Integrated hair piece and method of using same
A hair piece assembly has a two part construction that covers bald or thinning areas of a person's scalp. Natural hair of the hair piece wearer is utilized and interwoven with synthetic hair and natural hair portions of the hair piece so that the hair piece assembly is well blended, and not readily detected. A first portion of the hair piece assembly comprises a first attachment means integrated therein. The first portion is placed on a head and attached thereto by the first attachment means. After being attached, the first portion is covered with natural hair. A second portion of the hair piece comprises a braided member having a distal end and a proximal end. The distal end terminates at an edge and the proximal end gradually terminates the braided construction to yield free unbraided hairs, which extend therefrom to thereby form a flowing hair member.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hair pieces; and, more particularly, to hair piece arrangements which provide coverage for thinning hair or bald areas of the scalp.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Baldness implies the partial or complete lack of hair and is best understood as part of the wider topic of “hair thinning”. The degree and pattern of hair thinning can vary greatly, but its most common cause is male and female pattern baldness. Hair thinning involves different degrees and patterns. Pattern balding commonly involves patchy hair loss. Although baldness in women is not as common as in men, it is relatively prevalent. Typically with women, the frontal hairline is preserved but the density of hair is decreased on all areas of the scalp. Female hair loss has become a growing problem which is estimated to affect around 30 million women in the United States. Although hair loss in females normally occurs after the age of 50 or even later when it does not follow events like pregnancy, chronic illness, crash diets, and stress among others, it is now occurring at earlier ages with reported cases in women as young as 15 or 16. Generally, female pattern thinning or baldness is diffuse and goes around the whole top of the head and can affect women at any time. There are other instances in which the actions of hormones may also cause female hair loss. Some examples are: pregnancy, menopause, presence of ovarian cysts, some birth control pills, polycystic ovary syndrome, thyroid disorders, anemia, chronic illness and some medications.
Currently there is no way to instigate permanent re-growth of hair that has been lost through genetic or hormonal causes. Treatments may include a variety of medications to slow hair thinning, help grow new hair or enlarge existing hairs to create better coverage. However, most require long-term and if stopped, hair loss returns. Another method of treatment involves hair transplant surgery wherein healthy hair is moved from the back and sides of the head to areas of thinning. However, the procedure can take anywhere between four and eight hours, with additional sessions usually need to be carried out to make hair appear thicker, is invasive, and can be costly. Furthermore, transplanted hair falls out within a few weeks, but re-grows permanently within months. Other than treatments, individuals often attempt to hide hair loss. Attempts at hiding hair loss may involve restyling remaining hair to cover the balding area. However, as the hair loss increases, this method becomes less effective. Another method is to wear a hat or a hairpiece—a wig or toupee. Typically, the wig is a layer of artificial or natural hair made to resemble a typical hair style. In most cases the hair is artificial and wigs vary widely in quality and cost, with real hair or those that look like real hair costing up to tens of thousands of dollars. Further, generally unless the hair piece is a toupee, the wig covers the entire scalp and is placed on the head with the risk of being blown or otherwise falling off during wear.
There is a need in the art for a hair piece that provides the look and feel of natural hair, that can readily blend in with a user's natural hair, and that can be readily secured and fastened to a user's head in a discrete, reliable manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a hair piece adapted to be placed on a person's head. Generally stated, the hair piece comprises a first portion composed of a synthetic material that is appointed to be placed at the back of the head of a person. The natural hair of the person is wrapped around the first portion or synthetic portion to hold it in place. A second portion of the hair piece is provided that is composed of natural hair or natural looking hair, and is attached to the first portion or synthetic portion, so that the second portion rests on the top of the wearer's head.
The hair piece assembly includes a first portion having first attachment means integrated therein. The first portion is adapted to be placed on a head and attached by way of the first attachment means. Natural hair on the head is then wrapped over or moved to cover the first portion. A second portion having a braided member is provided by the hair piece assembly. The braided member of the second portion has a distal end terminating at an edge and a proximal end terminating to yield a plurality of free unbraided hair strands forming a flowing hair member.
A method of using the hair piece assembly is also provided. The method includes the step of first selecting a hair piece assembly based on a hair color, texture and length. The hair piece assembly includes a first portion having first attachment means integrated therein. The first portion is adapted to be placed on a head and attached by way of the first attachment means. Natural hair on the head is then wrapped over or moved to cover the first portion. A second portion having a braided member is provided by the hair piece assembly. The braided member of the second portion has a distal end terminating at an edge and a proximal end terminating to yield a plurality of free unbraided hair strands forming a flowing hair member. Next, the first portion is placed and secured on a head region and the user's hair is then wrapped around or used to cover the first portion and integrate it within the hair. Insertion of the distal end of the second portion's braid member then takes place by sliding the braid member's distal end behind the first portion to rest between the first portion and the head. Lastly, the free flowing hair of the braided member is arranged over the hair on the head.
The invention will be more fully understood and further advantages will become apparent when reference is had to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention is directed to a hair piece kit or assembly having at least a two part construction that is integrated into a wearer's natural hair and function to cover bald or thinning spots. Natural hair of the person wearing the hair pieces is utilized and interwoven with the synthetic hair and a natural hair portion so that the hair piece kit is well blended and unnoticeable and undetectable to others.
The hair piece assembly includes a first portion that is placed on a person's head and wrapped by a person's hair and a second portion that is a hair piece that attaches to the first portion. The hair piece assembly generally comprises: (i) a first portion adapted to be placed at a back of a person's head through attachment means and adapted to be covered with natural hair on said head; (ii) a second portion adapted to be inserted between said first portion and said head and/or attached to said first portion 21; (iii) said second portion comprising a braided member having a distal end and a proximal end, said distal end terminating at an edge and said proximal end gradually terminating said braided construction to yield free unbraided hairs extending therefrom, said braided member forming a flowing hair member.
Optional embodiments involve, for example, the flowing hair member being formed as a hair main with a plurality of hairs extending from a braid member. The flowing hair member may be curly, straight, wavy, or have a variety of hair textures. Moreover, the flowing hair member may be provided as a plurality of colors and textures to match or closely match a variety of hair colors to accommodate a wearer's natural hair color. The first portion may be composed of a synthetic material or fibrous material and is structured in a manner so as to be placed at the back of the head. The second portion may be composed of natural hair and/or natural looking hair or combinations thereof, and is removably attached to the first portion so that the second portion rests on the top of the wearer's head.
Referring to
Optionally, the second portion 225 may include attachment means, such as those shown at proximal end 226b, shown generally at 230. The attachment means 230 is preferably located so that is can attach to the first portion and/or to local hair clumps. Alternatively, rather than on the proximal end 226b, or in conjunction with the proximal end 226b, the edge 226a′ of the distal end 226a includes attachment means. The attachment means may be a clip, barrette, combs, pins, or band, etc.
Referring to
Having thus described the invention in rather full detail, it will be understood that such detail need not be strictly adhered to, but that additional changes and modifications may suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the subjoined claims.
Claims
1. A hair piece assembly comprising:
- a. a first portion having first attachment means integrated therein adapted to be placed on a head attached by way of said first attachment means and further adapted to be covered with natural hair on said head;
- b. said first portion being, constructed as a band having a top wall, bottom wall and side walls and a front face and back face;
- c. a second portion having a braided member having a distal end and a proximal end, said distal end terminates at an edge and said proximal end gradually terminates said braided construction to yield free unbraided hairs extending therefrom said braided member forming a flowing hair member;
- d. said first portion and said second portion being separate portions and said braided member of said second portion being adapted to be inserted between said first portion and said head and said flowing hair member extends therefrom.
2. A hair piece assembly as recited by claim 1, wherein said second portion comprises attachment means.
3. A hair piece assembly as recited by claim 1, wherein said proximal end comprises attachment means.
4. A hair piece assembly as recited by claim 1, wherein said edge of second braided member's distal end comprises attachment means.
5. A hair piece assembly as recited by claim 1, wherein said first portion is constructed from a synthetic material.
6. A hair piece assembly as recited by claim 1, wherein said first portion is constructed from a fibrous, thin, and elastic, expandable or flexible material.
7. (canceled)
8. A hair piece assembly as recited by claim 7, wherein said first attachment means are located on each of said side walls.
9. A hair piece assembly as recited by claim 7, wherein said first attachment means are located on each of said side walls and at least one secondary attachment means is located on said front face of said band.
10. A hair piece assembly as recited by claim 7, wherein at least one attachment means is located on said back face.
11. A hair piece assembly as recited by claim 1, wherein said braided member includes a top surface having an attachment means thereon appointed to attach to a back face of said first portion.
12. A hair piece assembly as recited by claim 1, wherein said braided member's distal end is thinner in diameter than said proximal end and wherein said braided member is appointed to be slipped behind or under said first portion so that it is contained and secured behind said first portion.
13. A hair piece assembly as recited by claim 1, wherein said first portion and said second portion are the same or similar colors.
14. A hair piece assembly as recited by claim 1, wherein said flowing hair member is formed from natural hair strands.
15. A hair piece assembly as recited by claim 1, wherein said flowing hair member is constructed to as natural hair selected from the group consisting of curly, straight, waived, and a variety of hair textures.
16. A method of using a hair piece assembly, comprising the steps of:
- a. selecting said hair piece assembly based on a hair color, texture and length, said hair piece assembly comprising: i. a first portion having first attachment means integrated therein adapted to be placed on a head attached by way of said first attachment means and further adapted to be covered with natural hair on said head; ii. said first portion being constructed as a band having a top wall, bottom wall and side walls and a front face and back face; iii. a second portion having a braided member having a distal end and a proximal end, said distal end terminates at an edge and said proximal end gradually terminates said braided construction to yield free unbraided hairs extending therefrom said braided member forming a flowing hair member; iv. said first portion and said second portion being separate portions and said braided member of said second portion being adapted to be inserted between said first portion and said head and said flowing hair member extends therefrom.
- b. placing said first portion on a head region and placing thinning hair or hair near said region over said first portion to cover said first portion and integrate same with said hair;
- c. inserting and securing said distal end of said second portion's braid member behind said first portion to rest between said first portion and said head;
- d. arranging said flowing hair member of said second portion on said head.
Type: Application
Filed: May 23, 2012
Publication Date: Nov 28, 2013
Inventor: Hattie M. Murphy (Newark, NJ)
Application Number: 13/506,902
International Classification: A41G 5/00 (20060101);