now it has been found that alkoxylated taurate copolymers when incorporated with hydrogen peroxide in a developer formula used with an oxidation dye precursor compound can achieve improved stability thereby enhancing hair coloration . alkoxylated taurate copolymers can at least partially be of anionic , nonionic or cationic charge . they may be crosslinked or non - crosslinked . the copolymer will include monomer units of 2 - acrylamido - 2 - methylpropanesulphonic acid copolymerized either randomly or in block with a vinyl monomer . the taurate representing a polymerized unit of 2 - acrylamido - 2 - methylpropanesulphonic acid may be neutralized from 0 to 100 %, preferably from about 50 to about 90 % and optimally from about 85 to about 99 % of the available acid groups . most preferred are hydrophobically modified copolymers of acrylamidopropane sulphonic acid or salt and methacrylate esters of ethoxylated or propoxylated fatty alcohols . representative of the preferred alkoxylated taurate copolymers are those having the structure i . wherein x is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , alkali metal , alkaline earth metal , ammonium , c 1 - c 20 alkyl ammonium and combinations thereof ; x and y may each range from 5 to 200 ; m may range from 12 to 24 ; and n may range from 5 to 50 . particularly preferred as the alkoxylated taurate copolymer is the material known by its ctfa name as ammonium acryloyldi methyltaurates / beheneth - 25 methacrylate copolymer , commercially available from clariant corporation as aristoflex ® hmb . amounts of the alkoxylated taurate copolymer may range from about 0 . 01 to about 100 %, preferably from about 0 . 01 to about 5 %, optimally from about 0 . 2 to about 2 % by weight of the composition . a source of hydrogen peroxide will be incorporated in the developer formula . most suitable is aqueous hydrogen peroxide but precursors that can generate hydrogen peroxide may also be employed . the precursors include urea peroxide , sodium perborate , sodium percarbonate , calcium peroxide and sodium peroxide . the concentration of hydrogen peroxide may range from about 1 % to about 50 %, preferably from about 3 % to about 30 %, optimally from about 8 % to about 20 % by weight of the composition . a cosmetically acceptable carrier will be utilized with the developer 1 0 formula . suitable cosmetic carriers include water , alcohols , hydrocarbons and combinations thereof . suitable alcohols include the c 1 - c 4 lower alcohols and the c 2 - c 40 polyols such as propylene glycol , polyethylene glycol , glycerine and combinations thereof . hydrocarbons may include c 8 - c 30 isoparaffins , c 3 - c 7 hydrocarbons , polyalphaolefins and mixtures thereof . amounts of the carrier may range from about 100 % to about 99 . 9 %, preferably from about 80 % to about 99 %, optimally from about 90 % to about 95 % by weight of the developer formula . normally the developer will have a low ph ranging from about 2 to about 6 , preferably from 2 . 5 to 3 . 5 . buffering agents may often be employed within the developer to maintain a desired ph level . amounts of the buffering agents may from range from about 0 . 001 to about 2 %, preferably from about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 1 % by weight of the developer formula . phosphoric , hydrochloric , sulphonic and c 2 - c 30 carboxylic acids and their salts are useful as buffering agents . illustrative examples agents include tartaric acid , citric acid , acetic acid , lactic acid , ammonium sulphate , sodium dihydrogen phosphate / phosphoric acid , potassium chloride / hydrochloric acid , potassium dihydrogen phthalate / hydrochloric acid , sodium citrate / hydrochloric acid , potassium dihydrogen citrate / hydrochloric acid , sodium tartarate / tartaric acid , sodium lactate / lactic acid , sodium acetate / acetic acid , disodium hydrogen phosphate / citric acid and sodium chloride / glycine / hydrochloric acid and mixtures thereof . most preferred is phosphoric acid . surfactants may be present in the developer formula at levels from about 0 . 01 to about 20 %, preferably the level of surfactant is minimized . in a preferred embodiment , the amount of surfactant may be less than 5 %, preferably less than 1 %, and more preferably less than 0 . 1 % by weight of the developer formula . the colorant formula according to the present invention may contain dye and coupler materials forming an oxidation dye precursor . colors are produced by the reaction of the oxidation dye precursor with the oxidizing agent , such as hydrogen peroxide . suitable dye materials ( sometimes referred to as developer compounds ) include 1 , 4 - diamino - benzene ( p - phenylenediamine ); 1 , 4 - diamino - 2 - methyl - benzene ( p - toluylenediamine ); 1 , 4 - diamino - 2 , 6 - dimethyl - benzene ; 1 , 4 - diamino - 3 , 5 - diethyl - benzene ; 1 , 4 - diamino - 2 , 5 - dimethyl - benzene ; 1 , 4 - diamino - 2 , 3 - dimethylbenzene ; 2 - chloro - 1 , 4 - diaminobenzene ; 1 , 4 - diamino - 2 -( thiophen - 2 - yl ) benzene ; 1 , 4 - diamino - 2 -( thiophen - 3 - yl ) benzene ; 1 , 4diamino - 2 -( pyridin - 3 - yl ) benzene ; 2 , 5 - diaminobiphenyl ; 1 , 4 - diamino - 2 - methoxymethyl - benzene ; 1 , 4 - diamino - 2 - aminomethylbenzene ; 1 , 4 - diamino - 2 - hydroxymethyl - benzene ; 1 , 4 - diamino - 2 -( 2 - hydroxyethoxy ) benzene ; 2 -( 2 -( acetylamino ) ethoxy )- 1 , 4 - diaminobenzene ; 4 - phenylamino - aniline ; 4 - dimethylamino - aniline ; 4 - diethylamino - aniline ; 4 - dipropylamino - aniline ; 4 [ ethyl ( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amino ]- aniline ; 4 -[ di ( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amino ]- aniline ; 4 -[ di ( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amino ]- 2 - methyl - aniline ; 4 -[( 2 - methoxyethyl ) amino ]- aniline ; 4 -[( 3 - hydroxyropyl ) amino ]- aniline ; 4 -[( 2 , 3 - dihydroxypropyl ) amino - aniline ; 1 , 4 - diamino - 2 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl )- benzene ; 1 , 4 - diamino - 2 -( 1 - methylethyl )- benzene ; 1 , 3 - bis [( 4 - aminophenyl )( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amino ]- 2 - propanol ; 1 , 4bis [( 4 - aminophenyl ) amino ]- butane ; 1 , 8 - bis ( 2 , 5 - diaminophenoxy )- 3 , 6 - dioxaoctane ; 4 - amino - phenol ; 4 - amino - 3 - methyl - phenol ; 4 - amino - 3 -( hydroxymethyl )- phenol ; 4 - amino - 3 - fluoro - phenol ; 4methylamino - phenol ; 4 - amino - 2 -( aminomethyl )- phenol ; 4 - amino - 2 -( hydroxymethyl )- phenol ; 4 - amino - 2 - fluorophenol ; 4 - amino - 2 -[( 2 - hydroxyethyl )- amino ] methylphenol ; 4 - amino - 2 - methyl - phenol ; 4 - amino - 2 -( methoxymethyl )- phenol ; 4 - amino - 2 -( 2 - hydroxyethyl )- phenol ; 5 - amino - salicylic acid ; 25 - diamino - pyridine ; 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 - tetraamino - pyrimidine ; 2 , 5 , 6 - diamino - 4 ( 1h )- pyrimidone ; 4 , 5 - diamino - 1 - 1 ( 2 - hydroxyethyl )- 1h - pyrazole ; 4 , 5 - diamino - 1 -( 1 - methylethyl )- 1h - pyrazole ; 4 , 5 - diamino - 1 -[( 4 - methylphenyl ) methyl ]- 1h - pyrazole ; 1 -[( 4 - chlorophenyl ) methyl ]- 4 , 5 - diamino - 1h - pyrazole ; 4 , 5 - diamino - 1 - methyl - 1h - pyrazole ; 2 - aminophenol ; 2 - amino - 6 - methyl phenol and 2 - amino - 5 - methylphenol . the dye materials may be used individually or together with each other in a mixture . suitable coupler materials include n -( 3 - dimethylamino - phenyl )- urea , 2 , 6 - diamino - pyridine ; 2 - amino - 4 -[( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amino ] anisole ; 2 , 4 - diamino - 1 , 4 - fluoro - 5 - methylbenzene ; 2 , 4 - diamino - 1 - methoxy - 5 - methylbenzene 2 , 4 - diamino - 1 - ethoxy - 5 - methyl - benzene ; 2 , 4 - diamino - 1 -( 2 - hydroxyethoxy )- 5 - methylbenzene ; 2 , 4 - di [( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amino ]- 1 , 5 - dimethoxybenzene ; 2 , 3 - diamino - 6 - methoxy - pyridine ; 3 - amino - 6 - methoxy - 2 -( methylamino ) pyridine ; 2 , 6 - diamino - 3 , 5 - dimethoxypyridine ; 3 , 5 - diamino - 2 , 6 - dimethoxy - pyridine ; 1 , 3 - diaminobenzene ; 2 , 4 - diamino - 1 -( 2 - hydroxyethoxy ) benzene ; 1 , 3 - diamino - 4 -( 2 , 3 - hydroxpropoxy ) benzene ; 2 , 4 - diamino - 1 , 5 - di [( 2 - hydroxyethoxy )- benzene ; 1 -( 2 - aminoethoxy )- 2 , 4 - diaminobenzene ; 2 - amino - 1 -( 2 - hydroxyethoxy )- 4 - methylaminobenzene ; 2 , 4 - diaminophenoxyacetic acid ester ; 3 -[ di ( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) aminolaniline ; 4 - amino - 2 - di [( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amino ]- 1 - ethoxy - benzene ; 5 - methyl - 2 -( 1 - methyethyl ) phenol ; 3 -[( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amino ] aniline ; 3 -[( 2 - aminoethyl ) amino ] aniline ; 1 , 3 - di ( 2 , 4 - diaminophenoxy ) propane ; di ( 2 , 4 - diaminophenoxy ) methane ; 1 , 3 - diamino - 2 , 4 - dimethoxybenzene ; 2 , 6 - bis ( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) aminotoluene ; 4 - hydroxyindole ; 3 - dimethylaminophenol ; 3 - diethylaminophenol ; 5 - amino - 2 - methylphenol ; 5 - aminofluoro - 2 - methyl - phenol ; 5 - amino - 4 - methoxy - 2 - methylphenol ; 5 - amino4 - ethoxy - 2 - methylphenol ; 3 - amino - 2 , 4 - dichlorophenol ; 5 - amino - 2 , 4 - dichlorophenol ; 3 - amino - 2 - methyl - phenol ; 3 - amino - 2 - chloro - 6 - methylphenol ; 3 - aminophenol ; 2 -[( 3 - hydroxyphenol )- amino ] acetamide ; 5 -[( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amino ]- 4 - methoxy - 2 - methyl phenol ; 5 -[( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amino ]- 2 - methylphenol ; 3 -[( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amino ]- phenol ; 3 -[( 2 - methoxyethyl ) amino ]- phenol ; 5 - amino - 2 - ethyl - phenol ; 5 - amino - 2 - methoxyphenol ; 2 -( 4 - amino - 2 - hydroxyphenoxy ) ethanol ; 5 -[( 3 - hydroxypropyl ) amino ]- 2 - methylphenol ; 3 -[( 2 , 3 - dihydroxypropyl ) amino ]- 2 - methylphenol ; 3 -[( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amino ]- 2methylphenol ; 2 - amino - 3 - hydroxypyridine ; 5 - amino - 4 - chloro - 2 - methylphenol ; 1 - naphthol ; 2 - methyl - 1 - naphthol ; 1 , 5 - dihydroxynaphthalene ; 1 , 7 - dihydroxy - naphthalene ; 2 , 3 - dihydroxynaphthalene ; 2 , 7 - dihydroxy - naphthalene ; 2 - methyl - 1 - naphthol - acetate ; 1 , 3 - dihydroxybenzene ; 1 - chloro - 2 , 4 - dihydroxy - benzene ; 2 - chloro - 1 , 3 - dihydroxybenzene ; 1 , 2 - dichloro - 2 , 4 - dihydroxy - 4 - methylbenzene ; 1 , 5 - dichloro - 2 , 4 - dihydroxy - benzene ; 1 , 3 - dihydroxy - 2 - ethyl - benzene ; 3 , 4 - methylenedioxy - phenol ; 3 , 4 - methylenedioxy - aniline ; 6 - bromo - 1 - hydroxy - 3 , 4methylenedioxybenzene ; 3 , 4 - diaminobenzoic acid ; 3 , 4 - dihydroxy - 6 - hydroxy - 1 , 4 ( 2h ) benzoxazine ; 6 - amino - 3 , 4 - dihydro - 1 , 4 ( 2 h )- benzoxazine ; 3 - methyl - 1 - phenyl - 5 - pyrazolone ; 5 , 6 - dihydroxyindole ; 5 , 6 - dihydroxyindolene ; 5 - hydroxyindole ; 6 - hydroxyindole ; 7 - hydroxyindole and 2 , 4 - indolendione . the suitable coupler materials can be used individually , or together with each other in a mixture . the oxidation dye precursor may be present in amounts from about 0 . 01 to about 10 %, preferably from about 0 . 2 to about 6 % by weight of the combined composition . the colorant formula may contain one or more alkalizing agents present in an amount from about 0 . 5 to 5 % by weight of the combined composition . the term “ alkalizing agent ” means an ingredient that is capable of imparting alkalinity ( e . g . a ph of greater than 7 ) to the colorant formula . suitable alkalizing agents include ammonium and metal hydroxides , alkanolamines , sodium silicates , ammonium and metal carbonates , sodium metasilicates , and mixtures thereof . examples of metal hydroxides are sodium , potassium , lithium , calcium and magnesium hydroxide . a particularly preferred alkaline earth metal hydroxide is sodium hydroxide . alkanolamines include mono -, di -, and trialkanolamines such as monoethanolamine ( mea ), diethanolamine ( dea ), triethanolamine ( tea ), 2 - aminobutanol , aminoethyl propanediol , aminomethyl propanediol , bis - hydroxyethyltromethamine , diethyl ethanolamine , diisopropanolamine , dimethylamino methyl propanol , dimethyl mea , isopropanolamine , methylethanolamine , mixed isopropanolamines , triisopropanolamine , tromethamine , and mixtures the colorant formula may contain one or more fatty acids , and if so suggested ranges are about 0 . 001 - 15 %, preferably 0 . 005 - 10 %, most preferably 0 . 01 - 8 % by weight of the total composition . if fatty acids are present they will react with the alkalizing agent to form soap in situ , which provides a more shampoo - like character to the aqueous hair color composition once it is applied to hair . suitable fatty acids include oleic acid , stearic acid , myristic acid , and linoleic acid . particularly preferred is oleic acid . the colorant formula may comprise one or more conditioners that exert a conditioning effect on hair . a variety of conditioners are suitable including cationic polymers , oily conditioning agents , silicones , fatty alcohols , proteins , and mixtures thereof . a combined total weight of conditioners may range from about 0 . 1 to about 25 %, preferably 0 . 5 to 20 %, more preferably 1 to 15 % by weight of the combined composition . illustrative cationic polymers are quaternary derivatives of cellulose ethers or guar derivatives , copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone , polymers of dimethyldiallyl ammonium chloride , acrylic or methacrylic polymers and quaternary ammonium polymers . examples of quaternary derivatives of cellulose ethers are polymers sold under the trademark jr - 125 , jr - 400 and jr - 30m . suitable guar derivatives include guar hydroxypropyl trimonium chloride . oily conditioning agents are liquid at room temperature and may comprise esters and hydrocarbons . examples include sunflowerseed oil , soybean oil , c 11 - 13 isoparafin and mineral oil . amounts may range from about 0 . 001 to about 20 %, preferably from 0 . 005 to 5 %, more preferably from 0 . 01 to 100 % by weight of the combined composition . silicone hair conditioning agents include volatile or nonvolatile nonionic silicone fluids , silicone resins , and silicone semi - solids or solids . volatile silicones are linear or cyclic silicones having a measurable vapor pressure , which is defined as a vapor pressure of at least 2 mm at 20 ° c . examples include cyclomethicones such as sold by dow corning under the dc 245 , dc 244 and dc 344 designations . nonvolatile silicones may also be utilized . these can include polyalkyl siloxanes , polyaryl siloxanes , polyalkyl aryl siloxanes , polyether siloxane copolymers , amine - functional silicones and mixtures thereof . amounts of the silicone may range from about 0 . 001 to about 20 %, preferably from about 0 . 005 to about 5 , more preferably from about 0 . 01 to 4 % by weight of the combined composition . the colorant formula may comprise one or more surfactants that assist in maintaining the emulsion form and aid in the foaming capability of the composition . suitable surfactants include anionic , nonionic and amphoteric surfactants . amounts of the nonionic surfactant may range from about 0 . 01 to about 20 %, preferably from about 0 . 05 to 10 %, more preferably from about 0 . 1 to 5 % by weight of the total combined composition . suitable nonionic surfactants include alkoxylated alcohols or ethers , alkoxylated carboxylic acids , sorbitan derivatives . examples include steareth - 21 , oleth - 20 , polysorbate and sorbitan oleate . if desired the colorant formula may contain one or more anionic surfactants . amounts may range about 0 . 1 to about 25 %, preferably from 0 . 5 to 20 %, more preferably from 1 to 15 % by weight of the total combined composition . suitable anionic surfactants include alkyl and alkyl ether sulfates generally having the formula roso 3 m and ro ( c 2 h 4 o ) x so 3 m wherein r is alkyl or alkenyl of from about 10 to 20 carbon atoms , x is 1 to about 10 and m is a water soluble cation such as ammonium , sodium , potassium , or triethanolamine cation . it may be desirable to include one or more solvents in the colorant formula . solvents assist in solubilizing the dye precursors in addition to other ingredients in the composition . the solvent when present may range from about 0 . 01 to 20 %, preferably from 0 . 05 to 10 %, more preferably from 0 . 1 to 6 % by weight of the total combined composition . suitable solvents include c 2 - 4 alkanols such as ethanol , isopropanol , and alkoxydiglycols such as ethoxydiglycol . the colorant formula may contain one or more chelating agents that are capable of chelating the metal ions found in water . if water contains too many extraneous metal ions they can interfere with the coloration process . amounts of the chelating agent may range from about 0 . 001 to about 5 %, preferably from about 0 . 005 to 4 %, more preferably from 0 . 01 to 2 % by weight of the total combined composition . preferred chelating agents are edta , hedta , and sodium or potassium salts thereof . the term “ comprising ” is meant not to be limiting to any subsequently stated elements but rather to encompass non - specified elements of major or minor functional importance . in other words the listed steps , elements or options need not be exhaustive . whenever the words “ including ” or “ having ” are used , these terms are meant to be equivalent to “ comprising ” as defined above . except in the operating and comparative examples , or where otherwise explicitly indicated , all numbers in this description indicating amounts of material ought to be understood as modified by the word “ about ”. the following examples will more fully illustrate the embodiments of this invention . all parts , percentages and proportions referred to herein and in the appended claims are by weight unless otherwise illustrated . representative of the present invention are the following colorant and developer formulas illustrated in tables i and ii . table i colorant formula component weight % oleic acid 6 . 00 c12 - 15 pareth - 9 1 . 00 c12 - 15 pareth - 3 2 . 00 peg - 2 soyamine 4 . 00 propylene glycol 7 . 00 isopropanol 13 . 00 edta 0 . 10 sodium sulfite 0 . 80 sodium isoascorbate 0 . 15 p - aminophenol 0 . 75 p - amino - o - cresol 0 . 80 nh 4 oh ( 28 % active ) 6 . 00 water to 100 [ 0055 ] table ii developer formula component weight % aristoflex ® hmb 0 . 80 hydrogen peroxide ( 50 % active ) 12 . 00 phosphoric acid ( 85 % active ) 0 . 05 citric acid ( 50 % active ) 0 . 10 water to 100 another example of the present invention are the colorant and developer formulas outlined under table iii and iv . table iii colorant formula component weight % sodium lauryl ether sulphate ( 28 % active ) 3 . 00 2 , 5 - diaminotoluene sulphate 2 . 80 resorcinol 1 . 00 m - aminophenol 0 . 40 2 - amino - 4 -( 2 - hydroxyethanolamino ) anisole sulphate 0 . 20 ascorbic acid 0 . 30 edta 0 . 10 ammonia ( 25 % active in water ) 12 . 20 ethanol 2 . 00 water to 100 [ 0057 ] table iv developer formula component weight % cetearyl alcohol 10 . 00 aristoflex ® hmb 4 . 00 hydrogen peroxide ( 35 % active ) 17 . 00 perfume 0 . 30 water to 100 a still further illustration of formulas according to the present invention are the colorant and developer formulas illustrated in tables v and vi . table v colorant formula component weight % cocoamidopropyl betaine 5 . 00 ammonium carbonate 1 . 20 sodium citrate 0 . 40 stearalkonium chloride 2 . 00 p - phenylenediamine 0 . 50 resorcinol 0 . 20 edta 0 . 10 sodium sulfite 0 . 10 perfume 0 . 10 water to 100 [ 0059 ] table vi developer formula component weight % hydrogen peroxide 6 . 00 aristoflex ® hmb 1 . 00 edta 0 . 10 phosphoric acid 0 . 10 water to 100 this example illustrates the stability imparted by various copolymers to the developer formula . table vii demonstrates that aristoflexe hmb imparts an effective stability to a hydrogen peroxide system . by contrast , an acrylate / beheneth - 25 methacrylate copolymer ( evaluated on an identical solids basis ) separated after 3 weeks in an accelerated stability test . table vii sample component a b c aristofiex ® hmb 0 . 5 — — aculyn 28 * — 2 . 5 — aculyn 33 * — — 1 . 78 hydrogen peroxide 12 12 12 ( 50 % active ) phosphoric acid ( 85 % 0 . 05 0 . 05 0 . 05 active ) water to 100 to 100 to 100 citric acid ( 50 % adjust to ph 3 adjust to ph 3 adjust to ph 3 active ) stability at 45 ° c . stable separated after separated after 3 weeks 3 weeks
a method and composition is provided for coloring hair . the method includes applying and thereafter removing from the hair a composition which includes a colorant formula incorporating an oxidation dye precursor and a developer formula incorporating an alkoxylated taurate copolymer in combination with hydrogen peroxide . the colorant and developer formulas are applied to the hair separately or together in a relative weight ratio of 10 : 1 to 1 : 10 . particularly preferred alkoxylated taurate copolymers are hydrophobically modified copolymers of acrylamidopropane sulphonic acid or salt and methacrylate esters of ethoxylated or propoxylated fatty alcohols .