Abstract: Curly or kinky human hair is permanently relaxed into a relatively smoothed or S-curved condition by a series of treatments involving application of a non-injurious composition containing a water solution of a salt of a weak acid to disrupt internal bonds of the hair, while manipulating and straightening the hair, then removing and replacing the first composition with a fixative to reconstruct or modify the structure of the hair, and finally applying a stabilizing composition which also acts to set and condition the hair.

Abstract: The hair-care composition broadly comprises an ethanolic cosmetic vehicle and between about 1 and 20% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition, of film-forming thermoplastic resinous polymeric material which in dried condition is resistant to softening by humidity, insoluble in water alone but dispersible in water having a cosmetic pH, fully soluble in ethanol, and consists essentially of the addition free-radical polymerization product formed by polymerizing a monomeric mixture consisting essentially of, by weight percent: 1 to 20% of 1,1 dimethyl-1,(2-hydroxypropyl) amine methacrylimide; 8 to 45% of N-vinyl pyrrolidone; and 35 to 89% of vinyl acetate.

Abstract: The new film forming polymeric material is useful in coating, binder, adhesive, and thickening applications. It comprises the addition free-radical polymerization product formed by polymerizing a monomeric mixture consisting essentially of, by weight percent: 1 to 20% of 1,1 dimethyl-1,(2-hydroxypropyl) amine methacrylimide; 8 to 45% of N-vinyl pyrrolidone; and 35 to 89% of vinyl acetate. Solvent polymerization in acid media is preferred. Polymerization in the presence of a small amount of cross-linking agent (such as allyl diglycol carbonate) improves the resistance of the resulting product to softening under high humidity conditions, preferably without destroying its solubility in ethanol.