Differential lubricants

Details Differential lubricants Differential lubricants

2000-05-23

2002-01-29

Dees, Jose'G. (Department: 1616)

Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions

Live hair or scalp treating compositions

Shaving preparation

C424S401000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06342211

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates, in general, to lubricants for use in shaving, and more particularly to a new class of hair shaving lubricants, herein called “differential lubricants” (or “di-lubricants”) which only highly lubricate skin, but not hair shafts.
Prior art lubricated hair shaving is based on the assumption that skin, hair, and razors should be highly lubricated, and an entire shaving lubricant industry has been built around the reduction of skin damage and longevity between shaves. The main purpose of the entire global shaving lubricant industry is to achieve the closest shave without pain or discomfort. However, the underlying physics principles of shaving hair has, until now, remained flawed.
Lubricated hair shaving is believed to predate recorded history. To everyone who has attempted or experienced razor shaving without a lubricant, it becomes obvious that severe skin damage always occurs. Even with lubrication, nicks, cuts, razor burn, rough skin, chemical irritation, and the like, are common, and skin lubrication is absolutely necessary for very close razor shaving. It is no surprise, then, that the shaving lubricant industry is a multibillion dollar industry. Ever since the original discovery of lubricated shaving, the need for increasing general lubrication of skin, hair, and razor has been promoted.
The technological art of lubricated hair shaving has been improved, with the introduction of sharper razor blades and better lubricants, to such degrees that one no longer thinks of shaving hair at the skin level, but below the skin level. Microscopic hair length differences smaller than 0.001 inch can easily be discerned. Therefore, to further improve the art of mechanical shaving, microscopic laws of physics about hair, skin and, razors must be elaborated. Lubricated shaving centers on three objectives—closeness and longevity of each shave, minimizing skin damage, and minimizing chemical toxicity.
Lubricated shaving continues to be favored over electric dry razor shaving for several reasons. Wet razor shaving permits far higher applied skin pressure (force per unit area) and thus, it forces hair shafts farther upward from the dermal tissues just before being cut. The inherent advantages derived from the much higher skin pressures of wet shaving also demand high lubrication to prevent skin damage. Therefor, prior art shaving lubricants seek to achieve the highest skin lubricating properties in order to permit application of the greatest skin pressure and hence, the closest shaves. That approach is reasonable, until a closer microscopic examination of the physics of cutting hair is conducted. Prior art lubricants seek to provide maximum skin lubrication without regard to the fact that microscopic hair lubrication occurs at the same time. However, if hair shafts and razor cutting edges are highly lubricated like skin, undesirable microscopic slippage takes place just before the microscopic cut begins on each hair shaft. That same lubricated microscopic slippage continues as the razor slices through each hair shaft. Such lubricated slippage on hair shafts effectively lengthens the cut hair by several thousandths of an inch, which is equivalent to almost one days' growth. As minute as a few thousandths of an inch might seem, in reality, it represents a large percentage of daily hair growth, as well as a large measure of the over all quality of shaving. Hair grows at varying rates, approximating 1-3 hair-diameters per day. Typical male facial hair is about 0.005-0.008 inch in diameter, and grows about 0.005 to 0.010 inch in length per day. Female leg hair is typically finer and grows more slowly. If hair protrudes just 0.001 to 0.002 inches above skin level, it can easily be detected by human touch. By the time hair has grown 0.003 to 0.004 inches above skin level, hair stubble is quite visible and a shave is warranted. Hence, the closer the shave and the farther below the skin level a shave can be achieved, the longer the shave will last before the hair is detected again.
For example, assume that a single 0.007 inch diameter hair shaft is theoretically cut off perfectly perpendicular to the shaft, and 0.004 inches below the skin surface. One day later, at a 0.008 inch/day growth rate, that hair will have grown 0.008 inches and will again protrude 0.004 inches above the skin level. Next, visualize a highly lubricated 0.007 inch diameter hair being shaved. Instead of the hair being ideally cut straight across from the initial razor contact point, instead, the lubricated razor will microscopically slide up the lubricated hair shaft before it begins cutting through the hair. Then, prior art lubricants continue to lubricate the actual cutting action as the razor slides through the hair shaft, producing an upward motion and a sloped, or tapered, hair end. The final result of lubricating hair is a tapered cut, typically at less than 60 degrees instead of the ideal 90 degree perpendicular hair shaft cut. A typical 0.007 inch diameter hair shaft cut at just 45 degrees will be sharp and pointed and about 0.003 to 0.004 inches longer than one perpendicularly cut at the ideal 90 degrees (see FIG.
1
). In other words, a lubricated hair can not be as bluntly cut because lubricants allow slippage in two ways—slippage on the initial contact before cutting and also slippage during cutting. The resulting sharp pointed hair ends protrude upwardly an amount equal, in many cases, to more than a half day's growth as compared to an ideal blunt cut hair shaft which may be several thousandths of an inch shorter. Clearly, therefore, hair shafts should be microscopically totally unlubricated for the closest shave. And yet, skin must be lubricated for the absolute minimum friction. These two diametrically opposed requirements (high skin lubrication and zero hair lubrication) seem to be impossible to obtain from a single lubricant or even from a combination of lubricants. Nevertheless, as will be shown, the present invention does indeed simultaneously exhibit both of these diametrically opposing properties.
Prior art shaving lubricants not only make the error of lubricating skin and hair, but they also are much more toxic than most people perceive. The term “Generally regarded as safe” (or “GRAS”) does not mean “Non toxic”. The popular presumption that “GRAS” means “safe if not ingested” is incorrect. As used in the present disclosure, “Toxic” is defined as any amount of any substance entering the body, through any means, which stresses bodily organs or functions or which do not nutritionally support normal healthy bodily processes. This broadened definition of toxicity does not embrace GRAS principles, which are directed more towards “toxic limits of endurance”.
Sadly, there are almost no government regulations on cosmetic shaving lubricants, yet many toxic chemicals are present in virtually every commercial shaving lubricant. The popular belief is that if these toxic shaving substances are not ingested, they are safe, but that belief is unwarranted. Exhaustive research conducted by a pharmaceutical company, Innovative Dermal Applications, GmbH in Germany, has only recently revealed some of the limitations and physics of how skin protects against microorganisms and toxic chemicals. For example, it is now known that skin is an excellent biological barrier because skin's outermost horny layer (the stratum corneum) composes only 10% of the skin's thickness, but contributes about 80% to the permeability barrier. The horny layer is a microporous barrier, which only allows passage of less than 1 nanometer diameter molecules. That is, 1 nanometer molecules will freely pass through healthy dry skin. Most molecules of less than a few thousand molecular weight (MW), such as pharmaceutical drugs and most toxins, are much smaller than 1 nanometer in physical size. Therefore, they readily pass directly through skin directly into the capillary blood stream or via the lymphatic system into the blood stream. However, when skin is exposed to hot water and beco

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