Styling agents and compositions containing the same

Claim 2

A styling agent comprising: A. an adhesive copolymer having two or more monomers randomly distributed in a substantially linear copolymer chain wherein said copolymer has a single glass transition temperature of from about 0° C. to about 150° C. and a number-average molecular weight of from about 10,000 to about 1,000,000; and wherein said copolymer has a water solubility of less than 0.1% and B. a volatile diluent selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons, esters, ethers, amines, alkyl alcohols and silicon derivatives and mixtures thereof and wherein said diluent has a boiling point of from about 99° C. to about 260° C. and a water solubility of less than about 0.2% at 25° C.; wherein said adhesive copolymer is soluble in said volatile diluent, and the weight ratio of adhesive copolymer to volatile diluent is from about 1:20 to about 5:1.

Claim 3

A styling agent according to claim 1 wherein the adhesive copolymer has a glass transition temperature of from about 20° C. to about 75° C. and a molecular weight of from about 25,000 to about 75,000.

Claim 4

A styling agent according to claim 2 wherein the volatile diluent is selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons, silicon derivatives and mixtures thereof.

Claim 5

A styling agent according to claim 3 wherein the weight ratio of adhesive copolymer to volatile diluent is from about 1:10 to about 1:1 and wherein said styling agent has an average particle diameter of from about 1 micron to about 25 microns.

Claim 6

A styling agent comprising: A. an adhesive copolymer having two or more monomers randomly distributed in a substantially linear copolymer chain having the general structure (H.sub.x).sub.m (L.sub.y).sub.n wherein: (a) the ratio of m:n is within the range of from about 10:1 to about 1:10; (b) L is one or more monomer components selected from the group consisting of acrylate esters and methacrylate esters; (c) H is one or more monomer components selected from the group consisting of acrylate amides and methacrylate amides; and (d) x and y are integers of 1 or greater, and x+y is an integer of 2 or greater; and wherein further said adhesive copolymers have a single glass transition temperature within the range of from about 0° C. to about 150° C. and wherein said copolymer has a water solubility of less than 0.1%; B. A volatile diluent selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons, esters, ethers, amines, alkyl alcohols and silicon derivatives and mixtures thereof and wherein said diluent has a boiling point of from about 99° C. to about 260° C. and a water solubility of less than about 0.2% at 25° C.; wherein said adhesive copolymer is soluble in said volatile diluent, and the weight ratio of adhesive copolymer to volatile diluent is from about 1:20 to about 5:1.

Claim 7

A styling agent comprising: A. an adhesive copolymer having two or more monomers randomly distributed in a substantially linear copolymer chain having the general structure (H.sub.x).sub.m (L.sub.y).sub.n wherein: (a) the ratio of m:n is within the range of from about 10:1 to about 1:10; (b) L is one or more monomer components selected from the group consisting of acrylate esters and methacrylate esters; (c) H is one or more monomer components selected from the group consisting of acrylate amides and methacrylate amides; and (d) x and y are integers of 1 or greater, and x+y is an integer of 2 or greater; and wherein further said adhesive copolymers have a single glass transition temperature within the range of from about 0° C. to about 150° C. and wherein said copolymer has a water solubility of less than 0.1%; B. A volatile diluent selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons, esters, ethers, amines, alkyl alcohols and silicon derivatives and mixtures thereof and wherein said diluent has a boiling point of from about 99° C. to about 260° C. and a water solubility of less than about 0.2% at 25° C.; wherein said adhesive copolymer is soluble in said volatile diluent, and the weight ratio of adhesive copolymer to volatile diluent is from about 1:20 to about 5:1.

Claim 8

A styling agent according to claim 5 wherein the L monomer components of the adhesive copolymer are selected from the group consisting of methylacrylate, ethylacrylate, propylacrylate, butylacrylate, butylmethacrylate, methylmethacrylate, ethylmethacrylate, 2-ethylhexylacrylate, 2-ethylhexylmathacrylate, isobutylacrylate, isobutylmethacrylate, laurylacrylate, laurylmethacrylate cyclohexylacrylate, and cyclohexylmethacrylate; the H monomer components are selected from the group consisting of acrylamide, methacrylamide, N-isopropylacrylamide and N,N-dimethylacrylamide; and x+y=3; and wherein further said adhesive copolymers have a number-average molecular weight in the range of from about 10,000 to about 1,000,000.

Claim 9

A styling agent according to claim 6 wherein the ratio of m:n is within the range of from about 5:1 to about 1:5; the L monomer components are selected from isobutylmethacrylate and 2-ethylhexylmethacrylate and mixtures thereof; the H monomer component is N,N-dimethylacrylamide: x is 1; and y is 2.

Claim 10

A two or more phase rinse-off hairstyling composition comprising: A. from about 0.5% to about 25% of a styling agent comprising: (i) adhesive copolymer having two or more monomers randomly distributed in a substantially linear copolymer chain wherein, said copolymer has a single glass transition temperature of from about 0° C. to about 150° C., and a number-average molecular weight of from about 10,000 to about 1,000,000, and wherein said copolymer has a water solubility of less than 0.1%; and (ii) a volatile diluent selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons, esters, ethers, amines, alkyl alcohols and silicon derivatives and mixtures thereof and wherein said diluent has a boiling point of from about 99° C. to about 260° C. and a water solubility of less than about 0.2% at 25° C.; and wherein said adhesive copolymer is soluble in said volatile diluent, and B. from about 75% to about 99.5% of an aqueous carrier.

Claim 11

A two or more phase rinse-off hairstyling composition comprising: A. from about 0.5% to about 25% of a styling agent comprising: (i) adhesive copolymer having two or more monomers randomly distributed in a substantially linear copolymer chain wherein, said copolymer has a single glass transition temperature of from about 0° C. to about 150° C., and a number-average molecular weight of from about 10,000 to about 1,000,000, and wherein said copolymer has a water solubility of less than 0.1%; and (ii) a volatile diluent selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons, esters, ethers, amines, alkyl alcohols and silicon derivatives and mixtures thereof and wherein said diluent has a boiling point of from about 99° C. to about 260° C. and a water solubility of less than about 0.2% at 25° C.; and wherein said adhesive copolymer is soluble in said volatile diluent, and B. from about 75% to about 99.5% of an aqueous carrier.

Claim 12

A composition according to claim 8 wherein said diluent is selected from the group consisting of terpenes, decene, cyclomethicone, dodecane, linalool, pentamethyl disiloxane, hexaethyl disiloxane and mixtures thereof.

Claim 13

A rinse-off hair styling composition comprising: A. from about 0.5% to about 25% of a styling active comprising: (i) a low glass transition temperature adhesive random copolymer having the general structure: (H.sub.x).sub.m (L.sub.y).sub.n wherein: (a) the ratio of m:n is within the range of from about 10:1 to about 1:10; (b) L is one or more monomer components selected from the group consisting of acrylate esters and methacrylate esters; (c) H is one or more monomer components selected from the group consisting of acrylate amides and methacrylate amides; and (d) x and y are integers of 1 or greater, and x+y is an integer of 2 or greater; and wherein further said random copolymers have a single glass transition temperature of from about 0° C. to about 150° C.; and wherein said copolymmer has a water solubility of less than 0.1% (ii) a volatile diluent selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons, esters, ethers, amines, alkyl alcohols and silicon derivatives and mixtures thereof and wherein said diluent has a boiling point of from about 99° C. to about 260° C. and a water solubility of less than about 0.2% at 25° C. and wherein said adhesive copolymer is soluble in said volatile diluent, and B. from about 75% to about 99.5, of an aqueous carrier.

Claim 14

A rinse-off hair styling composition comprising: A. from about 0.5% to about 25% of a styling active comprising: (i) a low glass transition temperature adhesive random copolymer having the general structure: (H.sub.x).sub.m (L.sub.y).sub.n wherein: (a) the ratio of m:n is within the range of from about 10:1 to about 1:10; (b) L is one or more monomer components selected from the group consisting of acrylate esters and methacrylate esters; (c) H is one or more monomer components selected from the group consisting of acrylate amides and methacrylate amides; and (d) x and y are integers of 1 or greater, and x+y is an integer of 2 or greater; and wherein further said random copolymers have a single glass transition temperature of from about 0° C. to about 150° C.; and wherein said copolymmer has a water solubility of less than 0.1% (ii) a volatile diluent selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons, esters, ethers, amines, alkyl alcohols and silicon derivatives and mixtures thereof and wherein said diluent has a boiling point of from about 99° C. to about 260° C. and a water solubility of less than about 0.2% at 25° C. and wherein said adhesive copolymer is soluble in said volatile diluent, and B. from about 75% to about 99.5, of an aqueous carrier.

Claim 15

A hairstyling composition according to claim 10 wherein the L monomer components of the adhesive copolymer are selected from the group consisting of methylacrylate, ethylacrylate, propylacrylate, butylacrylate, butylmethacrylate, methylmethacrylate, ethylmethacrylate, 2-ethylhexylacrylate, 2-ethylhexylmathacrylate, isobutylacrylate, isobutylmethacrylate, laurylacrylate, laurylmethacrylate cyclohexylacrylate, and cyclohexylmethacrylate; the H monomer components are selected from the group consisting of acrylamide, methacrylamide, N-isopropylacrylamide and N,N-dimethylacrylamide; and x+y=3; and wherein further said adhesive copolymers have a number-average molecular weight in the range of from about 10,000 to about 1,000,000.

Claim 16

A hairstyling composition according to claim 5 wherein the ratio of m:n is within the range of from about 5:1 to about 1:3; the L moiety is selected from isobutylmethacrylate, 2-ethylhexylmethacrylate and mixtures thereof and the H moiety is N,N-dimethylacrylamide.

Claim 17

A hairstyling composition according to claim 5 wherein said aqueous carrier is selected from the group consisting of shampoos and creme rinse conditioners.

Claim 18

A hair care composition according to claim 13 in the form of a shampoo which in addition contains from about 10% to about 35% of a synthetic surfactant or mixtures thereof.

Claim 19

A hair care composition according to claim 14 wherein the synthetic surfactant is selected from the group consisting of alkyl sulfates, ethoxylated alkyl sulfates and mixtures thereof.

Claim 20

A hair care composition according to claim 13 in the form of a conditioner which additionally contains from about 0.1% to about 10.0% of a lipid vehicle material and from about 0.05% to about 5.0% of a cationic surfactant.

Claim 21

A hair care composition according to claim 16 wherein the cationic surfactant is a quaternary ammonium salt.

Claim 22

A hair care compostion according to claim 17 wherein the lipid vehicle material is selected from the group consisting of cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, cetyl palmitate, glyceryl monostearate and mixtures thereof.