Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2073~48
J.3191(L)
HAIR AND SCALP TREATMENT SYSTEM
This invention relates to a system for delivering
benefit ag~nts or treatment ~gents directly to the hair
and/or scalp. More particularly, the invention relates
to methods and apparatus for applying such agents onto
the hair and/or scalp using the principle of
electrostatic spraying.
Conventional systems for treating or beautlfying
the hair or scalp generally rely on applying liquid
products via washing-and-rinse-off or spraying regimes.
Apart from washing hair for cleaning purposes,
wash-and-rinse-off products are freguently used to
condition the hair and also to assist styling, i.e. to
impart body to the hair and enable it to more easily
hold a style. Many of these regimes are location
dependent, for example are restricted to use in the
bathroom, they are messy, inconvenient and time
consuming, and have poor deposition efficiency and so
lead to inefficient and unnecessarily costly use of raw
materials.
Other known regimes for treating or beautifying
the hair and/or scalp utilise spraying, such as with an
aerosol generated from a pressurised propellant-
containing can or a manually operable pump-action spray
device. These systems, although they are readily
portable, less messy and generally more convenient to
2 2073~8
use, still present problems. In particular, the types of
product and benefit or treatment agents which lend
themselves to effective aerosol spraying are limited and
the use of aerosols themselves is disadvantageous in
that there is still significant waste through loss of
active material to the atmosphere which also results in
unwanted atmospheric mists and contamination to the
user's eyes, face and other body parts, which may
present respiralory or oth~r health problems to the
user. Such spraying is also noisy and it is usually
necessary to employ propellants which are frequently
volatile organic compounds, which are now well
recognised as being environmentally unfriendly, possibly
hazardous to health and indeed are being legislated
against in many countries of the world. Conventional
aerosol sprays also suffer from the inability to provide
100~ coverage of a given target, e.g. all areas of the
surface of hair fibres, which can have disadvantageous
consequences for example where the material to be
sprayed is a protective substance, e.g. a sunscreen.
In a very different technical field, the
principle of electrostatic spraying of liquid and solid
materials is also known. In this technique a
formulation to be sprayed is raised to a high electric
potential in a spray nozzle to cause the formulation to
atomlse as a spray of electrically charged droplets.
Such electrically charyed droplets seek the closest
earthed ob~ect to discharge their electric charge, and
this can be arranged to be the desired spray target.
Hltherto, electrostatlc spraylng techniques have been
proposed principally for only large-scale industrial and
agricultural applications, especially for delivering
reactive materials like paints, adhesives and other
surface coatings, as well as large-scale delivery of
2073~48
pesticides and other agricultural or agrochemlcal
formulations. Examples of disclosures in this field
include GB-A-1393333, GB-A-1569707, GB-A-2092025, EP-A-
029301, EP-A-253539 and W0-A-85/00761, the contents of
which disclosures are incorporated herein by reference.
More recently, there have been a small number of
proposals for utilising the known principle of
electrostatic spraying for delivering particular
materials in specific applications other than those
mentioned above.
EP-A-224352 suggests the use of an electrostatic
sprayer for delivering a pharmaceutically active agent
to the eye, to replace conventional ocular treatment
using eye drops.
JP-A-56-97214 ( dating from 1981) suggests the use
of electrostatic spraying for applying a granular (i.e.
solid particles of) colouring material to hair to effect
surface coating thereof. The use of hair spraying
agents instead of colouring substances is mentioned,
apparently speculatively, but the disclosed system is
unsultable as far as consumer applicability and appsal
is concerned and still suffers from some of the
disadvantages mentioned above, particularly atmospheric
contamination and non-localised application.
Also to be mentioned, though of less relevance,
i~ US 4776515, which proposes an electrodynamic fine
particle negative ion generator adapted to spray various
liquids, particularly water, but possibly also alcohol,
perfume, ammonia, liquid medications and surfactants.
The obJect of the disclosed system is to provide an
ozone-free mist of negatively ionised liquid particles,
2073~48
(which presupposes that the material to be sprayed is
ionizable), and the mist that is produced instantly
disperses into an open area in which the apparatus is
operated, e.g. a room, so that a far-reaching, uniform
aerosol is generated which has particular applicability
for large public areas such as hospitals, restaurants
and offices. Clearly, this system is unsuitable for
small-scale personal use and in many of its objects goes
directly against the principles upon which a solution to
the above mentioned prior art problems must be founded.
As a result of identifying and appreciating the
above problems, pre;udices and limitations of the known
art and through much experimentation, we have now
devised a system which enables the principle of
electrostatic spraying to be put to effective use in
delivering benefit and/or treatment agents to the hair
and/or scalp, such that apparatus and methods are now
provided for such delivery regimes which are technically
efflcient, cost effective, safe, have widespread
consumer applicability and appeal, and which solve or at
least ameliorate many, if not all, of the problems
associated with the prior art.
Accordingly, in a first aspect the present
invention provides a method of delivering a benefit or
treatment agent to the hair and/or scalp, comprising
electrostatically spraying the benefit or treatment
agent onto the hair and/or scalp under regulation of
delivery localisation means which cause the said agent
to be delivered preferentially to the hair and/or scalp
and away from (or at least preferentially away from) a
user's eyes or other body parts.
In more detail, the method of this aspect of the
2073~
invention preferably comprises:
(a) providing an apparatus which includes:
(i) a reservoir containing the benefit or
treatment agent to be delivered which i8
in electrostatically sprayable form;
(ii) at least one delivery means in
communication with the reservoir;
(iii) a high voltage generator powered from an
electricity source; and
(iv) control means for selectively applying the
high voltage from the generator to the or
each delivery means;
(b) further providing delivery localisation means for
causing the benefit or treatment agent to be
delivered preferentially to the hair and/or scalp
and away from (or at least preferentially away
from) a user's eyes or other body parts; and
(c) actuating the said control means to
electrostatically spray the benefit or treatment
agent from the or each delivery means onto the
hair and/or scalp under regulation of the
delivery localisation means,
whereby the benefit or treatment agent is delivered as
charged droplets or particles preferentially onto the
hair and/or scalp and substantially not to a user's
eyes or other body parts.
In a second aspect, the present invention
provides an apparatus for delivering a benefit or
treatment ngent to the hair and/or scalp, comprising:
(a) a reservoir for containing the benefit or
treatment agent which is in an electrostatically
sprayable form;
(b) at least one delivery means in communication with
the reservoir;
2073~4~
(c) a high voltage generator powered from an
electricity source;
(d) control means for selectively applying the high
voltage from the generator to the or each
delivery means to electrostatically spray the
benefit or treatment agent from the or each
delivery means; and
(e) delivery localisation means for causing the
~enefit or treatment agent to be delivered
preferentially to the hair and/or scalp and away
from (or at least preferentially away from) a
user's eyes or other body parts.
In a third aspect, the present invention
provides, in combination, the apparatus as defined above
and an electrostatically sprayable composition
consisting of or containing a benefit or treatment agent
to be deposited onto the hair and/or scalp.
In embodiments of the above-defined aspects of
the invention, the delivery localisation means may take
any of several different forms, whlch may be utilised
either singly or in combination.
In one preferred form, the delivery localisation
means comprise a hair brush or comb assembly in
comblnation with the other elements of the system, so
that the benefit or treatment agent can be delivered
locally and with accuracy during a normal brushing or
combing regime. Although brushing devices which deliver
liquid to the hair are per se known (e.g. a squeeze-
handle brush), such known devices have certain defects
when in use, such as limited control of liquid flow and
poor 8ensory performance due to easy excessive delivery
of product, and, as a result, difficulty in achieving
7 2073 ~48
the exact desired hair condition which may even require
subsequent washing or other post-treatment to achieve
the desired result.
Conveniently, in this preferred embodiment the
delivery means of the apparatus are contained at least
partially within the hair brush or comb assembly and
preferably a plurality of such delivery means are
provided, especially for example evenly distributed in
the assembly.
The provision of this combined system
conveniently allows the reservoir, high voltage
generator and control means of the apparatus, together
with any other components which may be present, e.g.
electrical circuitry, to be contained within the hair
brush or comb assembly, so as to provide an essentlally
self-contained, light, compact apparatus which is
convenient and easy to use and has considerable consumer
appeal. Ideally, the electricity source, e.g. a battery,
is also provided within the assembly, so that the whole
system is completely self-contained and can be easily
transported to wherever it is needed for use.
Preferably, the whole assembly-is designed so as to be a
hand-held appliance, i.e. suitable for personal use.
In alternative embodiments, the delivery
localisation means may be constituted by other
expedients.
For example, the apparatus as defined above may
include proximity sensing means which allow or cause the
unit to operate only when the delivery means are
suitably close to the intended target, namely the hair
and/or scalp, as appropriate to the particular use. The
2073~4~
use of one or more delivery means having a particular
directionality may assist the desired operation of this
expedient.
In another form, the delivery localisation means
may be constituted by an optimisation of structure
and/or arrangement of components of the apparatus, as
well as an optimisation of variable operation conditions
such as voltage, electric field intensity and other
physical or electrical characteristics of the apparatus,
and even physical and/or chemical properties of the
material or materials to be delivered.
In yet another form, the delivery localisation
means may be provided not as part of the spraying
apparatus, but constituted by particular selection or
ad~ustment of one or more physical and/or chemical
propertles of the substrate, i.e. the hair and/or the
scalp, onto which the benefit or treatment agent is to
be dellvered. Surface modification or activation, for
example, the importance of which is already known for
certain electrodeposition systems in other technical
flelds, may be used in this context.
Havlng thus defined the main aspects of the
present invention, preferred embodiments and various
features and optional characteristics thereof will now
be described, with reference to the accompanying
drawing, in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic axial sectional view of
one preferred embodlment of the apparatus according to
the invention.
~ he benefit or treatment agents which may be
2073~48
delivered using the system of the present invention can
be any of a very wide range of materials. Conventional
delivery systems such as wash-and-rinse-off compositions
and hair sprays by necessity include one or more,
usually several, ingredients which form at least part of
a deposition/delivery system which is not directly
associated with the particular cosmetic or therapeutic
benefit which it is desired to achieve. A particular
advantage of the present invention is that it allows at
least some of, or even substantially all of, such
auxiliary components to be omitted from a conventional
composition comprising the "active" material to be
delivered. Any such auxiliary components may however
still be used within the scope of this invention if
desired or as necessary.
Generally there is the essential overall
requirement of compositions useful in the present
invention that they be electrostatically sprayable.
A principal characteristic of such
electrostatically sprayable materials or compositions
which it will usually be necessary to carefully select
or ad~ust as necessary (as discussed further below), is
their resistivity. Preferred resistivities fall within
the range from about 104 to about 1012 ohm cm, more
preferably from about 106 to about 101 ohm cm.
Resistivities of lower than 104 may possibly be used.
Resistivities of more than about 1012, e.g. up to about
101' or more, may also be used, though such values are
difficult to measure uslng cheap, conventional
resistance measuring apparatus. Resistivity is measured
using standard, conventional apparatus and methods,
generally at 25C.
2073 i48
Compositions to be delivered using the present
invention are preferably liquids. If the benefit or
treatment agent is itself liquid at room temperature,
then it may be suitable for delivery on its own.
Alternatively it may be combined with one or more
ad;unct materials which are preferably also liquid at
room temperature, though may optionally be solids if
used in minor amounts and do not deprive the composition
of being electrostatically sprayable.
The treatment or benefit agent is preferably
incorporated into a liquid-based system, for example by
being combined with a diluent or solvent with or without
additional components which are already known for use in
cosmetic compositions.
Within the general principles set out above, the
compositions consisting of or containing the one or more
benefit or treatment agents to be delivered to the hair
and/or scalp in accordance with the invention may
include any of the following:
1. surfactants, e.g. selected from anionic,
cationic, amphoteric, zwitterionic and nonionic
surfactants and mixtures thereof;
2. hair and/or skin conditioning agents, i.e.
materials which impart one or more visual or tactile
benefits such as softness, smoothness, shine, non-
flyaway, ease of dry and/or wet combing, e.g. cationic
surfactants, cationic polymers, volatile and/or non-
volatile silicones or derivatives thereof, quaternary
~monium salts having at least one long chain alkyl or
alkenyl group, protein hydrolysates, quaternized
protein hydrolysates, perfluoropolyether materials,
fatty alcohols, and mixtures thereof;
3. styling agents, i.e. materials which give
2Q73~8
11
enhanced body and feel to hair to enable it to hold a
style, e.g. various polymers, gums and resins, for
example adhesive and/or resinous hydrocarbon materials
such as per-alk(en)yl hydrocarbon materials,
silicone/siloxane gums or resins, waxes, chitosan and
derivatives, salts and complexes thereof, and mixtures
thereof;
4. hair straightening agents;
5. colourants and dyeing agents;
6. antidandruff agents, e.g. zinc pyridinethione,
Octopirox, climbazole;
7. sun-protective materials, e.g. sunscreens
especially W absorbers;
8. hair growth promoters or regulators, e.g.
diacylglycerols, glucarolactams, glucarolactones,
Minoxidol;
9. moisturisers e.g. 2-hydroxyalkanoic acids, acid-
soap complexes thereof, and other emollients,
occlusives, humectants or the like;
10. pearlescent and/or opacifying materials;
11. oils, e.g. silicone oils, oleic acid,
hydrocarbons, isopropyl myristate, oleyl alcohol,
oleates, squalene, sunflower seed oil, rapeæeed oil,
other plant-derived oils, mineral oil;
12. proteins, vitamins, nutrients, stimulants,
antiradicals, astringents;
13. herb or other plant extracts, essential oils,
etc;
14. antimicrobial agents, e.g. antibacterial or anti-
infestive agents;
15. solvents or diluents, e.g. alcohols or polyols
such as ethanol, lsopropylalcohol, propylene glycol,
dipropylene glycol, phenyl ethyl alcohol, glycerol,
1,3-butsnediol, 1,2-propanediol, isoprene glycol;
16. other adJunct materials commonly used in cosmetic
12 2073~48
compositions, e.g. buffering and/or pH adjusting
agents, perfumes, colourings, preservatives, proteins,
etc.
Preferably compositions for delivery using the
present invention are non-aqueous or may contain only a
small amount of water, e.g. less than 10% by weight,
preferably less than 5% wt, even more preferably, less
than 1% wt. This is because, due to its low
resistivity, a predominantly aqueous composition is
generally difficult to spray effectively using
electrostatic means.
Preferred compositions for treating the hair
and/or scalp in accordance with the invention are leave-
on compositions, so it is generally preferred not to
include any components which are disadvantageous in that
respect and may impart deleterious effects to the hair
and/or scalp when applied thereto and left on.
As mentioned above, depending upon the
composition or material to be delivered, it may be
necessary to ad~ust it~ resistivity by addition of one
or more resistivity ad~usting materials, examples and
suitable amounts of which will be either known to
persons skilled in the art, or readily derivable by
simple experiment. Suitably, polar substances such as
alcohols, e.g. ethanol, may be used to lower the
resistivity of a given material or composition, whereas
non-polar substances, e.g. oils and other hydrophobic
materials, may be used to increase its resistivity.
Examples of suitable agents are charged species such as
salts, e.g. sodium chloride, or a salt conventionally
used in buffers in personal products or pharmacological
formulation~.
13 2073~48
In addition to resistivity, another parameter of
the compositions to be sprayed which it may be necessary
to carefully select and adjust is viscosity.
Products of a wide range of viscosities may be
suitable for use in the present invention, but suitably
the viscosity is in the range of from about 0.1 to about
50000 mPas, more preferably from about 0.1 to about
10000 mPas, even more preferably from about 0.5 to about
5000 mPas (at 25C). If desired or as necessary one or
more viscosity adjusting agents may be included.
Examples of such agents include salts, e.g. alkali metal
or ammonium halides, polymers and conventional
thickening materials, and oils and polar oil thickeners
such as cosmetic oils, waxes, glycerides and suitable
amphiphiles with melting points of for example >20C.
Viscosity may in fact be used as a parameter to
control the rate of delivery of the benefit or treatment
agent to the intended site, if, as has been found with
many embodiments of the system of the invention, it has
a substantially inverse proportionality relationship
with the flow rate of the material from the delivery
means. For example, a particular delivery regime or a
habit or need of a user may dictate an optimum delivery
rate of the particular benefit or treatment agent being
applied, in which case careful selection of the
viscosity of the material to be sprayed can provide a
self-regulating deposition mechanism.
For use in the present invention, the hardware
and electrical componentry and circuitry may be of any
suitable construction and design. The art of
electrostatic spraying contains many examples of
2073~8
14
suitable apparatus which may be used in the present
invention and such disclosures of such apparatus or
particular features thereof may be applied either singly
or in combination to the spray systems of the present
invention.
Examples of suitable electrostatic spraying
hardware include, in addition to those of the prior art
references mentioned above, those of the following
published references: GB-A-2061769, GB-A-2073052, EP-A-
031649, EP-A-132062, EP-A-163390, EP-A-171184, EP-A-
234842, EP-A-243031, EP-A-368494, EP-A-441501, EP-A-
468735 and EP-A-468736; the disclosures of all of which
are incorporated herein by reference.
As will be appreciated by persons skilled ln the
art, particular constructional features and design and
electrical and other operating parameters of such
apparatuses may be selected or adjusted as necessary, in
the context of the present invention, in accordance with
the desired functioning characteristics, as for example
dlctated by the composition or material to be sprayed
and/or the needs or wishes of a user.
Features of the apparatus of the present
invention which may be so selected and/or ad~usted
include for example: voltaye generated by the high
voltage generator and power source, electric field
strength in or in the region of the product delivery
means, flow rate of the product to be sprayed from the
reservoir to and out of the delivery means, size and
configuration of the delivery means itself and
construction and properties of any product feed
mechanism utilised between the reservoir and the output
of the delivery means.
2 0 7 ~ 8
In preferred embodiments of the inventLon,
preferred voltages generated by the high voltage
generator from the power source are in the range of from
about 2 to about 18 kilovolts, more preferably from
about 2 to about 10 kilovolts, possibly even more
preferably from about 6 to about 8 kilovolts. The most
suitable voltage for a given system may depend upon the
product to be sprayed, as well as other parameters, all
of which will generally be selected to give an overall
optimised system.
Electric field strengths which are responsible
for the spraying action of the electrostatic apparatus
will be largely dependent upon the voltage applied.
However, field strengths may be controlled or ad~usted
if necessary, for example changes in nozzle
configuration or geometry and/or the use of field
intensifying electrodes, which are well known in the art
cited above.
Optimum flow rates of material to be sprayed will
often depend upon the composition of the product itself,
e.g. upon the concentration of the "active" ingredient
being applied. Also, as already mentioned with respect
to viscosity of the sprayable material, a suitable flow
rate may be selected depending upon the particular
delivery regime and/or habit or needs of a user. By way
of example, preferred flow rates of compositions for
delivery in accordance with embodiments of the invention
are in the range of from about 0.00001 to about 0.1
ml/sec, more preferably from about 0.0001 to about 0.001
ml/sec. These flow rates will generally be for a singl2
given product delivery means, e.g. per nozzle. In
embodiments of the apparatus of the invention which
2073~48
16
employ a plurality of such delivery means, it may be
more appropriate to base the selected flow rate on the
overall total flow rate of all the delivery means, in
which case the optimum flow rate per delivery means may
be correspondingly lower than the above preferred
values.
The size and configuration of the one or more
delivery means in the apparatus of the invention may be
of any suitable form and again may be selected in
association with other parameters to give an optimised
functioning electrostatic spray delivery system.
Commonly the or each delivery means will be in the form
of a nozzle, preferably of insulating or semi-insulating
material such as plastics or various polymers, as is
well known in the art.
The delivery means may advantageously include
metering means to provide a dosing mechanism for
delivering a predetermined fixed amount of material from
the or each nozzle. Such an expedient may for example
be useful in conjunction with a system having a
controlled flow rate.
In preferred embodiments of the apparatus of the
invention, the or each dellvery means is in
communication, i.e. preferably fluid communication, with
the reservoir or reservolrs (if for example more than
one material or composition is to be desired to be
sprayed from the same apparatus or even the same
delivery means) by virtue of product feed means. As is
well described in the prior art, such feed means may
comprise a wick, e.g. a porous wick, through and/or over
which the product to be sprayed flows before reaching
the point of high electric field strength where it i8
2073~48
17
dispersed as a charged spray of droplets or particles.
Alternatively the feed means may comprise a hollow
conduit through which the composition passes under the
effect of capillary action. As a further alternative,
in systems which for example require a particularly high
flow rate, special feed means may be provided, for
example a pump. This may be of any suitable type, e.g.
electrically operated, but more conveniently it may be a
simple mechanical device which exerts pressure on the
reservoir containing the composition to be sprayed, such
that the composition therein is forced out of the
reservoir to the delivery means.
As is well known in the art, the apparatus
according to the invention preferably include a trigger
(i.e. a manual control means) or alternatively an
automatic control means to selectively apply the high
voltage from the generator to the or each delivery means
to electrostatically spray the benefit or treatment
agent onto the hair and/or scalp. Any other suitable
control means however, e.g. which automatically control
actuation of the system, may be used, as wi}l be
appreciated by persons skilled in the art.
In methods according to the present invention
where benefit or treatment agents are applied
specifically to the hair, one problem which has been
encountered is that of static build-up on the hair
fibres. This is caused by the charged particles or
droplets of the spray being deposited upon impact with
the hair target, thereby transferring their charge onto
the halr fibres so as to build up a corresponding
electrostatic charge thereon. This effect is unwanted
under normal operations, because it results ln limited
or low product capture, since the charge build up on the
18 2073~8
hair repels the like~charged droplets or particles of
subsequent spray, thereby limiting or reducing (or even
preventing) further spray reaching the hair target.
In further preferred practical embodiments of the
present invention, therefore, further means are provided
for reducing electrostatic build-up on the hair during
spraying of the benefit or treatment agent thereon.
The anti-static build up means may take any of
several forms. One particularly useful expedient is to
arrange for the high voltage circuitry of the apparatus
to provide an output which alternates between opposite
polarities, the frequency of the alternating output
being such that each cloud of atomised droplets or
particles charged with one polarity issues from the
delivery means or nozzle substantially without
discharging the droplets or particles of a preceding
cloud carrying the opposite charge at least while the
succegsive clouds are airborne. This technique, as
applied to prior art electrostatic spraying systems, is
disclosed and described for example in EP-A-468735, the
disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
A further expedient for achieving this anti-static build
up effect is to wet the hair, e.g. with water, prlor to
spraylng. Thls increases the conductivity of the halr
surface, facilitating electrostatic charge
redistribution and conduction to the user's body which
constltutes earth.
A further expedient for this same purpose is to
surface-treat the halr wlth one or more known anti-
static agents, such as those which are already known for
use ln hair conditioning compositions. The treatment may
be a pre-treatment prior to spraying or alternatively a
2073~8
19
suitable anti-static agent may be incorporated into the
electrostatically sprayable composition to be delivered.
In methods accordlng to the present invention
where benefit or treatment agents are to be applied
specifically to the scalp, the above described
phenomenon of static build up on the hair fibres may in
fact be of practical benefit, in that it tends to cause
the sprayed droplets or particles to be targetted
preferentially at the scalp surface itself rather than
at the intermediate regions of hair fibres growing
therefrom. Thus, the present invention provides a
particularly effective system for treating the scalp,
possibly even preferentially to treatment of the hair.
There now follows a detailed description of one
preferred embodiment of the present invention, in
con~unction with which reference should be had to the
accompanying Figure 1.
Liquid reservoir 2, high voltage generator 4 and
battery 6 are all contained within a generally
cylindrical, preferably insulating, housing 1. The
generator 4 and battery 6 are conveniently situated in a
handle portion 12 of the housing 1 and the reservoir 2
in a brush (or alternatively comb) portion 14 thereof,
the latter being provided with conventional outwardly
extending bristles or teeth, or other brush/comb
elements 18.
The battery 6 may be a conventional low voltage
(e.g. 6 volt) cell as used in a variety of small scale
domestic or personal appliances, and may be of a
rechargeable type. The high voltage generator 4
generates at its output the high voltage for charging
2073348
the material to be electrostatically sprayed, which
voltage may be selected and/or adjusted as already
discussed. Additional circuitry 10 may optionally be
included depending upon the characteristics of the
system, but for example may frequently be required for
converting the alternating current output from the
generator 4 into a direct current for supply to the
delivery elements 8. If necessary additional circuitry
may also be provided between the power source 6 and high
voltage generator 4.
A general on/off power switch 19 and liquid feed
control 20 are also provided at convenient points on the
housing 1. The liquid feed control 20 may for example be
an on/off type switch or a variable control, depending
upon the electrical hardware used and the use to which
the apparatus is to be put. The power switch 19 and
liquid feed control 20 may if desired be combined into a
single component performing both functions.
Leading from the reservoir 2 and in fluid
communication therewith are a plurality of liquid
dellvery elements 8, each of which extends through the
housing wall into the region occupied by the brush/comb
elements 18. The free ends of the delivery elements 8
are adapted for electrostatic spraying of the
composition, preferably a liquid composition, supplied
to them, in accordance with the known art.
As already described, various forms of product
feed means may be provided between the liquid reservoir
2 and delivery elements 8.
~ n use, with the electrical components and
circuitry energised, while the hair is being brushed the
21 2~3~48
liquid feed control 20 is operated to deliver liquid
benefit or treatment agent from the reservoir 2 to the
free ends of the delivery elements 8, from which the
liquid is electrostatically sprayed into the region
occupied by the brush elements 18 and delivered to the
hair and/or to the scalp, as appropriate. Thus, the
apparatus, which is preferably designed to be a hand-
held appliance, is able to deliver benefit or treatment
agents onto the hair and/or scalp in a controlled manner
during a brushing or combing regime ucing electrostatic
forces to spray the liquid at a flow rate appropriate
for the material being delivered and/or the needs or
wishes of the user.
The number of liquid delivery elements 8, as well
as their configuration and location, may be selected
from various exemplary forms as already described and
will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art.
The illustrated apparatus has widespread
applicability in the benefit or treatment agent, or
composition containing same, that it is able to deliver,
examples and preferred characteristics of which have
already been described.
