| abstract |
What is described herein is a fine particulate, crosslinked cationic microgel which is capable of adsorbing up to 200 times its dry gel weight of water, and which has a viscosity of 5870 cps in water at a pH of 2.8 adjusted with a divalent or trivalent acid, at a copolymer concentration of about 1 %. The microgel includes, by weigth, about 5-95 %, preferably 50 % of a water soluble monomer which is vinyl pyrrolidone (VP), and about 5-95 %, preferably 50 %, of a water soluble cationic monomer which is 3-dimethylaminopropyl-(meth)acrylamide (DMAPMA) and a low crosslinker content, e.g. about 0.2 %. The copolymers are made by a solution polymerization process from a mixture of VP and DMAPMA, crosslinker, solvent and initiator. The invention also describes hair care composition which include, by weight, about 0.01-5 % of such microgel polymers, and water, at a low pH, which exhibit conditioning and styling of the microgel copolymer and water. In shampoo formulations, optionally an anionic surfactant is included. |