Hair care appliance with thermochromic hair curlers and method of manufacturing same

Abstract

Abstract The hair care appliance of this invention has a housing, which holds a set of hair curlers and encloses electrical heating means for heating the curlers, and has a transparent cover which covers the set of curlers and the top of the housing. Each curler has a reversibly thermochromic thermoplastic elastomeric surface layer (around which hair is to be curled) which preferably covers a mandrel portion of a thermoplastic body. The thermoplastic body has ends of larger diameter than the mandrel portion of the body, and the mandrel may be hollow. A hollow mandrel may contain a double-walled metal core, which may contain a heat-retaining material. The elastomeric surface layer is preferably molded from an thermoplastic elastomer composition containing particulate thermochromic material, which preferably comprises reversibly thermochromic dye encapsulated in micro-capsules. The thermochromic dye components are chosen to be non-toxic and environmentally benign. The combination is preferably prepared to have a complete and distinct color change at a curler temperature optimum for curl retention. The colors within the preferred curling temperature range and outside that range are easily distinguished by users, even if they suffer from red/green color blindness. Thermochromic thermoplastic elastomer (TTPE) compositions for the curler mandrel surface layer are disclosed, along with a process for preparing such compositions. Preferred processes for manufacturing the curlers using the TTPE compositions are disclosed.

Inventors

• 👤 Lawrence P. Monty
• 👤 Patrick T. Monty

Bibliographic Details