Method for preparing and applying a hair extension
A method for preparing a hair weft for applying to hair of a user. The method may include determining a length of hair weft to produce, measuring the length on a hair weft longer than the hair weft to produce, and cutting a base of the longer hair weft to produce a hair weft having the measured length. The method may further include cutting a double-sided tape to be utilized with the measured hair weft, where the double-sided tape may be composed of a double-sided adhesive film and non-adhesive backing adhered to each adhesive side. A non-adhesive backing may be peeled from the double-sided adhesive film to expose the double-sided adhesive film and the exposed cut double-sided adhesive film may be adhered to the base of the measured hair weft. The hair weft may be applied to a user's hair to form a hair extension.
This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/647,235 filed Jan. 26, 2005, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONHair extensions have become popular for women and men who enjoy having fuller and/or longer hair. Additionally, people wear hair extensions because they are fun to wear. Hair extensions may also be used to change to color of a person's hair without the need for chemical processing. Because there is a cultural status of having nice hair, many people find it important that they have longer or fuller hair for everyday wear and particular social events.
By way of background, hair extensions are different from other hairpieces, such as a toupee. A toupee is typically configured to cover a large portion of surface area (e.g., several inches) and to be affixed directly to the scalp of a person's head. Hair extensions, on the other hand, are typically configured along a narrow base (e.g., one-quarter inch width) and affixed to a person's hair.
While people desire to have hair extensions, these same people often find it inconvenient to wear the hair extensions over long periods of time. The reasons for the inconvenience include the extra care necessary to maintain the hair extensions, a desire to exercise without the hair extensions, a desire to simply appear on a typical day with natural hair, and a desire to change one's appearance more regularly.
To address the many concerns and desires of people who wear hair extensions, there are a number of different hair extension structures that have been developed. In addition, there are a number of connection devices that have been developed to connect the different hair extension structures.
One hair extension structure includes tufts or bundles of hair that are clamped or bonded using a metal tube or adhesive with heat or ultrasonic energy. The problem that exists with this hair extension structure is that it is very expensive, thousands of dollars, and time consuming to install, up eight hours.
Another hair extension structure includes single hairs that are connected to a base element that can be affixed to the hair or scalp of a person using a number of different methods. This type of hair extension structure is called a “hair weft.” The base element may be formed in a number of different ways, including sewing or stitching hair with thread, using a material to which hair is affixed, and injecting the hair strands into a flexible strip, for example. It is well understood in the art that there are many different ways of forming hair wefts.
There are numerous methods in existence for applying extensions to the head or hair of the wearer, including both professional and self-installation. The major problems in using a professional hair stylist to install the hair extensions are the time and cost involved. There are several techniques used by professional hair stylists to install “high-end” hair extensions, including braiding the hair extensions into a person's natural hair, fusing the hair extensions with the person's natural hair, and bonding the hair extensions to the person's natural hair. These techniques are expensive as they can cost up to several thousand dollars and require four to eight hours to install. While these techniques are good for long-term hair extensions (e.g., one to five months), they have the problem of damaging the person's natural hair and the wearer is required to re-visit the hair stylist to remove the hair extensions, thereby incurring additional cost to the person. Because of the costs involved with wearing the high-end hair extensions, most people cannot or choose not to have hair extensions installed by a professional, especially if a person's need is for a single social event.
For self-installation, hair extensions and methods that have been developed for self-installation have problems because they are typically configured with clips sewn to the hair extensions. While the use of clips allows for self-installation, these clips create a bulky appearance near the scalp, can cause considerable discomfort to the wearer, cannot be worn while sleeping, and can damage the natural hair. Other conventional hair extensions that are available for self-installation have adhesives that are pre-configured to the hair weft, thereby limiting the usage to a single wear and being more costly to produce. Still yet, other conventional hair extensions use multiple self-adhesive tape, whereby individual hairs or the base of the hair wefts are sandwiched between two pieces of self-adhesive tape. Each of these convention hair extensions suffers from being bulky when installed, difficult to self-install, expensive to produce, and/or non-re-usable.
Accordingly, there is a need for a hair extension system and installation method therefor that can be professionally or self-installed in a cost-effective manner, capable of short or medium term wear, and re-usable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTo overcome the problems of conventional hair extensions and methods for installation thereof, the principles of the present invention provide for a cost effective, hair extension kit. The hair extension kit provides the ability for professional hairdressers and wearers of the hair extensions to install. Further, the hair extension kit, in accordance with the principles of the present invention, may provide for hair wefts to be worn for short or medium term (e.g., one day to several weeks) and to be reusable.
One embodiment in accordance with the principles of the present invention includes a method for preparing a hair weft to apply to hair of a user. The method may include determining a length of hair weft to produce, measuring the length on a hair weft longer than the hair weft to produce, and cutting a base, having a first and second edge, of the longer hair weft to produce a hair weft having the measured length. The method may further include cutting a double-sided tape to be utilized with the measured hair weft, where the double-sided tape may be composed of a double-sided adhesive film and non-adhesive backing adhered to each adhesive side. A non-adhesive backing may be peeled from the double-sided adhesive film to expose the double-sided adhesive film and the exposed cut double-sided adhesive film may be adhered to the base of the measured hair weft.
In another embodiment, a method for applying hair extensions may be provided by forming a part in a user's hair, positioning a hair weft along the formed part, where the hair weft has a base with a first edge and second edge and further including a double-sided adhesive film directly adhered thereto absent any other fastener. The positioning may include positioning the first edge of the base at or on one side of the formed part. The double-sided adhesive film may be adhered to the hair at or on one side of the part.
In one embodiment, a hair extension kit may include a container configured to include multiple components for installing hair extensions. Within the container, a hair weft having a base with hair extending therefrom and double-sided tape configured to have a substantially planar portion may be included. The double-sided tape may have a length of at least three inches and a height of at least one inch.
In another embodiment, a hair extension kit may include a container configured to include multiple components for installing hair extensions. The components may include a hair weft having a base with hair extending therefrom and double-sided tape being medical grade quality. The hair extension kit may further include a remover solution capable of removing the hair weft when installed with the double-sided tape, but leave substantially no residue on a wearer's hair.
The principles of the present invention further provide for a method of assembling a hair extension kit. The assembling process may include (i) providing a container configured to include multiple components for installing hair extensions, (ii) including a hair weft into the container, and (iii) including a double-sided tape configured to have a substantially planar portion. A remover solution may also be included in the hair extension kit.
The principles of the present invention further provide for a hair extension system that includes (i) a hair extension kit including a hair weft and double-sided tape for installing at least a portion of the hair weft to the hair of a user and (ii) a hair extension replenish kit including double-sided tape and remover solution for removing the double-sided tape from the hair of the user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Alternatively, the base 104 may be composed of a number of different materials (e.g., cloth, plastic, or the like) to secure the hair strands 102 to form a common, generally flexible portion. Still yet, the hair strands 102 may be woven at a common area at one end to form the base. It should be understood that there are many ways of forming hair wefts that may be utilized in accordance with the principles of the present invention. No matter which configuration of hair weft is utilized, the base 104 is to be capable of being cut with a pair of scissors to enable a user to cut the hair weft 100 into multiple hair wefts.
For the purposes of this disclosure, a “hair weft” is considered to be hair strands connected to a base that when connected to a person's head (i.e., natural hair and/or scalp), is considered to be a “hair extension.” However, as the terms “hair weft” and “hair extension” are generally considered to be interchangeable in the art, the use of either term throughout this description is also considered to be interchangeable.
In addition to the container 302, hair weft 100, and double-sided tape 200a, the hair extension kit 300 may include instructions for assembling and installing the hair extensions. The instructions may be in the form of a computer readable medium 304a and/or printed material 304b. The computer readable medium 304a may be in the form of a compact disk or digital video disk (DVD), for example. Alternatively, instructions may be located on a network, such as the Internet. The instructions may be in the form of text, illustrations, photographs, and/or video, that teaches a user how to assemble and install a hair extension on him or herself or on someone else.
Additionally, a remover solution 306 may be included in the hair extension kit 300. The remover solution 306 may include a solvent, such as an alcohol-based liquid or other form, that is capable of dissolving, diluting, or disintegrating the adhesive to cause the double-sided film of the double-sided tape 200a so that the user may remove the hair extensions. Alternatively, the remover solution 306 may be citrus-based. The remover solution 306 may be contained in a spray bottle to allow a user to simply spray the solvent onto the double-sided adhesive film to make it easy for a user to remove the hair extensions. It should be understood that any other type of container as understood in the art may be utilized to contain the remover solution 306. In one embodiment, the remover solution 306 produces or leaves minimal or no residue on a user's hair to allow a user to remove one hair extension and install another without having to wash or otherwise clean the hair. However, other remover solution that leaves more residue, but is capable of removing the double-sided adhesive film than is optimal, may alternatively be provided.
In one embodiment of the hair extension kit 300, the hair weft 100 may be provided in a see-through bag (not shown) or otherwise so that the user may view the color of the hair weft 100 prior to opening, thereby making it easy for a seller or manufacturer of the hair extension kit 300 to allow for returns of the hair extension kit 300 in the event that the color of the hair weft 100 is not appropriate. In another embodiment, the hair extension kit 300 may be supplied with additional, smaller hair wefts 308a, 308b and 308c (collectively 308), where one is the color of the hair weft 100 and the other two are the two nearest colors to the hair weft 100. The user of the hair extension kit 300 may use these hair wefts 308 to determine if the color of the hair weft 100 is correct or if one of the colors of the other hair wefts 308 is more appropriate. If one of the other colors is more appropriate, the user may return the hair extension kit 300 without having to touch or potentially damage the hair weft 100. By supplying these additional colors, purchasers from retailers, distributors, or other distribution channels, such as an infomercial or Internet based seller, may be made confident that the appropriate hair color can be determined without having seen an actual hair weft and with more certainty, and that exchanges can be made with minimal inconvenience. Furthermore, the additional hair wefts 308 may be used as a marketing tool as users can provide those wefts to other potential purchasers of the hair extension kit 300. To allow a user to use the smaller hair wefts 308, small strips of double-sided tape may be provided in the hair extension kit 300. If one or more of the smaller hair wefts 308 are provided separately, small pieces of double-sided tape may be provided or, alternatively, pre-adhered to the smaller hair wefts 308 to make it easier for a user to apply.
Still yet, a hair extension re-supply kit (not shown) may also be assembled to include additional hair wefts 100 and double-sided tape 200a to allow users who have remaining remover solution, but hair extensions that are either worn out or desire different color hair extensions, to purchase just the components that they need. It should be understood that other combinations of components and other kits may be arranged to provide a complete hair extension system that allows for sellers to more easily sell the product and consumers to more easily identify their product needs. For example, a highlight kit (not shown) may be provided to include certain color hair wefts that complement or otherwise operate as highlights for certain color hair wefts provided in a hair extension kit 300. If, for example, a hair extension kit is purchased with brown hair, light brown and blonde hair may be provided in a highlight kit. Alternatively, the highlight kit may be provided where the colors that do not compliment the user's hair or are not meant to be utilized with hair wefts of a particular hair extension kit 300. For example, the highlight kit may include green, blue, or other colors for a user to use for fun or for special events (e.g., Halloween). The highlight kit may also provide double-sided tape of a size sufficient to be used for a certain number of wearings of the highlight hair wefts. Additionally, the highlight kit may provide one or more of each color of hair wefts (i.e., either a full hair weft or pre-cut hair wefts) to make it easier for the user to prepare for assembly and installation of the highlight hair wefts.
In addition to the various kits that may be provided, other accessories may be used to accomplish the installation process more easily. Such accessories may include a comb, such as a rat-tail comb as understood in the art, hair clips, and scissors. These accessories may be bundled in a hair extension accessory kit (not shown), provided in the hair extension kit 300, or be the responsibility of the user to acquire independent of the hair extension kit 300. Another accessory that makes installation of the hair extensions easier is a double mirror (not shown), where two mirrors are configured to enable a user to look into one mirror and see the rear of his or her head in the other mirror. Alternatively, a mirror with a clamp and an extendable arm that can be mounted near any other stationary mirror in order to enable the user to see the rear of his or her head in the stationary mirror may be provided. Either mirror may also be included in the hair extension kit 300 or in an accessory kit available for users to purchase with one or more of the other accessories.
The process 400 continues at step 410, where double-sided tape is cut to fit the measured hair weft. In cutting the double-sided tape, the cut tape may be approximately the height of the base of the hair weft or slightly longer (e.g., one-half inch) so that the cut double-sided tape does not materially interfere with the natural hair. In fitting the measured hair weft, the double-sided tape may be cut into a single or multiple segments and the height of the cut double-sided tape may be, in one embodiment, substantially the same or longer then the height of the base (see,
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To make the user's hair appear to be fuller and layered, the process 700 may be repeating one or more times above each of the hair wefts previously adhered to the user's hair. In one embodiment, the bases of each successive hair extension may be spaced approximately one-half inch or more apart. If the hair wefts are not applied to the user's hair horizontally, the successive hair wefts may be adhered on the side of the base of the previously applied hair wefts. While it may be easier to apply the hair wefts in an orderly manner, it should be understood that the hair wefts may be place in any orientation with respect to one another.
It should be understood that the particular embodiments shown in the drawings and described within this specification are for purposes of example and should not be construed to limit the invention, which will be described in the claims below. Further, it is evident that those skilled in the art may now make numerous uses and modifications of the specific embodiments described without departing from the inventive concepts. It is also evident that the methods recited may in many instances be performed in a different order; or equivalent structures and processes may be substituted for the various structures and processes described. Consequently, the invention is to be construed as embracing each and every novel feature and novel combination of features present in and/or possessed by the principles of the present invention herein described.
Claims
1. A method for preparing a hair weft to apply to hair of a user, said method comprising:
- determining a length of hair weft to produce;
- measuring the length on a hair weft longer than the hair weft to produce;
- cutting a base of the longer hair weft to produce a hair weft having the measured length;
- cutting a double-sided tape to be utilized with the measured hair weft, the double-sided tape composed of a double-sided adhesive film and non-adhesive backing adhered to each adhesive side;
- peeling a non-adhesive backing from the double-sided adhesive film to expose the double-sided adhesive film; and
- adhering the exposed cut double-sided adhesive film to the base of the measured hair weft.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive film adhered to the base of the measured hair weft is configured to extend beyond one of the edges of the base of the measured hair weft.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said cutting of the double-sided tape is performed on a double-sided tape having a height longer than the height of the base of the hair weft and produces a double-sided tape with a height approximately the same or longer than the height of the base of the measured hair weft.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said cutting of the double-sided tape is cut with a length substantially the same as the length of the measured hair weft.
5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
- peeling the second non-adhesive backing from the double-sided adhesive film to expose the double-sided adhesive film; and
- adhering a clip to the double-sided adhesive film.
6. A method for applying hair extensions, said method comprising:
- forming a part in a user's hair;
- positioning a hair weft along the formed part, the hair weft having a base with a first edge and second edge and further including a double-sided adhesive film directly adhered thereto absent any other fastener, said positioning including positioning the first edge of the base at or on one side of the formed part; and
- adhering the double-sided adhesive film to the hair at or on one side of the part.
7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising repeating said forming, positioning, and adhering one or more times.
8. The method according to claim 6, wherein each of said forming is performed approximately one-half inch apart from a previously adhered hair weft.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 25, 2006
Publication Date: Aug 3, 2006
Inventors: Christopher Gill (Dallas, TX), Amberly Morgan (Dallas, TX)
Application Number: 11/339,315
International Classification: A41G 3/00 (20060101);