METHOD FOR STRENGTHENING KERATINOUS FIBERS

• US 20110186070A1
• Filed: 09/03/2009
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alberto-Culver Company (Unilever PLC)
• Original Assignee: Alberto-Culver Company (Unilever PLC)
• Inventors: Verboom, Gilles M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,529,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 132/203
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 8/817 Compositions of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by a single or double bond to nitrogen or by a heterocyclic ring containing nitrogen; Compositions or derivatives of such polymers, e.g. vinylimidazol, vinylcaprolactame, allylamines (Polyquaternium 6)
• CPC Class Codes: A61Q 5/06 Preparations for styling the hair, e.g. by temporary shaping or colouring

Abstract

Provided is method of strengthening keratinous fibers that includes contacting the fibers with a composition that includes a poly(vinylamine-vinylformamide) copolymer and a carrier, wherein the treated fibers exhibit an improvement in strength. Also provided are methods for improving strength of fibers that have been damaged, e.g., as a result of having been subjected to chemical and/or thermal treatment processes that diminish fiber strength, by contacting the fibers with the composition.

Claims

1. A method of strengthening keratinous fibers, the method comprising contacting the fibers with a strengthening-effective amount of a composition comprising a poly(vinylamine-vinylformamide) copolymer and a carrier and, optionally, styling the fibers treated with the composition.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising styling the fibers treated with the composition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the fibers treated with the composition are strengthened by about 5% using an F20 fatigue index obtained in tensile strength testing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises polyvinylpyrrolidone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the poly(vinylamine-vinylformamide) copolymer comprises a high molecular weight poly(vinylamine-vinylformamide) copolymer and a low molecular weight poly(vinylamine-vinylformamide) copolymer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the high molecular weight poly(vinylamine-vinylformamide) copolymer comprises at most about 95 mol % vinylamine monomers.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the high molecular weight poly(vinylamine-vinylformamide) copolymer comprises at most about 50 mol % vinylamine monomers.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the high molecular weight poly(vinylamine-vinylformamide) copolymer comprises at most about 30 mol % vinylamine monomers.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the high molecular weight poly(vinylamine-vinylformamide) copolymer comprises at most about 10 mol % vinylamine monomers.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the low molecular weight poly(vinylamine-vinylformamide) copolymer comprises about 95 mol % vinylamine monomers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a film former.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the film former is a quaternized cellulose derivative, a vinylpyrrolidone copolymer, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a conditioning agent.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a surfactant.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a propellant.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the composition is in the form of a mousse or a gel.

17. The method of claim 3, wherein the fibers treated with the composition are strengthened by about 10% using an F20 fatigue index obtained in tensile strength testing.

24. The method of strengthening keratinous fibers according to claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises a cationic polymer.

25. The method of strengthening keratinous fibers according to claim 1, wherein the composition further comprises an anionic polymer.

26. The method of strengthening keratinous fibers according to claim 1, wherein the hair is contacted with the composition for from about 1 minute to about 20 minutes.

18. A method of strengthening keratinous fibers, the method comprising contacting the fibers with a strengthening-effective amount of a composition comprising a poly(vinylamine-vinylformamide) copolymer and an aqueous carrier, and optionally styling the fibers treated with the composition, wherein the fibers treated with the composition are strengthened by about 5% using an F20 fatigue index obtained in tensile strength testing.

19. A method of strengthening keratinous fibers, the method comprising contacting the fibers with a strengthening-effective amount of a composition comprising a poly(vinylamine-vinylformamide) copolymer and an aqueous carrier, and optionally styling the fibers treated with the composition, wherein the fibers treated with the composition are strengthened by about 10% using an F20 fatigue index obtained in tensile strength testing.

20. A method of strengthening damaged keratinous fibers, the method comprising contacting the damaged fibers with a strengthening-effective amount of a composition comprising a poly(vinylamine-vinylformamide) copolymer and a carrier and optionally styling the fibers treated with the composition, wherein the fibers are damaged by chemical contact, mechanical stress, heat or a combination thereof.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the fibers are damaged by at least one treatment selected from bleaching, coloring, perming, relaxing, straightening, combing, brushing, toweling and combinations thereof.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the damage is at least in part caused by chemical contact.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the damage is at least in part caused by heat.