Alkaline Hair Reshaping Composition Without Reducing Agents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current permanent reshaping processes for hair are time-consuming, require high skill, can cause hair damage, and often result in over-processing due to the need for multiple steps and the use of strong reducing agents, which also have unpleasant odors.
Innovation Solution
A cosmetic composition with a pH range of 7 to 12, containing alkalizing agents and particulate thickening agents, applied with heat to reshape keratin fibers, minimizing the need for oxidizing agents and reducing agents, and allowing for a simpler, safer, and more efficient reshaping process without the need for a moisture barrier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If reducing agents such as thioglycolic acid are used to cleave disulphide bonds, then hair reshaping is achieved, but hair damage and over-processing occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the harmful reducing agent step from the traditional perm process. Instead of using thioglycolic acid to cleave disulphide bonds, the invention applies an alkaline composition (pH 7-12) with fatty compounds that directly modifies the hair structure through alkalization and hydrogen bonding, eliminating the source of hair damage associated with strong reducing agents
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical parameters of the reshaping process by using a high pH alkaline environment (pH 7-12) instead of the traditional reducing chemistry. This parameter change allows the process to achieve reshaping through alkaline-induced conformational changes and hydrogen bond formation rather than bond cleavage, reducing harmful effects on hair
2Reliability
If multiple steps including reducing and oxidizing are used, then permanent reshaping is achieved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the multi-step reducing and oxidizing process from the traditional perm method. By using a single alkaline composition application followed by heat treatment, the invention achieves permanent reshaping in one step, reducing processing time from up to 5 hours to a fraction of that time
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the functions of multiple traditional steps (reducing, neutralizing, and setting) into a single alkaline composition application. The composition contains fatty compounds that simultaneously provide alkalization, structural modification, and setting functions, eliminating the need for separate reducing and oxidizing steps
3Reliability
If reducing agents are used, then disulphide bonds are cleaved for protein chain movement, but unpleasant odour is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the source of unpleasant odour by eliminating reducing agents like thioglycolic acid from the formulation. The alkaline composition with fatty compounds produces no acrid odour while still achieving the desired protein chain movement through alkaline-induced conformational changes rather than chemical bond cleavage
Data Source
AI summary
Cosmetic compositions for keratin fibers, kits-of-parts comprising the cosmetic compositions, and keratin fiber reshaping processes are disclosed herein. The cosmetic compositions have a pH in the range of 7 to 12 and comprise one or more organic alkalizing agent(s) and one or more particulate thickening agent(s), wherein the cosmetic compositions comprise less than 1% by weight of oxidizing agents, calculated to the total weights of the cosmetic compositions.