Hair highlighting tool

Abstract

A method of applying hair treatment agents such as bleach, colorants and highlighters to a predetermined number of isolated or segregated sections of hair within a larger body of hair, the method comprising the following steps: obtaining a hair highlighting device having a main body reservoir portion extending the width of the hair highlighting device, the main body reservoir portion defined by at least 2 end portions, 2 elongated sidewalls and an opening along an upper portion, the main body reservoir portion having a lower channel with an essentially V-shaped cross-section and a plurality of lower openings located within the channel, the hair highlighting device further having a plurality of rollers coupled within the lower openings in the channel at the bottom of the main body reservoir portion and a plurality of hair gripping teeth extending downward from the openings at the bottom of the hollow main body reservoir portion, the plurality of teeth each having hair gripping apparatus at a lower end of the teeth; contacting the main body of hair with the hair highlighting device such that hair is captured by the plurality of hair gripping teeth and the captured hair is segregated from the main body of hair; and contacting the segregated portions of hair against the plurality of rollers, thereby transferring hair treatment agent from the main body reservoir portion across the plurality of rollers to the captured hair as desired.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This Application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 522,199 filed Aug. 31, 2004 entitled FAST AND EASY HIGH LIGHTER, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and claims any and all benefits to which it is entitled therefrom. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to color treatment of human hair, and more particularly, to an improved method and apparatus to color and / or highlight hair directly and selectively using a hair strands gripping device with a mechanical dispensing roller mechanism for applying a controlled amount of dye to selected portions of hair. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Highlighting is a hair coloring technique to add from subtle to intense colored hair streaks to human hair. The concept of highlighting is to color-dye and / or bleach only selected strands of hair, apart from others. Different and desirable visual effects can by attained by selecting differen...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] One object and advantage of the present invention is to provide a faster highlight process. The present invention takes almost less than half the time that is spent currently on a traditional procedure to complete a hair highlight.

[0009] Another object and advantage is to lessen or eliminate fume emission. Unlike the current procedure which color dye is stored in an open container where users, recipient and people in the immediate surrounding are at risk of inhaling the chemical, the present invention eliminates that risk because the color dye is stored and coming out of a closed container.

[0010] Yet another object and advantage is to provide an easier, more desirable and more convenient method of highlighting. It is less critical to select the right amount of hair to be highlighted. The amount of hair to be used is automatically adjusted to pick hair strands at the pre-determined width and separates them at equidistance from each other.

[0011] Another object and advantage is to provide a hair highlighter / highlighting tool that can be used by salon professionals and equally effective by non-professional individuals. Thus the present invention can be sold to salons, beauty supply stores and other stores that carry cosmetic products.

[0012] Another object and advantage is to provide a drip-proof or otherwise non-dripping highlighter tool. Unlike current highlighting procedures, the present invention minimizes and / or eliminates any dripping of hair bleach or coloring agent on the floors or clothing.

[0013] Yet another object and advantage is to ensure even color highlights distribution on the hair. The traditional method of using a brush to transfer color dye from the bowl would saturate hair with color dye on one spot particularly near the ends and miss other spots particularly near hair roots. The present invention ensure evenly distributed color from hair roots till the ends.

Problems solved by technology

This method requires advanced hair styling skills including picking the right strands of hair, zigzag knitting motion, application of dye on hair strands etc., and cannot be properly performed by untrained individuals.

However, this process results in a random selection of strands or tufts of hair, i.e., users can only guess the location of hair strands that are pulled out and colored since the entire head is covered by highlight cap.

This might make designing highlighting pattern difficult.

Also, since color dye is still applied by a brush manually, it bears the same disadvantages as traditional highlighting methods.

However, it has no precise control of which strands of hair to color and spill-over to other hair strands is very common.

Moreover, the amount of color dye being applied to hair strands is very difficult to control.

Using these types of devices commonly result in uneven distribution of dye.

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