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My hair is about 18 inches long now and very straight. My wife wants to give me a perm for body and a little curl. I have always heard that perms can be very damaging. My wife has experimented with curling my hair and I like the look, but I can't see me wearing curlers to bed every night to keep the look.
Any suggestions.
A perm can cause the hair to become very dry.
If you already have damaged or hair prone to dryness, then you should use a softer perm lotion.
Alkaline perm lotion is less damaging than acid.
You don't have to wear curlers to bed every night either, actually you don't have to at all. Your hair would look abit stupid if you did :P
Many longhairs in the past have experimented with colour and perms etc. and had less than desireable results. We've read many a story of bad experiences ending with "I had to cut it all off" That's not to say you will have a bad experience with a perm but I would caution you to think it over carefully and consider DaPs advice on perms. Myself I would not do it and I too wouldn't mind a bit of curl to make my hair look more lively.
Just a few words of caution good luck if you choose to do it.
Kevin
If you are going to try a perm go to a PROFESSIONAL. A perm is no different then color or a special cut-it will need attention. More conditioning specially formulated for permed hair. You certainly don't have to set it every night unless that's the look you are going for. A set once a week or for special occasions will help keep the body and curl alive-. The failure most men have with perms or color is that we don't have the patience to take care of it- we want a no bother look. If a professional does it and you keep it conditioned you should have no problems. Good luck-It's a good look- I've had several.
Braid your hair while it is wet from shampooing it, then let it completely dry in the braid. Then take it out. The effect is quite nice.
I've been wondering what would happen if I permed my hair while in a braid.
Short answer is no perms. Some say they can be done to minimize damage, but the key word here is minimize.
clayton
Hey - I've had my hair permed several times over the years - I have very straight hair and like to have some curls and waves.
Yes if done wrong perms can damage hair - that's why I always had mine done by a professional at a good salon. The other reason is that they do perms frequently and can select the correct perm product for your hair texture and minimize any damage. The other reason is that a professional will know how to roll your hairon the right size rollers and in a pattern that will best suit you and what you want.
As to damage, if you follow their instructions - no washing for three day and then condition with a good conditioner any minor damage will be gone in a few days.
Sometimes I think folks here kinda knee-jerk when it comes to coloring and perming but we live in a free country so they can.
Anyway I always loved having some curls - I could do a lot more with it and my ponytail looked great with waves in it.
Enjoy and post some pics if you get it done.
Charlie
The problem with perms is that they definitely can damage hair, and there are many variables that determine the result, including the kind of hair you have, what condition it's in, how it's wrapped in the curlers, the kind of perm solution used, and how long it is left in your hair. If these are not all properly considered, at one extreme the perm may not "take", and at the other extreme you can get damaged hair. While a perm may come out fine, it has a much greater chance of damaging your hair if not done right than other things. If you don't feel strongly about getting a perm, I'd suggest skipping it. Instead you could try the suggestion of braiding the wet hair, or set your hair using something like hot rollers or steam rollers that don't need to stay in very long. If you want to try a perm, I'd suggest going to a really good salon, where you're more likely to find someone with a lot of experience and skill giving perms.
Here is the straight hair:
Nice hair. I think you should try the perm. If you don't do it often you shouldn't have any problem. Nice that your wife likes to experimdent with curling your hair. Nice to have some style variety. Hope you will post pics of your perm (if you get one) and other times when your wife curls your hair. A little larger pics would be nice also. Best of luck!
Terry
I share your hesitation about perms -- I just don't like what they do to your hair, plus I like the flexibility of curling or not curling my hair on a given day.
Sleeping in curlers (the soft foam kind) is not so bad, once you get used to it -- I did it it all through high school (for the drill team) and occasionally these days when wifey wants me in tight curls for the weekend. That said, there are plenty of other ways to achieve a curled hairdo: hot rollers, steam rollers, regular salon sets (which I happen to enjoy), or a quick set on velcro rollers in the morning. Here's how to do the latter: set your hair (or have your wife set it) on velcro rollers before showering. Take a steamy 10-min. shower without wetting your rollers. After you're out, use a diffuser on your blow-dryer and dry each roller for 10-12 secs. Then do each one again with the air flowing through the roller inside of on top of it. Let the rollers cool, spray if you want more hold through the day, take them down and finger-fluff them out.
My wife does my hair this way almost every morning and it takes about 10 mins. max.