, respectively, each of which is made from isotropic high-density graphite.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-138217, filed on Jul. 13, 2016, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-075553, filed on Apr. 5, 2017, of which the entirety of the disclosures is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a hair iron.

BACKGROUND

A hair iron equipped with an elastic member that is made from multi-element mineral powder containing far-infrared emitting material powder and is disposed on part of a hair holder is already proposed (see Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 2010-233830, for example). Such a hair iron has effects of facilitating application of a conditioner into hair as well as facilitating blood circulation in the scalp. These effects are exerted by warming the hair and/or the scalp from the inside during a treatment with far-infrared rays emitted from the far-infrared emitting material powder contained in the elastic member. Examples of an employed far-infrared emitting material include ceramic such as alumina or titania.

SUMMARY

The elastic member described in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 2010-233830, however, has a relatively low content of the far-infrared emitting material powder, since the far-infrared emitting material powder is dispersed into a substrate made of silicone or the like. Thus, the hair iron may possibly fail to emit far-infrared rays in the amount enough to warm the hair and/or the scalp from the inside to the extent that the effects of facilitating application of a conditioner into the hair and facilitating blood circulation in the scalp are fully exerted.
Alternatively, another possible hair iron may include a hair holder that is entirely made from a ceramic far-infrared emitting material. In such a case, however, the hair holder may be heavy and impose a greater burden on the user of the hair iron.
A hair iron according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is:
a hair iron including an elongated first arm and an elongated second arm, wherein one end of the second arm along a longitudinal direction is pivotally attached to one end of the first arm along a longitudinal direction, and another end of the second arm is movable in a direction along which the other end of the second arm comes closer to, or away from, another end of the first arm, and wherein a treatment is given by holding hair between the first arm and the second arm, the hair iron including:
a first contact part that is disposed in a portion of the first arm, and comes into contact with hair during a treatment, the portion facing the second arm;
a second contact part that is disposed in a portion of the second arm, and comes into contact with hair during the treatment, the portion facing the first arm; and
a heater that heats at least one of the first contact part and the second contact part,
wherein at least one of the first contact part and the second contact part includes a portion made from a material containing graphite.
A hair iron according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes:
a contact part that is tubular in shape, and comes into contact with hair during a treatment;
a clipping part that is disposed lateral to the contact part, and presses hair against the contact part during the treatment; and
a heater that heats the contact part,
wherein the contact part includes a portion made from a material containing graphite.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of this application can be obtained when the following detailed description is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a hair iron according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the region A1 enclosed in a dotted line in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is a side view of a hair iron according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is a partial cross-sectional view of a hair iron according to a variation;

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of first and second contact parts of a hair iron according to another variation;

FIG. 4A is a partial cross-sectional view of a hair iron according to the variation;

FIG. 4B is a side view of the hair iron according to another variation;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the hair iron according to a variation;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of a region A2 enclosed in a dotted line in FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6A is a side view of a hair iron according to a variation; and

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of a region A3 enclosed in a dotted line in FIG. 6A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Individual embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment

A hair iron according to the present embodiment includes a contact part that is made from isotropic high-density graphite, and comes into contact with hair when the hair is held between arms to give a treatment. Hence, the contact part emits far-infrared rays when heated. With the far-infrared rays emitted from the contact part, the hair and/or a scalp is warmed from the inside.
As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the hair iron 1 according to the present embodiment includes a first arm 21, a second arm 22, a first contact part 41, and a second contact part 42, to give a treatment by holding hair between the first and second arms 21 and 22. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, the hair iron 1 further includes a heater 71 that heats the first contact part 41, a heater 72 that heats the second contact part 42, and a power supply 8 that supplies electric power to the heaters 71 and 72. Note that FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of a region Al enclosed in a dotted line in FIG. 1A.
Each of the first arm 21 and the second arm 22 is in the shape of an elongated box. One end (right end in FIG. 1A) of the second arm 22 along a longitudinal direction is pivotally attached via a hinge 3 to one end (right end in FIG. 1A) of the first arm 21 along the longitudinal direction. Thus, the second arm 22 is movable in a direction along which other end (left end in FIG. 1A) of the second arm 22 comes closer to, or away from, other end (left end in FIG. 1A) of the first arm 21. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, the first arm 21 includes an opening 21 a formed in a portion facing the second arm 22, and the first contact part 41 is disposed inside the opening 21 a. Likewise, the second arm 22 includes an opening 22 a formed in a portion facing the first arm 21, and the second contact part 42 is disposed inside the opening 22 a. A power cord 6 connecting to an external power source is led out from one end (right end in FIG. 1A) of the first arm 21.
The first contact part 41 and the second contact part 42 are the members that come into contact with hair during the treatment. The first contact part 41 is disposed inside the opening 21 a, which is provided in a portion of the first arm 21, the portion facing the second arm 22. The second contact part 42 is disposed inside the opening 22 a, which is provided in a portion of the second arm 22, the portion facing the first arm 21. The first contact part 41 includes a substrate 411, which is formed from isotropic high-density graphite into an elongated plate, and a diamond-like carbon (DLC) film 412, which is a coating applied to a portion of surfaces of the substrate 411, the portion being exposed to the outside of the first arm 21. The second contact part 42 includes a substrate 421, which is formed from isotropic high-density graphite into an elongated plate, and a DLC film 422, which is a coating applied to a portion of surfaces of the substrate 421, the portion being exposed to the outside of the second arm 22. The substrates 411 and 421 are produced by, for example, using a method similar to the method for producing a “carbon formed body” described in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Kokai Publication No. 2012-100777. The DLC films 412 and 422 are formed by using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or vacuum evaporation method. A thermal insulating member 5 is located between the first contact part 41 and an edge of the opening 21 a in the first arm 21. A thermal insulating member 5 is also located between the second contact part 42 and an edge of the opening 22 a in the second arm 22. These thermal insulating members prevent heat from transferring from the first and second contact parts 41 and 42 to the first and second arms 21 and 22.
The heaters 71 and 72 each include a ceramic heater. The power supply 8, which is connected to the heaters 71 and 72 via conductive lines 81 and 82, passes a direct current to the heater 71 via the conductive line 81, and passes a direct current to the heater 72 via the conductive line 82. The power supply 8 includes a rectifying and smoothing circuit that converts an alternating current supplied from an external alternating-current source via a power supply line 83 into a direct current, and also includes a step-down circuit that decreases an output voltage coming from the rectifying and smoothing circuit. The heaters 71 and 72 and the power supply 8 constitute a heating section that heats the first and second contact parts 41 and 42.
In the hair iron 1 according to the present embodiment, the first contact part 41 and the second contact part 42 include the substrate 411 and the substrate 421, respectively, each of which is made from isotropic high-density graphite. As a result, each of the first contact part 41 and the second contact part 42 can emit a larger amount of far-infrared rays compared with, for example, a configuration in which ceramic powder, which is a far-infrared emitting material, is dispersed into substrates in the first and second contact parts. Therefore, the effect of warming the hair and/or the scalp from the inside during the treatment is enhanced.
In addition, ceramic such as alumina or silicon dioxide has a density of approximately 2.2 to 4.1 Mg/m³, while isotropic high-density graphite has a lower density of 1.7 to 2.0 Mg/m³than ceramic. Accordingly, the first contact part 41 and the second contact part 42 are lighter in weight per unit volume compared with, for example, a configuration in which the first and second contact parts are made from ceramic, which is a far-infrared emitting material. Thus, the advantage of making the hair iron 1 lighter to reduce the burden imposed on the user of the hair iron 1 is present.
In addition, the DLC film 412 on the surface of the first contact part 41 is exposed, while the DLC film 422 on the surface of the second contact part 42 is also exposed. Thus, a sliding resistance between hair and each of the first and second contact parts 41 and 42 can be reduced, the sliding resistance being caused when the user moves the hair iron 1 with the hair held between the first and second contact parts 41 and 42, thereby achieving smooth movement of the hair iron 1.
Furthermore, in the case where the hair iron 1 according to the present embodiment is primarily intended to warm the hair and/or the scalp from the inside with far-infrared rays emitted from the first and second contact parts 41 and 42, electric power to be supplied to the heaters 71 and 72 can be reduced. In such a case, a device of a lower output can be used as the power supply 8, which is thus can be made smaller.

Second Embodiment

A hair iron according to the present embodiment has the function to heat a cylindrical contact part of the hair iron, which comes into contact with hair during a treatment, to be capable of creating curls or waves in hair with the heated contact part around which the hair is wound. The contact part is made from isotropic high-density graphite, and emits far-infrared rays when heated.
As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the hair iron 201 according to the present embodiment includes a handle 202, a contact part 241, a clipping part 242, a power supply 8, and a cap 209. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the hair iron 201 further includes a heater 207 for heating a contact part 241. To the heater 207, electric power is supplied from the power supply 8. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the handle 202 is formed in the shape of an elongated box, and the power supply 8 is contained inside the handle 202. A power cord 206 connecting to an external power source is led out from one end (bottom end in FIG. 2A) of the handle 202.
The contact part 241 is cylindrical in shape, and comes into contact with hair during the treatment. One end (bottom end in FIG. 2A) of the contact part 241 is fastened to the other end (top end in FIG. 2A) of the handle 202 via a thermal insulating member 205. Thus, heat is hindered from transferring from the contact part 241 to the handle 202. The contact part 241 is substantially cylindrical in shape. The contact part 241 may be in a cylindrical shape having, for example, an outer diameter of 5 cm and an inner diameter of 3 cm. The contact part 241 includes a substrate 241 a, which is made from isotropic high-density graphite into a cylindrical shape, and a DLC film 241 b, which is a coating applied to an outer surface of the substrate 241 a. The substrate 241 a and the DLC film 241 b are formed by using methods similar to those for forming the substrates 411 and 421 and the DLC films 412 and 422 as described in the first embodiment.
The clipping part 242, which is disposed lateral to the contact part 241, presses hair against the contact part 241 during the treatment. The clipping part 242 includes an elongated presser 2421, a support 2422, a hinge 2423, and a lever 2424. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the presser 2421 is in a curved shape along a lateral side of the contact part 241. The support 2422, which is fastened to the handle 202 via the hinge 2423, supports the presser 2421. The presser 2421 can pivot on the hinge 2423. In addition, a spring (not illustrated) is connected to the presser 2421 to urge the presser 2421 in a direction along which the presser 2421 presses the lateral side of the contact part 241. When the user holds the handle 202 and presses the lever 2424 with the user's thumb or the like, the presser 2421 pivots on the hinge 2423 to be away from the lateral side of the contact part 241. Each of the presser 2421, the support 2422, and the hinge 2423 is made from a metal such as titanium. The lever 2424 is made from a resin material. Note that materials for the presser 2421 and the support 2422 are not limited to metals. For example, the presser 2421 and the support 2422 may be made from materials containing graphite, such as isotropic graphite, a carbon fiber composite material (carbon fiber reinforced carbon composite (C/C composite), which is obtained by sintering a mixture of carbon fibers and resin materials), or anisotropic graphite.
The heater 207, which includes a ceramic heater, is attached to an inner surface of the contact part 241. As with the first embodiment, the power supply 8 is connected to the heater 207 to pass a direct current to the heater 207. The heater 207 and the power supply 8 constitute a heating section that heats the contact part 241. The cap 209 is fastened to the other end (top end in FIG. 2A) of the contact part 241 via the thermal insulating member 205.
In the hair iron 201 according to the present embodiment, the contact part 241 includes the substrate 241 a, which is made from isotropic high-density graphite. Hence, the effect of warming the hair and/or the scalp from the inside during the treatment is enhanced, as with the first embodiment. Like the first embodiment, the hair iron 201 can be made lighter compared with, for example, a configuration in which the contact part 241 is made from ceramic. In addition, the DLC film 241 b on the surface of the contact part 241 is exposed. Hence, a sliding resistance between the contact part 241 and hair can be reduced, the sliding resistance being caused when the user releases the hair that is wound around the contact part 241, thereby achieving smooth release of the hair that is around the contact part 241.
(Variations)
Embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the foregoing embodiments. For example, as seen in FIG. 3A illustrating a hair iron 301, a heat transferrer 391 may be located between the first contact part 41 and the heater 71, while a heat transferrer 392 may be located between the second contact part 42 and the heater 72. Note that in FIG. 3A, symbols identical to those in FIG. 1B are given to components similar to those in the first embodiment. Each of the heat transferrers 391 and 392 is made from a metal such as copper or iron.
The first embodiment is described above by using an example in which the first contact part 41 and the second contact part 42 include the substrate 411 and the substrate 421, respectively, each of which is made from isotropic high-density graphite. The first embodiment is not limited thereto, and the portion made from isotropic high-density graphite may only be included in either one of the first contact part 41 and the second contact part 42.
The above-described hair iron 1 according to the first embodiment includes the first contact part 41 and the second contact part 42, whose surfaces facing each other are substantially flat. However, the shape of the surfaces of the first and second contact parts facing each other may not necessarily be flat. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3B, each of the surfaces of a first contact part 541 and a second contact part 542 facing each other may be curved to have a convex shape in a direction along which the surfaces come closer to each other. Note that in FIG. 3B, symbols identical to those in FIG. 1B are given to components similar to those in the first embodiment. The first and second contact parts 541 and 542 include substrates 5411 and 5421, respectively, which have curved surfaces coated with the DLC films 412 and 422, respectively.
Concerning the hair iron 1 described in the first embodiment, a plurality of grooves may be formed on at least one of the surface of the first contact part 41 and the surface of the second contact part 42, the grooves extending in a transverse direction of the first and second contact parts 41 and 42. For example, as seen in FIG. 4A illustrating a hair iron 601, a plurality of grooves 6413 and 6423 may be formed on a surface of the substrate 6411 in a first contact part 641 and on a surface of the substrate 6421 in a second contact part 642, respectively, the grooves extending in the transverse direction of the first and second contact parts 641 and 642. Note that in FIG. 4A, symbols identical to those in FIG. 1B are given to components similar to those of the hair iron 1 according to the first embodiment. No specific limitation is imposed on the depth and width of the grooves 6413 and 6423. In the hair iron 601, the plurality of grooves 6413 on the first contact part 641 and the plurality of grooves 6423 on the second contact part 642 are positioned to be shifted from each other in the longitudinal direction of the first and second contact parts 641 and 642.
The present configuration allows the user to comb the hair that is engaged inside the grooves 6413 of the first contact part 641 or inside the grooves 6423 of the second contact part 642, thereby increasing the area of contact between the hair and the first contact part 641 or the second contact part 642. Therefore, hair can be warmed more efficiently.
Concerning the hair iron 201 described in the second embodiment, a plurality of grooves may be formed on the contact part 241, the grooves extending in a circumferential direction of the contact part 241. For example, as seen in FIG. 4B illustrating a hair iron 701, a plurality of grooves 7243 may be formed on a surface of a contact part 7241, the grooves extending in the circumferential direction of a surface of a contact part 7241. Note that in FIG. 4B, symbols identical to those in FIG. 2A are given to components similar to those of the hair iron 201 according to the second embodiment.
The present configuration allows the user to wind the hair around the contact part 7241 with the hair engaged inside the grooves 7243 of the contact part 7241, thereby increasing the area of contact between the hair and the contact part 7241. Therefore, hair can be warmed more efficiently.
The second embodiment is described above by using an example in which the contact part 7241 is cylindrical, but the contact part 7241 may be in another shape. For example, the contact part 7241 may be in a tubular shape having a polygonal cross section.
The embodiments are described above by using an example in which the power supply 8 receives electric power supplied from an external power source, but the embodiments are not limited to the example. For example, the hair iron may include a power storage part from which the power supply 8 receives electric power. In such a case, the hair iron can be used even in a place where no power supply equipment, such as an electrical outlet, is available, and thus a hair iron convenient to use for users can be provided.
The embodiments are described by using an example in which the first contact part 41, the second contact part 42, and the contact part 241 are made from isotropic graphite, but materials for the first contact part 41, the second contact part 42, and the contact part 241 are not limited to isotropic graphite. For example, the first contact part 41, the second contact part 42, and the contact part 241 may be made from a carbon fiber composite material (carbon composite) or anisotropic graphite. While ceramic has a thermal conductivity of 20 to 40 W/(m·K), isotropic graphite, anisotropic graphite, and carbon composite have thermal conductivities of approximately 150 W/(m·K), 170 W/(m·K), and 100 W/(m·K), respectively. Thus, compared with the case where the first contact part 41, the second contact part 42, or the contact part 241 is made from ceramic, heat is more easily propagated throughout the first contact part 41, the second contact part 42, or the contact part 241. Hence, the portions to be heated in the first contact part 41, the second contact part 42, and the contact part 241 can be made smaller, and accordingly the heaters 71, 72, and 207 can be made smaller. Therefore, energy savings are achieved by the reduced energy loss in the heaters 71, 72, and 207. In addition, a material containing graphite, such as isotropic graphite, anisotropic graphite, or carbon composite, emits not only far-infrared rays but also near-infrared rays. As a result, hair can be warmed from both inside and outside.
The first embodiment is described above by using an example in which the hair iron 1 includes the heaters 71 and 72 to have the function to heat the first and second contact parts 41 and 42. The second embodiment is described above by using an example in which the hair iron 201 includes the heater 207 to have the function to heat the contact part 241. However, the hair iron may be configured otherwise. For example, as seen in FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrating a hair iron 801, a cooler 8072 for cooling the second contact part 42 may be included. Note that in FIGS. 5A and 5B, symbols identical to those in FIGS. 1A and 1B are given to components similar to those in the first embodiment. The hair iron 801 includes a heatsink 8221 for dissipating out of a second arm 8022 the heat discharged from the cooler 8072, and also includes a thermal insulating member 8222 for preventing heat from transferring from the heatsink 8221 to the second arm 8022. A window 8022 a is formed on part of the second arm 8022 for exposing part of the heatsink 8221. A power supply 808 is connected to the cooler 8072 via a conductive line 8081. The power supply 808 includes a rectifying and smoothing circuit that converts an alternating current supplied from an external alternating-current source via a power supply line 8083 into a direct current, and also includes a step-down circuit that decreases an output voltage coming from the rectifying and smoothing circuit. On the second arm 8022, a sliding switch 8223 is disposed near the hinge 3. The switch 8223 is capable of switching between the state where the power supply 8 supplies electric power to the heater 71 to heat the first contact part 41 and the state where the power supply 808 supplies electric power to the cooler 8072 to cool the second contact part 42, in response to a sliding operation performed by the user.
The cooler 8072 includes a Peltier element 8721 and a heat transferrer 8722. The Peltier element 8721 is a flat-shaped thermoelectric conversion element that uses the Peltier effect to create uneven heat at an electrified junction of two different metals or semiconductors. As the Peltier element 8721, an element creating a temperature difference of, for example, approximately 30° C. between the electrified heat absorber 8721 a and heat rejector 8721 b may be employed. The heat transferrer 8722 is formed into a bar from a metal such as copper or from graphite. One face of the heat transferrer 8722 is in surface contact with the second contact part 42, while another face of the heat transferrer 8722 is in contact with the heat absorber 8721 a of the Peltier element 8721. As a result, the heat absorber 8721 a of the Peltier element 8721 is thermally coupled to the second contact part 42. The heatsink 8221 is made from a metal such as copper or from graphite, contacts the heat rejector 8721 b of the Peltier element 8721, and is partially exposed to the outside. Note that the heatsink 8221 may be formed of, for example, a layered body made by stacking graphite sheets that are made from expanded graphite.
Alternatively, as seen in FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrating a hair iron 901, the hair iron may include a cooler 9207 for cooling the contact part 241. Note that in FIGS. 6A and 6B, symbols identical to those in FIGS. 2A and 2B or FIGS. 5A and 5B are given to components similar to those in the second embodiment or the variation illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B. The hair iron 901 includes a heatsink 9243 for dissipating out of a handle 9202 the heat discharged from the cooler 9207, and also includes a thermal insulating member 9244 for preventing heat from transferring from the heatsink 9243 to the handle 9202. A window 9202 a is formed on part of the handle 9202 for exposing part of the heatsink 9243. The power supply 808 is connected to the cooler 9207 via a conductive line (not illustrated). On the handle 9202, a sliding switch 9221 is disposed. The switch 9221 is capable of switching between the state where the power supply 8 supplies electric power to the heater 207 to heat the contact part 241 and the state where the power supply 808 supplies electric power to the cooler 9207 to cool the contact part 241, in response to a sliding operation performed by the user.
The cooler 9207 includes a Peltier element 9271 and a heat transferrer 9272. The heat transferrer 9272 is formed into a bar from a metal such as copper or from graphite. One end of the heat transferrer 9272 contacts the contact part 241, while other end contacts a heat absorber 9271 a of the Peltier element 9271. As a result, the heat absorber 9271 a of the Peltier element 9271 is thermally coupled to the contact part 241. The heatsink 9243 is made from a metal such as copper or from graphite, contacts a heat rejector 9271 b of the Peltier element 9271, and is partially exposed to the outside.
The present configuration allows the second contact part 42 or the contact part 241 to be cooled, thereby giving cool feeling to users.
Note that the variation illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B is described above by using an example in which the hair iron 801 includes the heater 71 for heating the first contact part 41 and the cooler 8072 for cooling the second contact part 42, but the hair iron may be configured otherwise. For example, the hair iron may include a cooler for cooling both the first and second contact parts 41 and 42.
The embodiments are described above by using an example in which the substrate 411 in the first contact part 41, the substrate 421 in the second contact part 42, or the substrate 241 a in the contact part 241 is made from isotropic high-density graphite. However, the embodiments are not limited to the example, and the substrate 411, 421, or 241 a may be made from, for example, anisotropic graphite. Alternatively, the substrate 411, 421, or 241 a may be made from a carbon fiber composite material (C/C composite).
Embodiments and variations according to the present disclosure have been described above (including additional notes; the same applies to the following), but the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments and variations. The present disclosure includes any appropriate combination of the embodiments and variations, as well as including any appropriate modification thereto.
The foregoing describes some example embodiments for explanatory purposes. Although the foregoing discussion has presented specific embodiments, persons skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. This detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the invention is defined only by the included claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A hair iron comprising an elongated first arm and an elongated second arm, wherein one end of the second arm along a longitudinal direction is pivotally attached to one end of the first arm along a longitudinal direction, and another end of the second arm is movable in a direction along which the other end of the second arm comes closer to, or away from, another end of the first arm, and wherein a treatment is given by holding hair between the first arm and the second arm, the hair iron comprising:

a first contact part that is disposed in a portion of the first arm, and comes into contact with hair during the treatment, the portion facing the second arm;

a second contact part that is disposed in a portion of the second arm, and comes into contact with hair during the treatment, the portion facing the first arm; and

a heater that heats at least one of the first contact part and the second contact part,

wherein at least one of the first contact part and the second contact part includes a portion made from a material containing graphite.

2. The hair iron according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one of the first contact part and the second contact part including a portion made from a material containing graphite comprises a DLC film that covers at least part of a surface of the portion.

3. The hair iron according to claim 1, further comprising:

a cooler that cools at least one of the first contact part and the second contact part.

4. A hair iron comprising:

a contact part that is tubular in shape, and comes into contact with hair during a treatment;

a clipping part that is disposed lateral to the contact part, and presses hair against the contact part during a treatment; and

a heater that heats the contact part,

wherein the contact part includes a portion made from a material containing graphite.

5. The hair iron according to claim 4,

wherein the contact part comprises a DLC film that covers at least part of a surface of the portion.

6. The hair iron according to claim 4, further comprising:

a cooler that cools the contact part.

7. The hair iron according to claim 2, further comprising:

8. The hair iron according to claim 5, further comprising:

a cooler that cools the contact part.