Study done about hard water, Soft water, and relaxers... Lye vs. No lye...

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Sorry if this is a repost. I having problems with the search feature....

http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?IA=WO2002065982&wo=2002065982&DISPLAY=DESC

HAIR RELAXER SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREFOR

HAIR RELAXER SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREFOR Technical Field of the Invention This invention relates to the relaxing or straightening of naturally curly hair with strong chemical base and, in particular, to a hair relaxer system and method that ameliorates or inhibits the deposition of exogenous, multivalent metal ion on alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair.

Background of the Invention Multivalent metal ions, especially alkaline earth metal cations of calcium and magnesium, when present in the water employed for rinsing the hair during cosmetic hair treatments, such as chemical relaxing, permanent waving of hair and even shampooing, can react with anionic constituents in or on the hair to form water insoluble compounds that undesirably adhere to the hair.

Typically, in the salon or in the home, the source of the rinse water is tap water supplied by the local municipality, and in some instances from limestone wells. In some large metropolitan regions, the hardness of the water contains sufficient calcium, magnesium and other minerals to interfere with cosmetic treatments of human hair.

The adsorption and retention of exogenous, multivalent metal ion minerals on hair can be undesirable because the deposited mineral can visually dull the appearance of the hair, make the tactile and handling characteristics of the hair heavy, coated, and difficult to style, and increase its resistance to or interfere with the effectiveness of certain hair treatments, such as dyeing, bleaching, permanent waving, chemical relaxation or straightening, shampooing, conditioning and the like.

Aside from endogenous trace minerals found in hair and exogenous minerals sorbed from rinse water, exogenous mineral deposits in human hair can also come from cosmetic treatments, topical medications, and environmental pollutants. For example, strong chemical bases are typically employed for chemical hair relaxation at a pH of greater than about 12. Such chemical base treatment can leave numerous negatively charged moieties in the hair, thereby making the chemically-relaxed hair more receptive to adsorption and retention of various multivalent metal ions, especially alkaline earth metal cations, present in the rinse water contacting it immediately following such highly alkaline processing. Mineral deposits can build up on the hair surface undesirably and be further exacerbated by employing hard water rinses during the process of chemically relaxing naturally curly hair especially with"no-lye"type hair relaxer compositions.

Commercial chemical hair relaxer products, commonly called"no- lye"relaxers, are two-component products that are mixed together just before use to form the strong organic base, guanidinium hydroxide, in situ. One of the two components typically is an activator solution containing guanidine carbonate and the other component is an emulsion creme containing calcium hydroxide in excess of the stoichiometric amount needed to form the strong base. As a result, the admixture contains the byproduct calcium carbonate, and unreacted calcium hydroxide, each of which can form an observable deposit of calcium mineral on the surface of the hair.

Salon practitioners frequently complain about the mineral buildup on chemically-relaxed hair, because it can interfere with the effectiveness of post- relaxer conditioners, hair coloring, and subsequent chemical relaxing hair treatments. Moreover, mineral buildup on the hair generally also dulls the natural sheen of the hair, makes it hard to comb and style, and leaves the scalp and hair feeling dry and rough. Removal of mineral deposit from chemically-relaxed hair presents problems because, following exposure to strong chemical base, the scalp can be vulnerable to irritation and the chemically relaxed hair can be susceptible to weakening damage thereby limiting aggressive removal of mineral ion deposit.

In some prior attempts at resolving the mineral buildup problem, practitioners have resorted to using chemical pre-treatment products, sometimes called"clarifiers"or"primers"in the trade, to remove mineral buildup from the hair. These commercial products are available and employed in the form of lotions, shampoos or pre-shampoo sprays, which are applied, sometimes with heat, to the hair before the desired subsequent hair product can be used.

However, such chemical pre-treatments, and shampoos in particular, are unsuitable for use just before a chemical relaxation procedure, because they undesirably increase the risk of predisposing the scalp to burning or irritation from the strong chemical base during the subsequent chemical relaxation process.

From industry experience, no-lye type hair relaxers are generally regarded as having a low scalp irritation potential, which has accounted for their popularity and success. However, the increased mineral buildup problem observed with no-lye type hair relaxers has caused salon practitioners, in particular, to avoid using this type of hair relaxer in favor of relaxers containing inorganic caustic base, particularly sodium hydroxide (so-called lye-type relaxers), which tend to have a higher scalp irritation potential, in the belief that mineral buildup would not occur. We have now surprisingly discovered that even when inorganic caustic base containing relaxers are employed, alkaline earth metal minerals, and other multivalent metal ions, when present in the rinse water, also deposit on the chemically relaxed hair during the relaxation process.

Thus, there is an ongoing need to resolve the problem of adsorption and retention by chemically relaxed hair of exogenous multivalent metal ions, and of alkaline earth metal ion, in particular. The hair relaxing system and method of this invention provides a resolution to this problem.

Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a hair relaxing system and method that ameliorates and inhibits the adsorption and retention by alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair of undesirable exogenous multivalent metal ion present in the chemical relaxer, rinse water or both during the process of relaxing naturally curly hair with compositions having a pH above about 12 containing a hair- relaxing amount of strong chemical base.

In a preferred method aspect, the deposition of exogenous, multivalent metal ion, and calcium and magnesium ion in particular, on alkaline chemically relaxed hair was surprisingly ameliorated and inhibited during the relaxer process by (a) contacting naturally curly hair with a hair relaxing composition having a pH above about pH 12 for a period sufficient to relax all or a portion of the natural curl and then (b) removing the chemical relaxer composition from the alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair employing an aqueous composition having a physiologically tolerable pH and containing an effective chelating amount of at least one exogenous multivalent metal ion chelating agent.

It was surprisingly found that concurrently removing the relaxer and contacting alkaline, chemically relaxed hair with the metal ion chelating composition in step (b) for at least about two minutes effectively ameliorated and inhibited sorption and retention of a selected exogenous multivalent metal ion, such that the total content of that metal ion initially present in the hair before the chemical relaxer process was not increased or, increase, if any, was not more than 1.3 fold.

 

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In a particularly preferred method aspect, the foregoing step (b) was carried out during the relaxer process by employing an inventive delivery system adapted for practical salon use. The inventive delivery system beneficially delivers a controlled amount of the metal ion chelating composition concurrently with the rinse water. The beneficial inhibitory effect on metal ion retention is further enhanced by employing soft water preferably having a hardness of not more than 1 ppm. Further the delivery system can be employed under practical salon conditions.

Surprisingly, the adsorption and retention of calcium ion, in particular, by alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair was found to be substantially ameliorated and inhibited by rinsing with an aqueous composition containing not more than about 0.5 weight percent total alkaline earth metal chelating agent employing the inventive delivery system.

In another preferred method aspect, the adsorption and retention of metal ion deposit on alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair was also ameliorated and inhibited in step (b) by (i) removing the chemical relaxer from the hair by rinsing with soft water and then (ii) substantially immediately contacting the water rinsed alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair with a wet wipe impregnated with an aqueous metal ion chelating composition containing an effective chelating amount of at least one multivalent metal ion chelating agent. Alternatively, in the foregoing contact step (b) (ii), an aqueous metal ion chelating composition preferably containing not more than about three weight percent chelating agent can be applied directly to the hair in the form of a rinse or spray.

The present invention beneficially minimizes the exposure of alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair to adsorption and retention of undesirable exogenous multivalent metal ion from the rinse water, chemical relaxer or both during the relaxer process. A particular benefit is that it ameliorates the adsorption and retention of undesirable deposits of exogenous alkaline earth metal ion present in no-lye chemical relaxers. Thus, in the practice of the method of this invention, the measurable total content of multivalent metal ion, and calcium and magnesium ion in particular, in the chemically-relaxed hair is less relative to hair chemically relaxed by conventional methods.

Still another benefit is that the method and delivery system of this invention allows the practitioner to use chemical relaxers, and no-lye type chemical relaxers in particular, in geographic regions where the local tap water supply is hard, or has a high content of multivalent metal ions, thereby avoiding the attendant problems associated with undesirable mineral buildup, and desirably enhancing the aesthetic attributes of the chemically relaxed hair. Additionally, the inventive method provides a resolution of the problem of deposition of alkaline earth metal ion on chemically-relaxed hair which can be carried out during the chemical relaxation process, thereby avoiding the need for separate multi step, mineral stripping chemical hair pre-treatments with potentially skin irritating heat and relatively high levels of metal ion chelating agent.

Brief Description of the Drawings In the drawing, FIGURE 1 illustrates schematically one preferred delivery system embodiment for delivery of an aqueous metal ion chelating composition concurrently with the rinse water during a hair relaxing process and in accordance with the present invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments Naturally curly hair that has its natural curl chemically relaxed at a pH of above about 12, with a chemical hair relaxer in which the active hair-relaxing agent is a water-soluble strong chemical base, is generally referred to herein as"chemically-relaxed"hair. Commercially, such chemical hair relaxers employ strong bases that are physiologically tolerable, water-soluble, non-volatile relatively strong nitrogenous organic bases, and inorganic alkalis (caustic bases) that are capable of relaxing the natural curl in naturally curly hair.

Examples of relatively strong nitrogenous organic bases conventionally employed include guanidine, hydrated guanidine (guanidinium hydroxide, guanidine hydroxide or the like), quaternary ammonium hydroxides, and the like.

Examples of inorganic alkalis conventionally employed include inorganic alkali metal hydroxides, such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide or lithium hydroxide, and alkaline earth metal hydroxides, such as calcium hydroxide, or oxide thereof capable of forming hydroxide in water and the like.

The term"alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair"as used herein refers to naturally curly hair which has had its natural curl relaxed or straightened by contact with any one of the foregoing chemical relaxer compositions prior to having the residual alkalinity on the hair neutralized. The term"neutralized"as applied to chemically relaxed hair conventionally means that following the removal of chemical relaxer, as by rinsing with water, or an aqueous composition, the alkaline, chemically relaxed hair is contacted with a base neutralizing composition having a pH in the range of about 5 to about 7 and containing sufficient free acid to neutralize the residual alkalinity on the chemically relaxed hair. Such compositions are typically in the form of a shampoo and are conventionally known in the trade as a neutralizing or normalizing shampoo.

The term"undesirable multivalent metal ion"and"multivalent metal ion"in its singular and plural form is used interchangeably herein to refer to exogenous multivalent metal cation present in the relaxer, in the water used for rinsing the hair during the chemical relaxer process, or in both which can be adsorbed and retained by the chemically relaxed hair and can adversely affect the subjective aesthetic attributes of the hair (i. e., decrease luster, lessen conditioning results, decrease tactile feel and the like), damage the hair or interfere with the desired results of subsequent chemical treatments (i. e., hair dyes, permanent waves, relaxers and the like) or subsequent hair care treatments (i. e., shampooing, conditioning and the like). Undesirable multivalent metal ions that can be present in local hard tap water or well water include but are not limited to alkaline earth metal ions, such as calcium, magnesium, barium, strontium and the like; transition metal ions, such as copper, iron, manganese, nickel and the like; and heavy metal ions capable of forming heavy metal soaps with fatty acid, such as aluminum, lead, zinc and the like.

The term"hardness level"or"water hardness"as used herein refers to the commonly understood meaning of a water supply having dissolved calcium (Ca+2) and magnesium (Mg+2) minerals at a level expressed in terms of parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per liter (mg/1) concentration or grains per gallon (gpg). The term"soft water"as used herein refers to a water supply generally classified as having a level of hardness of not more than 17 ppm or mg/1 (or expressed as gpg of less than 1).

It is recognized that water commonly is further generally classified as"slightly hard water" (level of hardness of 17-60 ppm or mg/1 or 1-3.5 gpg); "moderately hard water" (level of hardness of 60-120 ppm or mg/1 or 3.5-7.0 gpg); and"hard water" (more than about 120 ppm or mg/1 or more than about 7 gpg). For convenience, the term"hard water"as used herein means water having a hardness level greater than 17 ppm and includes the foregoing general classifications, unless otherwise indicated.

The term"rinse water"as used herein refers to its commonly understood meaning as the water employed generally to rinse the hair at the various steps of a chemical hair relaxing process to remove the chemical hair relaxer from the hair and following related finishing steps, such as shampooing, conditioning and the like. For the practice of the method and system of this invention, soft rinse water is preferred having a hardness of not more than about one ppm, and more preferably of not more than about 0.1 ppm.

 

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The term"metal ion chelating agent"and"chelating agent"is used interchangeably herein to refer to cosmetically acceptable compounds capable of forming water-soluble complexes with undesirable multivalent metal ions or prevent redeposition thereof on the hair. The term"metal ion chelating composition"or"chelating composition"is used interchangeably herein to refer to aqueous compositions having a physiologically tolerable pH containing an effective chelating amount of at least one multivalent metal ion chelating agent.

Preferably, the pH of the metal ion chelating composition is in a range of about 6 to about 11, more preferably about 7 to about 8. The term"physiologically tolerable"as used herein means substantially non-irritating to human scalp and skin when contacted during a chemical relaxer process as disclosed herein.

Aqueous compositions useful for ameliorating or inhibiting the deposit of metal ion on alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair during the relaxation process preferably contain at least one alkaline earth metal ion chelating agent and more preferably at least two alkaline earth metal ion chelating agents.

Present preferred chelating agents useful herein, without being limited thereto, are selected from the group consisting of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEEDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), ethanol diglycine (EDG), ethylenebis (hydroxyphenylglycine), N-dihydroxyethylglycine, iminodisuccinic acid (IDS), ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS), polyaspartic acid, and water soluble alkali metal salts of each of the foregoing and the like employed singly or in combination. Preferably the alkali metal portion of the salts of the chelating agents are sodium or potassium.

Particularly preferred are the disodium, trisodium and tetrasodium salts of EDTA and combinations thereof.

In practicing the method of this invention, (a) the curl in naturally curly human hair, whether of African or Caucasian origin, can be relaxed employing any commercially available hair relaxing composition having a pH above about 12 and containing an effective hair-relaxing amount of strong base applied to the hair according to the manufacturer's instructions. The chemical relaxer typically is applied to and distributed through the naturally curly portions of the hair and left in contact with the hair for a period sufficient to relax the natural curl to the extent desired. Those skilled in the hair relaxing arts recognize that such contact time with the hair can range from about 5 to about 30 minutes, more typically about 10 to about 20 minutes, depending on the resistance of the hair to chemical straightening and the result desired.

(b) Substantially immediately thereafter the chemical relaxer is then thoroughly and rapidly removed from the alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair and the adsorption and retention of multivalent metal ion ameliorated and inhibited as described below.

In a particularly preferred method aspect, the removal of the chemical relaxer from the hair and inhibition of undesirable multivalent metal ion adsorption and retention is effected concurrently. In this method aspect, aqueous metal ion chelating composition containing at least one multivalent metal ion chelating agent can be concurrently delivered with the rinse water to the alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair employing a delivery system adapted for use under a practical salon or home environment. A useful delivery system, is preferably modular, comprising in combination: a) a conduit having at least one water inlet being operably and changeably connectable for liquid flow communication to a source of incoming raw water, at least one liquid outlet being preferably operably and changeably connectable to a liquid sprayer and at least one injector intermediate the water inlet and the liquid outlet, the injector further having an inlet being operably and changeably connectable for liquid flow communication with a source of aqueous metal ion chelating composition for concurrently receiving and admixing the received aqueous metal ion chelating composition with water flowing through the conduit; b) a water softener tank intermediate the water inlet and the injector; and c) at least one valve located within the conduit, the valve being positionable and configured such that water flow through the conduit to the liquid outlet and liquid sprayer when associated therewith can be optionally channeled to: i) pass through both the water softener and the injector for concurrently delivering an admixture of softened water having a hardness level of not more than 17 ppm, more preferably of not more than about 1 ppm, and a predetermined amount of the aqueous metal ion chelating composition; or ii) pass through the injector, bypassing the water softener, for concurrently delivering an admixture of predetermined amount of the aqueous metal ion chelating composition and raw incoming water.

Preferably the conduit of the modular delivery system includes a plurality of valves located therein, wherein each valve is positionable and configured such that water flow through the conduit directly to the liquid outlet and liquid sprayer when associated therewith can be further optionally channeled to: iii) pass through the water softener for delivery of softened water having a hardness level of not more than 17 ppm, more preferably of not more than about 1 ppm; or iv) deliver raw incoming water.

A useful delivery system embodiment that can be employed under practical salon conditions for concurrently delivering an admixture of water and aqueous metal ion chelating composition is illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 1 illustrates a modular delivery system, which in operative combination, comprises an apparatus 10 having a conduit 12 in which the water inlet of conduit 12 is shown operably and changeably connectable to a source of incoming raw rinse water W and the liquid outlet of conduit 12 is shown operably and changeably connectable to the liquid sprayer 14. The conduit 12 can be constructed of any commercial chemically inert piping capable of allowing water to flow therethrough. At least a portion of the piping is preferably flexible for easy connection to the water inlet and the liquid sprayer 14.

The type and dimensions of the piping are not limited so long as the water inlet of the piping can be adapted for attachment to a sink faucet or nozzle of a tap water source. A useful conduit 12 piping can be flexible, plastic tubing such as Tygon or Teflon tubing, having an internal diameter of about 0.5 inches (about 1.27 centimeters).

In FIGURE 1, the injector 16 is positioned intermediate the water inlet and the liquid sprayer 14. The injector 16 further has an inlet 22 for receiving aqueous metal ion chelating composition 26 from container C for controllably and concurrently admixing a predetermined amount of the aqueous metal ion chelating composition 26 with rinse water flowing through the conduit 12 to the liquid sprayer 14. The chelating composition 26 is preferably packaged in a container or reservoir having an annular neck N configuration that can be changeably connected for liquid flow communication with the injector inlet 22, or which can be readily adapted for such connection.

The injector 16 embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1 is connectable to a control valve 20 positioned intermediate the injector 16 and the neck N of container C of aqueous chelating composition 26. Control valve 20 can be any one-way valve (such as a stopcock or the like) capable of controlling the flow of preselected amounts of aqueous chelating composition 26 to be received by the injector 16 for admixture and delivery concurrently with the rinse water as long as the valve material is chemically non-reactive with the chelating composition.

In the apparatus embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1, liquid flow communication of the injector to the container C of aqueous chelating composition 26 is achieved with a flexible suction tube 24 changeably connectable to the control valve 20 and insertable to a sufficient depth in container C to so that liquid metal ion chelating composition 26 can flow therethrough and be received by injector 16. The suction tube 24 can be of any flexible tubing, such as Tygon or the like, so long as it is chemically unreactive with the metal ion chelating composition. A useful suction tube can have an internal diameter of about 0.375 inches (about 0.95 centimeters). Injector 16 can thus admix the received liquid metal ion chelating composition with oncoming rinse water flowing through conduit 12 for delivery to the liquid sprayer 14. The injector in FIGURE 1, illustrates a venturi-type injection system operating on hydraulic flow and pressure to draw the predetermined amount of liquid metal ion chelating composition 26 from container C.

 

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A useful water pressure of rinse water passing through the conduit to the adapter is in the range of about 12-13 pounds per square inch (psi). For quickly removing the chemical hair relaxer, a water pressure of at least 12 psi or greater is preferred. In locations experiencing low water pressure, a booster pump for increasing the pressure of the water flowing to or through the conduit of the delivery system can be employed.

Alternatively, liquid flow communication can be achieved with the container C of aqueous metal ion chelating composition positioned in operative gravity feed connection with control valve 20 and injector 16 to deliver the composition 26 to injector 16 for gravity admixing. In this case, the suction tube can be omitted and the control valve 20 can be adjusted to control the amount and rate of admixing of aqueous metal ion composition received.

It is recognized that the container C can be any suitable reservoir for the aqueous metal ion chelating composition that can be readily adapted for use with the delivery system. Thus, the container C can be a refillable reservoir or a single use package.

The apparatus embodiment in FIGURE 1 illustrates a modular delivery system in which the control valve 20 is a separate element changeably connectable to the injector inlet 22 intermediate the injector 16 and the container C, but is not intended to be so limited. It is recognized that the injector 16 can be configured to contain a one-way valve, thereby eliminating the necessity of a separate control valve element, and the neck N of container C can be changeably connected for liquid flow communication directly to the injector inlet 22.

In another delivery system aspect, following the delivery of metal ion chelating composition to the alkaline chemically relaxed hair, the container C can be removed and substituted by a container of post-relaxer liquid hair conditioning composition, such as a creme rinse and the like, for delivery in like manner by way of the injector 16. Alternatively, the conduit can be modified to include a second injector and appropriate control valves along the path for delivery of liquid post-relaxer hair conditioning compositions to the liquid outlet.

In FIGURE 1, a water softener unit T is positioned intermediate the water inlet of conduit 12 and the injector 16. Preferably the water is softened to a hardness level of not more than 17 ppm, more preferably of not more than about 1 ppm, most preferably of not more than about 0.1 ppm calcium. A meter M is preferably positioned intermediate the water softener T and the injector 16.

Any commercially available one-way water meter can be employed. The water softener T can be any commercially available water softening system, such as a tank or deionizer unit, preferably comprising an ion-exchange resin with sodium ion as the exchangeable cation. If a booster pump is employed, it is preferably positioned intermediate the water softener unit T and the meter M. For ready replacement of the water softener unit T, and the booster pump, when present, flexible piping is preferred.

In the delivery system embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1, the apparatus 10 of the delivery system is configured to include a plurality of valves, 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, and 18e, located within the conduit 12. Each valve is positioned and configured such that the water flow through the conduit 12 to the sprayer 14 can be optionally channeled through a selected defined path. In FIGURE 1, the apparatus 10 defines four optional paths, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, along conduit 12 for channeling rinse water W flowing to the liquid sprayer 14.

For controlling the water flow, valves 18a, 18b, 18c, and 18d can be any type of one-way valve and valve 18e can be any type of bi-directional valve, that can be positioned to operatively define the liquid flow selected paths along conduit 12.

The ability to optionally channel the path of the water flow provides the user versatility in employing the apparatus 10 of the inventive delivery system, particularly under practical salon usage conditions.

Thus, in selected path aspect 12a along conduit 12 as illustrated in FIGURE 1, an admixture of soft rinse water and chelating composition is concurrently delivered to the liquid sprayer 14. In this delivery aspect, valves 18a and 18b are open to define path 12a along conduit 12, valves 18c, 18d, and 18e are closed to water flow, a container C of aqueous chelating composition 26 is changeably connected in liquid communication to the control valve 20 and the control valve 20 is changeably connected to the injector inlet 22 of the injector 16. The control valve 20 can be opened for liquid flow so that the injector 16 can receive a controlled preselected amount of aqueous chelating composition 26 from container C and the metered oncoming rinse water W flowing from the water softener T at its ambient pressure aspirates and admixes with the injected chelating composition 26. A useful ambient pressure for rinse water passing through the injector is at least 12 psi, preferably at least about 13 psi.

In selected path aspect 12b along conduit 12 illustrated in FIGURE 1, an admixture of predetermined amount of the aqueous chelating composition 26 and raw incoming rinse water can be concurrently delivered to the liquid sprayer 14 by opening valves 18c, 18e, and 18b to define path 12b, and closing valves 18a and 18d, to bypass the water softener tank T. This configuration allows raw incoming rinse water at ambient pressure of about 35-40 psi to flow through to the injector 16 and admix with aspirated aqueous chelating composition 26 when the injector 16 is operably connected to receive chelating composition 26 (as previously described for path 12a). When path 12b is chosen, if care needs to be taken to avoid a backflow of raw water into the Meter M through to the water softener T, an additional one-way valve can be located intermediate the Meter M and the injector 16.

In selected path aspect 12c along conduit 12 illustrated in FIGURE 1, soft water is delivered directly to the liquid sprayer 14 by opening valves 18a, 18e, and 18d to define path 12c, and closing valves 18c, 18b, and control valve 20 to liquid flow. Alternatively, soft water can also be delivered by path 12a, described above, so long as control valve 20 is closed.

In selected path aspect 12d along conduit 12 illustrated in FIGURE 1, raw water can be delivered directly to the liquid sprayer 14 by opening valves 18c and 18d to define path 12d and closing valves 18a, 18b, and 18e to liquid flow.

The apparatus of the delivery system is preferably modular so that it can be packaged for sale, storage, portability and the like and be readily assembled for use or disassembled by the user.

Preferably, before injection, the source of liquid aqueous metal ion chelating composition contains a total amount of metal ion chelating agent calculated on a total composition basis of not more than about five weight percent, preferably not more than about four weight percent, most preferably not more than about three weight percent. Upon injection, the metal ion chelating composition can be diluted with rinse water, on a parts by weight basis from about 1: 1 to about 1: 10, more preferably from about 1: 4 to about 1: 8 in the admixture delivered by the liquid sprayer 14.

A particularly preferred source of liquid metal ion chelating composition for use in the delivery system of this invention comprises, prior to injection, on a total composition basis, about 1 weight percent to not more than about 3 weight percent of at least one alkaline earth metal chelating agent and which on injection preferably is diluted with the rinse water to a concentration of from about 0.1 to not more than about 1 weight percent in the resulting admixture delivered to the hair.

Particularly preferred is a pre-injection composition comprising on a total composition basis: about 1 weight percent to about 1.5 weight percent of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt; about 1 to about 1.5 weight percent of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tetrasodium salt; and the remainder being water and optionally, cosmetic adjuvants.

The pre-injection composition is preferably diluted, on a parts by weight basis from 1: 1 to about 1 : 10, preferably to about 1: 8, with rinse water to deliver a dilute admixture, preferably in the form of a spray rinse comprising on a total admixture basis: about 0.1 to about 0.25 weight percent ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt; and about 0.1 to about 0.25 weight percent ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tetrasodium salt.

Surprisingly, an admixture of water containing, on a total admixture basis, about 0.1 to not more than 1 weight percent, more preferably not more than about 0.5 weight percent, most preferably not more than about 0.3 weight percent total alkaline earth metal chelating agent ameliorated or inhibited the deposition of multivalent metal ion, particularly calcium ion on alkaline chemically-relaxed hair. Further, it was found that by employing for the admixture rinse water having a hardness of not more than about 0.1 ppm, the retention of alkaline earth metal ion deposit on the chemically-relaxed hair was inhibited such that the total alkaline earth metal content of the chemically-relaxed hair was either substantially unchanged relative to that present before chemical relaxation or, if higher, the retention was ameliorated by at least about 40 weight percent, more preferably by at least about 80 weight percent relative to chemically-relaxed hair not contacted with such admixture. It was found that such amelioration and inhibition was achieved in a contact period ranging from at least about 2 minutes to not more than about five minutes.

 

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Where it is not possible or convenient to employ the apparatus of the inventive delivery system, the inventive method can be practiced in one alternate method aspect, whereby the removal of the chemical relaxer from the hair can be effected by (i) rinsing with water having a hardness level of not more than 17 ppm, preferably soft water, deionized water, or distilled water, preferably having a temperature in the range of about 30°C to about 37°C. and then (ii) substantially immediately thereafter contacting the water-rinsed, alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair with an aqueous composition containing at least one multivalent metal ion chelating agent for a period sufficient to remove substantially all, or a portion of at least one selected exogenous multivalent metal ion, particularly calcium and magnesium, adsorbed and retained by the alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair from the chemical relaxer, the rinse water or both. A contact period of not more than about 5 minutes was found sufficient to provide chemically relaxed hair having a lower total content of the at least one selected exogenous multivalent metal ion relative to the amount of that multivalent metal ion found in the hair in the absence of such contact.

Preferably soft water having a hardness level of not more than 1 ppm is employed in step (i). The adsorption and retention of exogenous multivalent metal ion is exacerbated if tap water is employed in step (i), but can be ameliorated by practicing step (ii).

The metal ion chelating composition can be manually applied in step (ii), preferably as a liquid pour-over rinse or pump spray, directly to the water-rinsed alkaline, chemically relaxed hair. The rinse or spray can be applied at least once, followed by a towel blot or water rinse, and can be reapplied with intervening towel blotting or water rinses as desired.

When the metal ion chelating composition is applied manually to alkaline chemically-relaxed hair in the form of a liquid aqueous pour-over rinse or as a spray delivered from a manual pump spray, the concentration of total metal ion chelating agent present, calculated on a total composition basis, preferably is in the range of about 0.5 weight percent to not more than about 3 weight percent, more preferably not more than about 2 weight percent, most preferably not more than about 1 weight percent with the remainder water and optional cosmetic adjuvants.

The metal ion chelating composition can also be manually applied to the alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair in the form of an aqueous gel, emulsion or the like. The aqueous emulsion can be in the form of a pourable lotion or non-runny, viscous cream.

In another preferred method aspect, where it is not possible or convenient to employ the apparatus of the inventive delivery system, the aqueous metal ion chelating composition can be manually applied in step (ii) by carrying the composition on a sheet material substrate as a wipe embodiment. Wipe embodiments can be in the form of wet wipes or dry wipes."Wet wipes"can also be referred to as"pre-moistened wipes"or"towelettes", because they include a substrate that is moistened, as by wetting and impregnating the substrate with a liquid composition, prior to use by the user. Preferably wet wipes comprise a substrate which is moistened prior to packaging, such as in a generally moisture impervious container or wrapper. Alternatively, following impregnation, the impregnated wipe can be allowed to substantially dry, be packaged as a substantially dry wipe for storage and then re-moistened, as by spraying with soft water (deionized or distilled), immediately before use.

Wipe embodiments can be prepared by impregnating a porous, flexible, sheet material with an aqueous composition containing at least one metal ion chelating agent. The sheet material can be any flexible chemically inert substrate that can absorb sufficient aqueous chelating solution to form a wet wipe capable of deforming sufficiently to contact alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair and releasing an effective chelating amount of chelating composition to the hair.

Suitable wipe sheet substrates can comprise woven or non-woven web formed of natural fibers, synthetic fibers or combinations thereof. Preferred are paper sheets comprised of cellulosic fibers of natural or synthetic origin, or cloth of natural fibers, such as wood pulp, cotton, linen, or rayon or blends of natural and synthetic fibers, such as polyester and polypropylene. One presently preferred sheet material is paper crepe of 23 pound weight basis.

Various methods of forming suitable nonwoven and woven fibrous web substrates are known in the paper making arts and textile arts. For example, nonwoven dry forming techniques include air-laying, or wet laying, such as on a papermaking machine or can be melt blown, spun bonded and the like. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the kind of sheet material is limited only by its ability to sorb and retain sufficient chelating composition to release chelating composition on contact with the alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair.

Those skilled in the art will also recognize that the size of the wet wipe sheet is not limited and can be readily determined for convenience by the manner in which the wipe will be employed. Thus, the size of the wet wipe can vary as desired to either hold individual tress lengths of hair or to cover the entire head of hair. When the wipe is sized to hold and contact the alkaline chemically- relaxed hair on an individual tress by tress basis, an individual tress can be enveloped by the wet wipe and wiped by hand directionally away from the scalp along the full length of the tress for about one minute or until the tress feels or is visually improved. Alternately, the foregoing wet wipe can be used in a towel- like rubbing fashion over the head hair. A useful wipe size without being limited thereto, can be a rectangle of about 20 cm (about 7.9 in) by about 30 cm (about 11.8 in) or about 15 cm (about 5.9 in) by about 20 cm (about 7.9 in). It was found that effective chelation could be achieved on a head of hair with a contact time of about 2 to about 4 minutes. A useful amount of chelating composition present on such a wet wipe can be in range of about 0.05 to about 0.2 grams.

For impregnation, a useful wipe sheet can be saturated with a previously prepared metal ion chelating composition employing a sheet: bath weight ratio of from about 1: 2 to about 1: 3 employing conventional impregnating techniques such as adsorption or immersion. Preferably, the metal ion chelating composition contains a concentration of total alkaline earth metal chelating agent in the range of about 1 weight percent to about 4.5 weight percent, more preferably of about 2 to about 4 weight percent, calculated on the total weight of the chelating composition employed for impregnating the wipe sheet material.

In one impregnating method aspect, the wipe substrate can be packaged and saturated in situ. For example, the wipe substrate can be folded and inserted into a preformed liquid impermeable package, such as a pouch, having one opening and then adding the impregnating liquid aqueous metal ion chelating composition to allow the liquid to saturate and be absorbed by the wipe substrate in situ. The package or pouch can then be sealed for storage. In another impregnating method, the wipe can be immersed in the impregnating liquid and then used immediately or packaged in a moisture impermeable container as a wet wipe for storage.

For storage, the wet wipe embodiment can be packaged in a moisture impermeable container, either as individual packaged wipes such as in heat sealed packets or the like, or as stacked wipes in covered dispensers to prevent evaporation of the aqueous chelating composition.

Metal ion chelating compositions can also contain conditioning agents for the hair, pH adjusting acid or base, viscosity modifiers, preservatives, fragrances and like optional cosmetically acceptable adjuvants employed in the hair relaxing and styling arts, so long as the ingredient employed does not react with the chelating agent or interfere with its metal ion chelation capability. The term"conditioning agents"as used herein collectively includes hair conditioners, emollients, lubricants and the like, obtained from natural and synthetic sources conventionally used by the cosmetic industry hair care products to enhance the subjective attributes of hair, prior to or after chemical treatments and during routine hair care maintenance.

 

[delp]

Those skilled in the cosmetic arts are familiar with conventional cosmetic adjuvant ingredients which are commercially available from a number of sources. Descriptions of and suppliers of conventional ingredients can readily be found in a number of trade publications. For convenience, ingredients generally will be referred to by the industry recognized standardized designations given them in the International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary, Sixth Edition, published by The Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association, Washington, DC (1995) commonly referred to as"INCI"names.

Alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair that has been treated with a metal ion chelating composition in accordance with this invention can be further washed or rinsed with a base neutralizing composition, such as a shampoo, conditioner rinse or the like, having a pH of about 5 to about 7, as is conventionally practiced in the hair relaxing arts.

It was found that naturally curly hair readily adsorbs and retains exogenous alkaline earth metal ion on exposure to tap water containing calcium and magnesium ions during routine washing with shampoo. Alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair was found particularly receptive to adsorption and retention of alkaline earth metal ion, particularly calcium and magnesium, during the chemical relaxation process. Surprisingly, the calcium content of the alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair increased regardless of whether the strong base employed in the chemical relaxer was an organic base (i. e., no-lye type relaxer) or an alkali metal hydroxide. While the mechanism for this deposition is not fully understood, and without being bound by any theory, it is believed that chemical relaxation at a pH above about 12 increases receptive anionic sites or anionic moieties or both in the alkaline chemically-relaxed hair. It is also believed that adsorption and retention of alkaline earth metal cations is probably maximized while the chemically-relaxed hair is still alkaline, i. e., substantially immediately following removal of the strong base relaxer before neutralizing the residual alkalinity on the hair.

The alkaline earth metal ions, calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) are particularly common undesirable ions present in tap water. Intact naturally curly hair as received from a commercial supply house typically contained not more than about 3,500 ppm (mg/kg) total Ca and not more than about 450 ppm (mg/kg) total Mg. It was found that the total calcium and magnesium content of the commercial hair respectively could readily increase by more than 1.3 fold and more than 1.4 fold by simply washing the hair with slightly hard tap water having an average hardness of about 39 ppm Ca and about 11 ppm Mg, whereas rinsing with deionized water produced substantially no increase.

During the subsequent chemical relaxation of naturally curly hair, it was surprisingly found that the total calcium content in the hair could further increase at least 2.9 fold and the total magnesium content could increase more than 4 fold regardless of whether the chemical relaxer was a organic base (no-lye type) or inorganic base (lye-type), when slightly hard rinse water was employed.

When deionized water was employed for rinsing during the chemical relaxation process, no increase in the content of the either mineral occurred. Thus, the problem of alkaline earth mineral deposit remaining on hair chemically relaxed by conventional methods was found to be exacerbated as the hardness of the rinse water employed increases.

It was also found that the sorption of other multivalent metal ions by alkaline chemically-relaxed hair was exacerbated when using slightly hard rinse water during the chemical relaxer process, compared to that present when soft water rinsing was employed, regardless of whether no-lye type or lye-type relaxer was used. It was found that in hair chemically relaxed with no-lye type relaxer, the total content of an exogenous alkaline earth metal ion, selected from Ba, Ca, Mg and Sr increased at least 2 fold, and of either an exogenous transition metal ion, selected from Cu, Fe, Mn, and Ni, or of an exogenous heavy metal ion selected from Al, Pb and Zn increased at least 1. 1 fold when slightly hard tap water was used relative to the total content found of each selected metal ion when soft water was used.

The aesthetic attributes of the hair which a person can discern include the visible appearance of the hair such as sheen, dullness, color and the like, and its tactile and handling characteristics, such as combing ease, manageability, stylability, softness, smoothness, moisture, dryness, mobility and the like. These hair attributes are important to a consumer and the acceptance or rejection of a product for the hair depends on its ability to maintain or enhance desirable hair attributes, or improve undesirable hair attributes or both. In particular, residue on the hair can interfere with the intended cosmetic effectiveness of a product for the hair, which in turn negatively affects the aesthetic attributes of the hair.

Some persons, for health reasons or the like, have hair attributes which are somewhat undesirable. For example, the hair may tend to be naturally dry or lackluster or limp. For these persons, any undesirable deposition on the hair is particularly problematic. Thus, avoiding further adsorption and retention on the hair of insoluble alkaline earth metal constituents deposited from chemical relaxation is important.

It was judged that when an increase in total alkaline earth mineral content adsorbed by the hair exceeds at least about 30% calcium and about 40% magnesium, a decrease in one or more desirable hair attributes can be expected to occur.

The following Examples illustrate the invention further with generally preferred embodiments, ingredients and methods, but are not intended to be limiting.

Example 1. Materials and Methods Preparation of hair tresses. Hair tresses, each about 4 to about 5 centimeters (cm) in length, and weighing about 1 gram (g) were prepared from African-American hair of natural brown to black color obtained from De Meo Brothers (New York). The hair was classified as"excessively curly", i. e., had a tight, kinky curl. The root (scalp) portion of each tress was secured to a canvas cloth tab with water insoluble glue. Each secured tress was then cleaned by washing it for about one to about two minutes with about 1 g of shampoo composition (A), rinsed with tap water, combed until the fibers were detangled and allowed to air dry at ambient room temperature and humidity.

Shampoo Composition A Ingredient Active Weight % Ammonium lauryl sulfate 10 Lauramide DEA 3 Citric acid 0.5 EDTA, disodium 0.2 Preservatives q. s.

Fragrance q. s.

Water, deionized to 100% q. s. pH 5-5.5 Unless otherwise indicated, naturally curly hair tresses were prepared and cleaned as described prior to subsequent treatments.

Preparation of hair leachate for elemental analysis.

For analysis of alkaline earth metal ion content in the hair, 0.2 g of the substantially dry hair from each tress was carefully weighed into a Philips beaker of 250 milliliter (ml) volume and a leachate of digested hair was prepared.

For digestion, dilute acid (50 g each of aqueous hydrochloric acid (25 % w/w) and aqueous nitric acid (1 % w/w)) was added to each beaker containing hair.

The beaker was then covered with a watch glass and the contents stirred mechanically overnight employing a GYROTORYX platform shaker Model G2 (New Brunswick Scientific Company, Inc., Edison, NJ) set at slow speed (about 100 revolutions per minute). The resulting leachate was then transferred into a 100 ml volumetric flask and deionized water added to volume. The leachate had a pH of less than 2.

The total alkaline earth metal ion (calcium or magnesium) content of the hair leachate was analyzed by standard analytical flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) and Inductively-Coupled Plasma (ICP) techniques. The concentration in milligrams/kilogram (mg/kg) of alkaline earth metal ion in the test hair leachate sample was determined from a calibration curve plotted for a range of different standard solutions of the alkaline earth metal ion.

All alkaline earth metal ion chelating agents employed were analytical grade reagents purchased from commercial chemical supply houses.

Source of tap water and soft water.

Unless otherwise indicated, the tap water employed was Lake Michigan water processed from the city of Chicago, Illinois. According to chemical analysis reports of the Department of Water of the city of Chicago, the tap water has an average hardness of about 39 ppm calcium (Ca) and about 11 ppm magnesium (Mg) in distributed water in central, south, and north water districts. The analysis of the Lake Michigan tap water obtained in the testing laboratory had a hardness of about 37 ppm Ca and about 11 ppm Mg. This tap water is generally classified as slightly hard water. The soft water was obtained by passing the tap water through a water softening tank containing ion-exchange resin with sodium as the exchange cation as described in Example 3 below.

 

[delp]

A quantitative analysis by ICP technique also was made of eleven multivalent metal ions selected from the classes of alkaline earth metals (Ba, Ca, Mg, Sr), transition metals (Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni) and heavy metals (Al, Pb, Zn) present in tap water (Lake Michigan) and in soft water. The metal ion concentration determined as mg/1 (ppm) is shown in the following charts.

Total Metal Concentration (mg/1) Water Alkaline Earth Metal Ba Ca Mg Sr Tap Water 0.02 33.43 9.213 0.11 (Lake Michigan) Soft Water N. D. 0.021 0.005 N. D.

Detection Limits (DL) in ppb 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 N. D.: Not detected or below DL Total Metal Concentration (mg/1) Water Transition Metal Heavy Metal Cu Fe Mn Ni Al Pb Zn Tap Water 0.025 N. D. N. D. 0.046 0.186 0.026 N. D.

(Lake Michigan) Soft Water 0.005 N. D. N. D. 0.033 0.083 0.012 N. D.

Detection Limits (DL) in ppb 2 2 1 5 4 30 2 N. D.: Not detected or below DL Example 2.

This example illustrates the total Ca and Mg content, based on elemental analysis of commercial naturally curly hair from two different hair lots (Lot 1 and Lot 2) as supplied (Tresses A), and its retention of Ca and Mg after being exposed to slightly hard tap water (about 37 ppm Ca) during washing (Tresses B) with Shampoo A as described in Example 1, and following subsequent chemical relaxation with a commercial no-lye type chemical relaxer for resistant hair having a pH of greater than 13, AFFIRMs Sensitive Scalp (SS) relaxer (Avlon Industries, Inc.) (Tresses C). For comparison, the retention of Ca and Mg by deionized water rinsed chemically relaxed hair was also included (Tress D).

The results are shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Tress/Lot Chemical Treatment (mg/kg) Ca Mg A 1 None, as supplied 2,600 305 B 1 None, washed (note 1) 3,400 440 C 1 Washed, chemically relaxed, tap water rinsed (notes 1,2) 10,200 1,880 D 1 Washed, chemically relaxed, deionized water rinsed (notes 1,2) 4,450 330 A 2 None, as supplied 1,990 na B 2 None, washed (note 1) 2,660 na C 2 Washed, chemically relaxed 7,831 na tap water rinsed (notes 1, 2) Note 1: Washing procedure of Ex. 1 with Shampoo A.

Note 2: The SS relaxer product has two-parts, a relaxer creme and activator liquid, that are mixed together for use. About seven grams relaxer creme containing about 5.5 % calcium hydroxide and about two grams activator liquid containing about 27.2% guanidine carbonate were mixed together and about three grams of the admixture was applied to a one gram hair tress. The chemical relaxer was left in contact with the hair for about 18 minutes and then removed by rinsing with tap water for about two to about three minutes.

The elemental data show that when slightly hard tap water was employed, the total Ca content of the hair as supplied (Tresses A) on average increased more than about 1.3 fold from shampooing (Tresses B) and on average further increased about three fold from subsequent chemical relaxation (Tresses C). The elemental data also show that the total Mg content of the hair as supplied (Tresses A) increased about 1.4 fold during shampooing in slightly hard water (Tress B) and further increased by more than four fold during the chemical relaxation step when slightly hard tap water was employed (Tress C).

The tap water rinsed chemically-relaxed hair was also judged visually dull in appearance and had a heavy tactile feel.

The data obtained when deionized water was employed (Tress D) demonstrates the benefit of minimizing exposure to rinse water having calcium and magnesium metal ions present during the chemical relaxation of hair, because relative to shampooed hair (Tress B), the total Ca content increased not more than 1.3 fold and the total Mg content did not increase, remaining substantially the same as the hair as supplied (Tress A).

For comparison, an attempt was made to remove calcium deposit from a tress from lot 2 prepared according to the procedure of Example B, Table 1, by employing a commercial product sold for professional salon use as a"pre- chemical service treatment"for removing"problem"metals, such as removing copper, from copper contaminated hair.

The product was L'AVANTGARDE Clean Canvas hair Primer and Purifier (L'Avant Garde, Inc., Simi Valley, CA), a liquid having a measurable pH of 7.7 and was applied to the hair tress following the directions of the manufacturer. The directions call for three steps, i. e., to (1) apply the product to dry hair with a brush, (2) cover the hair with a plastic cap and place under heat for 5 minutes (or 10 to 15 minutes for extreme buildup), and (3) add water, lather and rinse. According to the manufacturer, the process and product is reportedly described in U. S. Pat. No. 5,635,167 to Said et al., the relevant disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, and the product reportedly is an aqueous surfactant solution containing a blend of metal ion chelating agents at a concentration of between 4 % to 25 %.

After the commercial product was applied to the hair tress, the tress was covered with a plastic wrap and heated at a temperature of about 55°C for at least 5 minutes and then rinsed with the slightly hard tap water.

The elemental analysis results showed that the attempt was unsuccessful, because the total Ca content after the commercial treatment was 3,305 mg/kg, representing more than a 1.6 fold increase with respect to the initial calcium content of the hair as supplied and more than a 1.2 fold increase relative to the shampooed hair (Tress B) Example 3.

This example illustrates the effective use under simulated practical salon conditions of an inventive delivery system embodiment generally as shown in FIGURE 1 employing Chelating Composition (A) having the formula shown in Table 2 prior to injection for admixture with soft rinse water passing through path 12a along conduit 12 to the sprayer 14.

TABLE 2 CHELATING COMPOSITION A Ingredient Active Weight % EDTA, tetrasodium 1.04 EDTA, disodium 0.96 Preservative q. s.

Deionized water to 100% q. s. pH 7. 4 For injection and admixture of chelating composition (A) with rinse water flowing along path 12a or 12b illustrated in FIGURE 1, approximately 1,000 grams of the chelating composition (A) was contained in a bottle of a liter (32 fluid ounce) holding capacity and placed for liquid flow communication with the one-way control valve 20 and the injector 16. The control value 20 was a venturi type injection system operating on hydraulic flow and pressure. Tap water having a hardness of about 37 ppm Ca was softened to a hardness level of about 0.064 ppm by passing it along path 12a to the water softener tank T.

The water softening tank system employed included about one- quarter cubic feet of a commercially available ion-exchange resin with sodium ion as the exchange cation. The resin was enclosed in a cylinder of about 6 inches x 8 inches (about 15.24 x 20.32 cm.) and was capable of tolerating a temperature of up to about 49°C (about 120°F). The water softening system had a maximum water-softening capacity of 7200 grains (as CaCO3). The incoming flow rate of the water to the water softener system was about 40-50 psi (about 2-4 gallons/minute) and the flow rate of softened water or admixture of soft water and metal ion chelating composition to the injector 16 was about 12-14 psi (about 0.6 to 0.7 gallons/minute).

The soft water was then metered to the injector 16, where the soft rinse water at an ambient pressure of about 13 psi aspirated the chelating composition (A), diluting one part by weight of the chelating composition with eight parts by weight soft water to deliver the resulting admixture (SA) to the sprayer 14. Thus the dilute chelating rinse (SA) spray contained a total of about 0.22% chelating agent (about 0.115% EDTA, tetrasodium salt and about 0.107% EDTA, disodium salt). The temperature of the rinse water spray was set for about 35-45°C (about 95-115°F).

Six tresses (one gram each) were prepared as described in Example 1, Table 1, for tress A from Lot 2, having an initial total Ca content of about 1, 990 mg/kg.

One set of three tresses (Group I) was chemically relaxed for about 18 minutes employing the commercial no-lye type chemical relaxer, AFFIRMs Sensitive Scalp (SS) relaxer for resistant hair (Avlon Industries, Inc., Bedford Park, IL). The relaxer was prepared for use and applied as described in Example 2, Table 1, Note 2, except that the chemical relaxer was removed from each tress separately by: (A) rinsing one tress with slightly hard tap water delivered along path 12d (illustrated in FIGURE 1); (B) rinsing a second tress with soft water (0.064 ppm Ca) delivered along path 12c (illustrated in FIGURE 1); and (C) rinsing a third tress with the admixture of soft water (0.064 ppm Ca.) plus chelating composition (AA) delivered along path 12a (illustrated in FIGURE 1). Each tress was so rinsed for about two minutes, air dried, and then analyzed for total Ca as described in Example 1.

A second group of three tresses (Group II) was chemically relaxed for about 18 minutes employing the commercial chemical relaxer, AFFIRMs resistant strength (Avlon Industries, Inc.) containing about 2.2% sodium hydroxide and having a pH greater than about 13, applying about three grams relaxer to each one gram tress. The chemical relaxer was then removed following the same rinsing procedure for tress A, B and C as in Group I.


.......Continue by clinking on link: http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?IA=WO2002065982&wo=2002065982&DISPLAY=DESC

 

[HoneyDew]

Whoa, that is a lot! I did not read all of it, but I get the idea.

That is why I MUST use ION Clarifying Crystals after I touchup. I can tell that my hair has build up. I use a relaxer and I have hard water, but those crystals do a great job without stripping my hair.

My beloved Kenra Chelating shampoo is not enough on relaxer days. It has taken me a loooonnnggg time to realize it. I don't know all the scientific jargon, I just know my hair was not right on the days between touchup and my next wash. Using the crystals eliminates that feeling.

 

[PassionFruit]

Cliff Notes version pls..... my kids are not gonna leave me alone long enough to read all of that

 

[delp]

Cliff note version... Note it was hard for me to read also....

(i) removing the chemical relaxer from the hair by rinsing with soft water and then (ii) substantially immediately contacting the water rinsed alkaline, chemically-relaxed hair with a wet wipe impregnated with an aqueous metal ion chelating composition containing an effective chelating amount of at least one multivalent metal ion chelating agent. Alternatively, in the foregoing contact step (b) (ii), an aqueous metal ion chelating composition preferably containing not more than about three weight percent chelating agent can be applied directly to the hair in the form of a rinse or spray.

1) Get a water softener esp. if you use no lye (but also with lye)

2) even with a water softer you need a good chelating shampoo or use the Affirm wipes that they found to be effective.


I can't afford a whole house water softener. I am going to see if I can find a water softener shower head or something.... Anyway, this is what I took out of the article.... Others can add.... I am not a chemist. Update: An article I read recommended that you have your water tested for free before spending your money. What your buying might not get the job done. One needs to know how hard your water is and ... Note you can rent those water big water softeners for 15-20 dollars a month.....

Update:
I hilighted some parts as I read... The wipes was an alternative method... you can use Affirm wipes or other types of wipes. I think the method they were referring to is a mixture of of chelating shampoo and the water use to rinse the relaxer or a multistage method... I high lighted what I thought the juicy parts were.

 

[Dogmd]

thanks for this study. i guess it makes since that the AFFIRM people
(Avlon industries) funded the study. since they are recommending thier wipes. wonder where you can get these wipes? anyone know?

 

[HoneyDew]

thanks for this study. i guess it makes since that the AFFIRM people
(Avlon industries) funded the study. since they are recommending thier wipes. wonder where you can get these wipes? anyone know?

Someone, cannot remember her name, but I know her pictures. She is from Atlanta. Atlien, I think. Anyway, she said those wipes are a waste of money.

I have seen them online.

 

[delp]

I didn't notice who funded the study. Thanks. I do think the softener Idea was good. I will op not to buy the wipes but a good chelating shampoo since they did say that in the study. Thanks for noticing that.

 

[GOD]

Its not an independent study. It looks like an Avlon patent application for their KeraCare Demineralizing Wipes im guessin.

 

[InnerSoul]

Cliff Notes version pls..... my kids are not gonna leave me alone long enough to read all of that

^^^^this post got me tickled.

Thanks for posting the novel (just being funny is all) Delp! I do get the idea too. That is why is important to have a chelating shampoo on hand.

 

[ladylibra]

^^^way to sum it up!

i can't do a water softening system for the house because i rent, but i am planning on getting a shower head filter.

interesting read.

 

[delp]

Ok, I paste novels..... I don't know how independent it is but I think it might be true about soft water and chelating. The wipes stuff I am ignoring. Sorry for it being long... I will try to post more conservatively next time.

 

[sareca]

Hey! I just figured out about a month ago that my no-lye hair HATES hard water esp the super textured parts. My lye relaxed hair wasn't crazy about it, but didn't throw a temper tantrum.

So they're saying use a chelating product (w/ metal ions) after rinsing before conditioning esp. if you have hard water. That's a good point. From now on I'm rinsing my relaxer with distilled water. I'm already using it every day. I might as well use it for this too. I don't know about using a chelating product right after rinsing before conditioning and neutralizing tho. My relaxer window is already small enough now...

 

[Dposh167]

another cliff note:

LYE users WITHOUT HARD WATER (like me) can also benefit from the chelating shampoo!!! (which makes sense, b.c. my hair felt amazing when i used ORS creamy aloe chelating poo...i just didn't know mineral deposit could affect my hair as well, even though i'm lye)

 

[delp]

How to Determine if You Have Hard Water

http://www.ehow.com/how_2331_determine-you-have.html

1
Look for clues that your water has an overabundance of minerals: Dishes will have water spots on them, your soap won't lather well, your white clothes will look dingy. You may also notice white, crusty sediment on your fixtures, a recurring bathtub ring, or rust-colored stains on your clothes, silverware, or porcelain fixtures. The not-so-obvious results of hard water are serious wear and tear on your water-dependent appliances.
Step2
Contact your municipal water supply, or local department of health to direct you to a lab that will test your water hardness.
Step3
Avoid home tests, which are expensive and have a tendency to be inaccurate.
Step4
Call a water conditioning company such as Culligan to come to your home and test the water. You may have to listen to the sales pitch for a water softener, but the test is free.
Step5
Look at your test results. If the water hardness is above 1 GPG (grains per gallon), your water is hard. (See Glossary)
Step6
Consider mechanically softening your water if the test reveals a hardness of more than 3 GPG.

http://www.ehow.com/how_399_eliminate-hard-water.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2079786_rent-water-softener.html

Water Softener Buying and Leasing Tips

Should you buy or lease a water softener? In the short run, leasing is often the most attractive option because there are no significant up-front costs. Depending on the level of service and materials the company offers, you can pay from $15 to $50 per month or more on a lease.

If you buy, you will pay about $150 per year for materials. And, of course, you'll have to pay for the unit. Depending upon features, prices range from about $400 to $2500 ... or more.
Ask your neighbors for recommendations. Get at least two quotes. And be sure the quotes are based on exactly the same type of goods or services. Compare apples to apples: regeneration cycles, type of controls, level of service, and, of course, the warranty. Be sure to check the warranty on both the control valve and the resin tank.

It is best to work with an established company (see our list). That way, you'll get a quality product backed by a company that is likely to be around for a while. Find out whether you will need a plumber for installation or whether a special factory service person is required. And be sure to pay attention to the monthly expense of maintaining the softener.

Also look for certification. NSF International is an independent testing organization that tests and certifies water-treatment products. The water industry's trade organization, the Water Quality Association, also certifies equipment with their Gold Seal program. Look for the WQA Gold Seal. Although neither of these certifications guarantee performance, they signify that the equipment has successfully passed testing for industry standards and the manufacturer's claims have been validated—an important step toward ensuring that the unit you buy or lease will offer years of trouble-free service.

 

[delp]

Water Softener Buying Guide

Before buying or leasing a water softener, do your homework. Test your water to find out how hard it really is hardness is measured in grains per gallon (GPG).

Water that measures more than 3 GPG is considered hard, and water that measures more than 10 GPG is excessively hard.

Testing can be done through your local water company, an independent water-testing lab, or a water-conditioning company. Knowing the GPG of your water supply will help you choose a water softener of the right capacity and size.
Water softeners come in small (rated from about 12,000 to 16,000 grains), medium (rated from 20,000 to 40,000 grains), and large (rated more than 40,000 grains) capacities. Dual-tank versions are available for those with large families or extremely hard water.

Typical softeners work through ion exchange, replacing hard minerals with sodium chloride. Water flows through a bead-like material called "resin," which attracts the mineral ions of hard water while giving off sodium ions.

Controls recharge these units with salt water at regular intervals. Water softeners can come with many types of controls, but the two main kinds are time controls, which recharge the unit at an unvarying preset time, and demand regeneration (DIR) controls, which only recharge the unit when necessary.

There are also salt-free models available, which use a potassium chloride salt substitute, for those looking to avoid excessive sodium in their diets. Electronic or magnetic water softeners, which attach to incoming water pipes, are another sodium-free option, but independent testing of these devices has led to questions about their effectiveness.
http://www.hometips.com/watersoft.html

OR better Yet use a water bottle with soft water in it..... when you wash your relaxer out your hair. Cheap and inexpensive.... I am tired of running and buying new things.... I think the info was informative.

 

[Dogmd]

another cliff note:

LYE users WITHOUT HARD WATER (like me) can also benefit from the chelating shampoo!!! (which makes sense, b.c. my hair felt amazing when i used ORS creamy aloe chelating poo...i just didn't know mineral deposit could affect my hair as well, even though i'm lye)

thanks for the recommendation for a good chelating/clarifying poo..

 

[aloof one]

whats the diff between chelating and clarifying??

 

[delp]

http://thebeautybrains.com/2008/03/10/clarifying-chelating-and-neutralizing-shampoos/

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=205603

 

[morehairplease]

delp thanks so, so much for this thread!