Permanent hair-waving

Claim 2

A one-step, permanent, hair-waving solution, which solution comprises in combination: (a) a sulfur-sulfur reducing agent for cystine in an amount sufficient to reduce cystine and to form sulfur and a cysteine salt or cysteine, the agent selected from the group consisting of a sulfide, a hydrosulfide and a thioglycolate; (b) a sulfite compound in an amount sufficient to act as an acceptor of the sulfur formed in the reaction of the cystine with the reducing agent and to form a thiosulfate, the molar ratio of sulfite compound to the reducing agent being 1.0 or more; (c) an air-oxidation accelerator in an amount sufficient for fixing, by means of accelerated air oxidation, the recovered sulfur-sulfur link of the cystine; (d) free alkali in an amount to provide a pH of from about 8 to 11 of the solution; and (e) an aqueous carrier for the reducing agent, accelerator, sulfite compound and free alkali.

Claim 3

The solution of claim 1 wherein the reducing agent is present as the alkali metal or ammonium salt of the reducing agent.

Claim 4

The solution of claim 1 wherein the reducing agent comprises from about 0.16% to 0.4% by weight of the solution.

Claim 5

The solution of claim 1 wherein the sulfite compound is present in an amount of from about 0.14% to 0.5% by weight of the solution.

Claim 6

The solution of claim 1, which solution is free of a thioglycolate reducing agent.

Claim 7

The solution of claim 1 wherein the air-oxidation accelerator is present in an amount of from about 0.01% to 1.0% by weight of the solution.

Claim 8

The solution of claim 1 wherein the air-oxidation accelerator is selected from the group consisting of hexamethylenetetramine, iodine, bromine, potassium iodide, sodium iodide, potassium bromide, sodium bromide, ammonium bromide, ammonium iodide and combinations thereof.

Claim 9

The solution of claim 1 wherein the sulfite compound is present as the alkali metal or ammonium salt of the sulfite compound.

Claim 10

The solution of claim 1 which includes, in an amount up to about 0.3% by weight of the solution, a reductive saccharide selected from the group consisting of sucrose, glucose, fructose and combinations thereof.

Claim 11

The solution of claim 1 which includes, in an amount of from about 0.01% to 0.3% by weight of the solution, an aliphatic oxy-organic acid.

Claim 12

The solution of claim 10 wherein the aliphatic oxy-organic acid is selected from the group consisting of citric acid, tartaric acid and combinations thereof.

Claim 13

The solution of claim 1 which includes from about 0.6% to 10% by weight of the solution of a lower aliphatic saturated alcohol.

Claim 14

The solution of claim 12 wherein the saturated alcohol is selected from the group consisting of ethyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, glycerin, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol and combinations thereof.

Claim 15

The solution of claim 1 which includes from about 0.01% to 1.0% by weight of the solution of an organic amine selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine and combinations thereof.

Claim 16

A one-step, permanent, hair-waving solution, which solution comprises in combination: (a) a sulfur-sulfur reducing agent for cystine, to form a sulfur and a cysteine salt or cysteine, which reducing agent comprises from about 0.16% to 0.4% by weight of the solution and is selected from the group consisting of a sulfide, a hydrosulfide and a thioglycolate, the reducing agent being present as the alkali metal or ammonium salt of the reducing agent; (b) an air-oxidation accelerator for fixing, by means of accelerated air oxidation, the recovered sulfur-sulfur link of the cystine, which accelerator is present in an amount of from about 0.01% to 1.0% by weight of the solution and is selected from the group consisting of hexamethylenetetramine, iodine, bromine, potassium iodide, sodium iodide, potassium bromide, sodium bromide, ammonium bromide, ammonium iodide and combinations thereof; (c) a sulfite compound as an acceptor of sulfur formed in the reaction of the cystine with the reducing agent to form a thiosulfate, which sulfite compound is present in an amount of from about 0.14% to 0.5% by weight of the solution and is present as the alkali metal or ammonium salt of the sulfite compound, the molar ratio of sulfite compound to the reducing agent being 1.0 or more; (d) free alkali to provide a pH of from about 8 to 11 of the solution; and (e) an aqueous carrier for the reducing agent, accelerator, sulfite compound and free alkali.

Claim 17

A one-step, permanent, hair-waving solution, which solution comprises in combination: (a) a sulfur-sulfur reducing agent for cystine, to form a sulfur and a cysteine salt or cysteine, which reducing agent comprises from about 0.16% to 0.4% by weight of the solution and is selected from the group consisting of a sulfide, a hydrosulfide and a thioglycolate, the reducing agent being present as the alkali metal or ammonium salt of the reducing agent; (b) an air-oxidation accelerator for fixing, by means of accelerated air oxidation, the recovered sulfur-sulfur link of the cystine, which accelerator is present in an amount of from about 0.01% to 1.0% by weight of the solution and is selected from the group consisting of hexamethylenetetramine, iodine, bromine, potassium iodide, sodium iodide, potassium bromide, sodium bromide, ammonium bromide, ammonium iodide and combinations thereof; (c) a sulfite compound as an acceptor of sulfur formed in the reaction of the cystine with the reducing agent to form a thiosulfate, which sulfite compound is present in an amount of from about 0.14% to 0.5% by weight of the solution and is present as the alkali metal or ammonium salt of the sulfite compound, the molar ratio of sulfite compound to the reducing agent being 1.0 or more; (d) free alkali to provide a pH of from about 8 to 11 of the solution; and (e) an aqueous carrier for the reducing agent, accelerator, sulfite compound and free alkali.

Claim 18

The solution of claim 15 which includes, in an amount up to about 0.3% by weight of the solution, a reductive saccharide selected from the group consisting of sucrose, glucose, fructose and combinations thereof.

Claim 19

The solution of claim 15, which solution is free of a thioglycolate reducing agent.

Claim 20

The solution of claim 15 which includes a saturated alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, glycerin, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol and combinations thereof.

Claim 21

The solution of claim 15 which includes from about 0.01% to 1.0% by weight of the solution of an organic amine selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine and combinations thereof.

Claim 22

The solution of claim 15 which comprises in weight percent of the sucrose 0.2%, the hydrosulfide of sodium 0.2%, the sulfite of sodium 0.8%, the citric acid 0.08%, the potassium iodide 0.6%, the ethyl alcohol 0.6% and glycerin 0.4%, the monoethanolamine 0.03% and pure water as the remainder.

Claim 23

A process of giving permanent waving shape to hair, which process comprises arranging the hair in a desired style and applying to the hair the permanent hair-waving solution of claim 1 in an amount sufficient to moisten the hair.

Claim 24

A process of giving permanent waving shape to hair, which process comprises arranging the hair in a desired style and applying to the hair the permanent hair-waving solution of claim 15 in an amount sufficient to moisten the hair.