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Have any of you ever gotten your hair permed? How did it turn out? Any advice for someone thinking about perming his hair?
If you are thinking of a perm do it but be reminded with the damage to your hair you may have to cut it short as it wears off because of the damage it may cause. I got one 15 years ago when my hair was a little shorter than my avatar and I had to cut the perm ed hair off because of the damage
Damage damage damage. All rubbish really. Unless your hair is damaged in the first place and/or you have put a chemical in your hair which will conflict, a perm/colour etc will not damage your hair.
When going to a salon they should ask various questions to know whether to go through with a service or not. That is why they have record cards, to look back on what clients have had done previously.
Just remember, perm is short for permanent waving. If you don't want it curly all of the time, just get a curler!
Don't be scared of damage. 99.9% of the people I know who have had perms were fine.
I think people tend to get paranoid about their hair. It's not some museum relic. You should make it the way you want it. If that means flatironing it, or dying it, or perming it, DO IT!!! For crying out loud, hair grows back, and you might as well have it the way YOU want it rather then treating it like antique lace just because "that's the safest way to do it".
I agree, the hair is dead once it leaves the scalp, I have been watching this board for years, everyone thinks hair is alive and needs all this tener care....its BS really. Hair needs to be washed, gross if you don't, hair needs to be cut, never grows the same. HAIR GROWS.
I have had perms for years, my hair is in better condition then most of the pics I see on here. Conditioning is all that is needed for hair of any type.
Life is short, don't waste it being afraid of somethng that grows back. But a perm is a big change, try setting on perm rods (in a salon) to see what it looks like and if its what you want.
Cheers
Paul
While I've never had a perm myself, I've read a lot about hair, including perms. One thing that's clear is that there is an amazing variety of different hair type, and also hair can be more or less healthy. There certainly are people who have the kind of hair so they can get perms with little or no damage. However, other people have hair which is very difficult to perm without damage. Regardless of the kind of hair you have, there can be damage if the perm is not done carefully.
What I just wrote is for "virgin" hair. If your hair has already been permed or colored, a perm will almost certainly cause some damage.
The chemical process does permanently change the hair which is permed. Chemical bonds are broken and reformed in the new shape, with some percentage of the bonds not reforming (which weakens the hair, but might not be noticeable if the hair starts out stong.) A perm may loosen some, but the hair won't go back to normal. Most people who get perms are not long hairs, so it's not such a big deal, since the permed hair will get cut off as they maintain their length. But it's probably not a good idea to perm hair which you plan to keep for a long time.
The gentlest way to get curly hair is to set it in curlers or rollers, and if you use heat with them, also use a product for heat protection.
I've also had my hair permed on a number of occasions and have really loved the result - of course I have absolutely straight hair and have always wanted some real curls. Got some advise for you.
Go to a good salon and a person who knows what they are doing - there are many different types of perm formulas and you need to get the right type for your hair and the one that will give you the result you want. Don't let your girlfriend do it no matter what - you need somebody experienced to pick the right formula and then roll your hair on the right size rollers for the look you want.
So have a pretty good idea of look you want - you can go from a fro to just light waves for body. If you have a picture that is always good. Once early on I made a mistake and wasn't very specific about the look - it was a disaster for a while but then hair does grow out and I did finally get what I wanted.
Follow the stylist's aftercare instructions carefully especially about not washing your hair for a few days - this will keep the curl from loosening and give the hair time to stabilize.
Often, the stylist will want to style your hair after the perm. My advise would be to have them dry it without any real styling. Just let it go as natural as possible at the salon and when you get home - in fact that's way I always liked my hair after I had it permed - just combed to get any tangles out and tossled as it dryed.
One last thing, perms do tend to lossen up over time and the curl relax some so if it is a little more curly than you wanted it will get better in a few days
One of the things I really liked about a perm is that it gave me lots of volume which with straight and fine hair was a great plus.
So go for it and post some before and after pics when you have it done.
And then enjoy it
Charlie
I have had many a perm in my lifetime, before I began caring for it and growing it out. My advice is *do not perm*. Even with the new acid perms that are fairly gentle, perms alter the hair until it is cut out, and not for the better. They cause the hair to be porous, often dull, and sometimes do worse damage, causing breakage and split ends.
Then there's the growing out aspect. That curly hair will stay curly, or at least wavy, and then you have straight hair growing in. It's not the best look.
Again I say please don't do it.
Back in the late 80's, early 90's when the metal look was still in I had long hair and soft permed it. After having it done I wish I hadn't. It definitely messes with your hair, no matter what the product claims. I'm starting to grow my hair long, again, from a buzz, and I've already decided no perms or hair coloring for me ever again.
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Splat
Thanks for all your advice guys. I'm going to make a salon appointment, and I'll post back to let you all know how it turned out.