Chemical membrane complex repair solution and method of using the same

Abstract

Chemical membrane complex (CMC) in hair strands is damaged by exposure to environmental factors, and by hair processing methods that use basic solutions to permanently reshape and/or recolor hair. A CMC repair solution contains components of CMC that repair CMC while cuticle cells are lifted following coloring or perming. Hair treatment with CMC repair solution quenches reactive chemicals on hair and rebuilds damaged CMC on hair. Hair treatment with some embodiments of CMC repair solution lowers cuticle cells by reducing hair pH. Application of CMC repair solution to cuticle-lifted hair strands allows permanent hair reshaping and permanent hair coloring in a single treatment session without loss of cuticle cells or associated hair damage.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hair treatment solution, comprising:
 a first branched fatty acid; and   a first unbranched fatty acid, wherein
 the first branched fatty acid comprises a terminal fatty acid having a first alkyl substituent at a first substituent position on a main chain of the first branched fatty acid, the first substituent position being not less than 15, and not more than 21, carbon atoms away from a carboxyl group carbon of the terminal carboxylic acid, and 
 a main chain of the first unbranched fatty acid has at least 12, and not more than 25, carbon atoms, including the carboxylic acid carbon, wherein 
 the first branched fatty acid comprises not more than 90% of the hair treatment solution. 
   
     
     
         2 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 1 , further comprising an acid, wherein a pH of the hair treatment solution is at least 4.0 and not more than 6.0. 
     
     
         3 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 2 , further comprising an acidic buffer to preserve the pH of the hair treatment solution after application of the hair treatment solution to hair strands. 
     
     
         4 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 1 , wherein the first alkyl substituent of the first branched fatty acid is selected from a group comprising a methyl group, an ethyl group, a propyl group, and an isopropyl group. 
     
     
         5 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 1 , wherein the first branched fatty acid comprises 18-methyl eicosanoic acid (18-MEA). 
     
     
         6 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 1 , wherein the first branched fatty acid further comprises a second alkyl substituent located at a second substituent position on the main chain of the first branched fatty acid, the second substituent position being not less than the 15 th , and not more than the 21 st , carbon atom of the main chain of the first branched fatty acid. 
     
     
         7 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 6 , wherein the first alkyl substituent and the second alkyl substituent are attached to different carbon atoms of the first branched fatty acid. 
     
     
         8 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 1 , wherein the first unbranched fatty acid further comprises an unsaturated unbranched fatty acid. 
     
     
         9 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 8 , wherein the unsaturated unbranched fatty acid further comprises linoleic acid. 
     
     
         10 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 1 , further comprising a second unbranched fatty acid, wherein the first unbranched fatty acid further comprises at least one unsaturated fatty acid, and
 the second unbranched fatty acid further comprises at least one saturated fatty acid.   
     
     
         11 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 10 , wherein first unbranched fatty acid comprises linoleic acid, and the second unbranched fatty acid further comprises at least one of steric acid and palmitic acid. 
     
     
         12 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 11 , wherein a volume an unbranched fatty acid in the hair treatment solution ranges from not less than 1% to not more than 10% of a total solution volume. 
     
     
         13 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 11 , wherein a total volume of unbranched fatty acid in the hair treatment solution ranges from not less than 3% to not more than 15% of the total solution volume. 
     
     
         14 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 1 , wherein a total volume of fatty acid includes a volume of branched fatty acid and a volume of unbranched fatty acid, and wherein the total volume of fatty acid ranges from not less than 1%, and not more than 20%, of a total solution volume. 
     
     
         15 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 1 , wherein a total volume of branched fatty acid in the hair treatment solution ranges from not less than 1% to not more than 10% a total solution volume. 
     
     
         16 . The hair treatment solution of  claim 1 , further comprising hydrolyzed keratin protein not less than 1% and not more than 8%. 
     
     
         17 . A method of reshaping hair, comprising:
 applying a reducing agent solution to hair to form lifted-cuticle hair strands;   reshaping the lifted-cuticle hair strands; and   repairing chemical membrane complex (CMC) in the lifted-cuticle hair strands by applying a CMC repair solution to the lifted-cuticle hair strands.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein reshaping the lifted-cuticle hair strands further comprises applying hydrogen peroxide to the lifted-cuticle hair strands; and further comprising applying buffered acid to the lifted-cuticle hair strands after applying hydrogen peroxide to the lifted-cuticle hair strands. 
     
     
         19 . The method of either of  claim 18 , further comprising rinsing the lifted-cuticle hair strands with an excess of water to remove reducing agent from the lifted-cuticle hair strands; and wherein the CMC repair solution is buffered to a pH of at least 4.0 and not more than 5.5. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising removing hydrogen peroxide from the lifted-cuticle hair strands. 
     
     
         21 . A method of coloring hair, comprising:
 applying a reducing agent to hair strands having an initial cuticle configuration to form lifted-cuticle hair strands having a second cuticle configuration;   applying dye precursors to lifted-cuticle hair strands;   forming permanent dye molecules on lifted-cuticle hair strands; and   repairing cellular membrane complex (CMC) in lifted-cuticle hair strands.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising restoring the lifted-cuticle hair strands to the initial cuticle configuration. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein forming permanent dye molecules on lifted-cuticle hair strands includes applying hydrogen peroxide to hair strands, and further comprising rinsing hydrogen peroxide from hair strands. 
     
     
         24 . A method of modifying hair, comprising:
 lifting a cuticle of hair strands with a reducing agent applied to the hair strands;   reshaping the lifted-cuticle hair strands;   rinsing the lifted-cuticle hair strands to remove the reducing agent;   applying dye precursors to lifted-cuticle hair strands; and   neutralizing residual reducing agent on the hair strands, restoring a cell membrane complex structure of the hair strands, and generating permanent dye molecules on the hair strands simultaneously.