Lanthionizing compositions, systems, and methods

Details Lanthionizing compositions, systems, and methods Lanthionizing compositions, systems, and methods

2000-10-20

2002-05-21

Page, Thurman K. (Department: 1615)

Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions

Live hair or scalp treating compositions

Permanent waving or straightening

C424S070130, C424S070100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06391293

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to lanthionizing compositions and methods.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Human hair has a variety of textures, ranging from fine to coarse, and from straight to curly. The ability to alter or change the texture of hair through chemical processes is important both for men and for women, and thus hair care products and chemical processes that can alter the texture of hair are in great demand. For example, individuals with curly hair may seek a hair care product that can straighten or “relax” the hair.
In general, hair relaxers can be purchased in the form of creams and the like, which contain active ingredients such as sodium hydroxide (lye) or guanidine hydroxide (those containing the latter are often referred to as “no-lye” relaxers). Hair fibers are composed of keratin, which is in turn composed of polypeptide chains bonded together by three types of bonds, including cystine bonds, hydrogen bonds, and salt linkages. The lanthionizing process operates primarily on the cystine bonds, and involves exposing the bonds to an alkaline relaxing solution, thereby transforming the bonds to lanthionine bonds.
Both lye-type and “no lye” type relaxers tend to decrease the tensile strength of hair considerably. Known lanthionizing products typically operate at harsh conditions, including a high pH that can degrade hair and cause hair to lose tensile strength. For example, it has been reported that hair fibers can lose as much as55% of their tensile strength when the hair fibers are wet. U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,477 purports to disclose a process and composition for relaxing hair fibers, in which a lanthionizing agent is mixed with a hydrogenated starch hydrolyzate with a high sorbitol content and/or a sugar to form a lanthionizing composition. The presence of the carbohydrate in this composition is said to mitigate against the damage caused by the lanthionizing agent.
Another document, U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,737, purports to disclose a process in which a lanthionizing agent is applied to the hair and allowed to act on the hair for a period of time, after which the hair is treated with a deswelling composition. The deswelling composition includes a hydrogenated starch hydrolyzate with a high sorbitol content, which is said to reduce osmotic pressure in the hair fiber.
THE INVENTION
The invention provides a lanthionizing composition that comprises a lanthionizing agent, such as sodium hydroxide or guanidine hydroxide, present in an amount effective to lanthionize the hair, and a reduced malto-oligosaccharide present in an amount to impart greater tensile strength to the hair than would otherwise be achieved absent the reduced malto-oligosaccharide. The invention also encompasses a process for relaxing hair fibers, the process comprising applying to the hair fibers the lanthionizing composition of the invention.
The invention also encompasses a lanthionizing system that includes a lanthionizing composition and deswelling composition. The lanthionizing composition includes an amount of a lanthionizing agent effective to lanthionize the hair. The deswelling composition includes an amount of a reduced malto-oligosaccharide effective to deswell the hair. Also encompassed by the invention is a kit that includes the foregoing compositions. Methods for lanthionizing the hair also are encompassed by the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Any lanthionizing agent known in the art or otherwise found to be suitable for lanthionizing of hair may be used in conjunction with the present invention. A typical lanthionization composition contains, as the active ingredient, about 2.4% by weight of a base such as sodium hydroxide or guanidine hydroxide, and has a pH in the range of about 12.0 to about 13.5. By lanthionization agent is also intended to refer to percursors of lanthionization agents that are mixed with another ingredient by a user to prepare the lanthionizing agent.
Provided in accordance with the invention is a composition that includes the lanthionizing agent and a reduced malto-oligosaccharide, the reduced malto-oligosaccharide being present in an amount in the range of about 0.1% to about 0.5.0% by weight of the entire lanthionizing composition. While the reduced malto-oligosaccharide species can be obtained by any suitable method, they are preferably prepared via reduction of readily available malto-oligosaccharide mixtures, e.g., as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/366,065 (corresponding to PCT/US99/01098). Malto-oligosaccharide mixtures suitable for reduction to form reduced malto-oligosaccharides are sold by Grain Processing Corporation of Muscatine, Iowa under the MALTRIN® product designation, these including, for example, MALTRIN® M040, MALTRIN® M050, MALTRIN® M100, MALTRIN® M150, and MALTRIN® M180. It will be appreciated that naturally occurring malto-oligosaccharides typically contain a mixture of a plurality of malto-oligosaccharide species. As such, the reduced malto-oligosaccharide species obtained by reduction of such naturally occurring precursors likewise will contain a plurality of reduced malto-oligosaccharide species.
Oligosaccharides can be prepared by the controlled hydrolytic cleavage of starches. In the production of such oligosaccharides, the glycoside linkages of the starch molecules are partially hydrolyzed to yield at least one oligosaccharide species, and more typically, a mixture of oligosaccharide species. Each oligosaccharide species in the mixture may be characterized by its degree of polymerization (DP), which refers to the number of saccharide units in the molecule. Each oligosaccharide species also may be characterized by its dextrose equivalent (DE), which generally indicates the proportion of aldehyde, hemiacetal or ketone terminal groups in the molecule, and which is a measure of the reducing sugar content of the oligosaccharide, expressed as a percentage of the total dry substance. The DE value and DP profile for a given oligosaccharide mixture can vary substantially, depending, for example, upon the type of starch precursor used to obtain the mixture and the conditions employed for hydrolysis of the base starch.
When a reduced malto-oligosaccharide species is obtained by reduction of a malto-oligosaccharide precursor, it will be appreciated that the DP value of the reduced product may be different from-the DP value of the precursor. The malto-oligosaccharide preferably is reduced under conditions such that when a single reduced malto-oligosaccharide species is obtained by reduction of a malto-oligosaccharide precursor, the DP value of the reduced malto-oligosaccharide species preferably is substantially preserved. Similarly, when a mixture of a plurality of reduced malto-oligosaccharide species is obtained by reduction of a mixture of a plurality of malto-oligosaccharide species, the DP profile for the product preferably is substantially retained, e.g., as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/366,065 (corresponding to PCT/US99/01098). Preferably, the reduced malto-oligosaccharide species used in accordance with the present invention has a DE of less than about 1.
The reduced malto-oligosaccharide species used in conjunction with the invention can have any suitable DP value, preferably 2 or greater and typically greater than 2 (e.g., DP of 5 or greater). In a preferred embodiment, the preserving agent includes a mixture of a plurality of reduced malto-oligosaccharide species differing at least in DP value thus defining a DP profile for the mixture. When a mixture of a plurality of reduced malto-oligosaccharide species is utilized, it is preferred that at least one of the reduced malto-oligosaccharide species has a DP greater than 5, more preferably greater than about DP 8, and most preferably greater than about DP 10.
In a preferred embodiment, at least about 80% of the reduced malto-oligosaccharide species have a DP greater than 5. More preferably at least about 60% of the reduced malto-oligosaccharide species have a DP greater than 8. Still more preferably, a

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