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Color-treated hair needs special attention during the perming process. Your stylist knows what your hair needs, but what do you do when you're getting a home perm? Some home perms cater to color-treated hair. You just have to know what kind of perm to pick and a few other tricks to keep your hair from chemical overload.
Pre-Perm Conditioner
A great product that you can use before any home perm is a pre-perm conditioner. This specialized liquid conditioner squirts on your hair before you put the perm rods in. During the perming process, it lies on the hair, protecting it from the harsh chemicals. Look for pre-perm conditioners at any beauty supply store.
Perm Selection
You can choose from several types and strengths of perms. The wrong one might be too harsh and send your hair packing without warning, apology or goodbye. To keep your hair healthy, choose a gentle perm. Acid-based perms are the gentlest on the market. You should also choose a perm specifically formulated for color-treated hair. And if you can find one with an added protein step between the processing solutin and the neutralizing solution, get it.
Timing
Most perms time for 20 minutes, but the solution can't stay that long on color-treated hair. Cut the processing time in half to 10 minutes for color-treated hair unless the perm instructions specifically tell you not to. Some perms will stop processing on their own, but you can't count on it unless the instructions say so.
Follow Up
After color and a perm, your hair will need some serious TLC. Perform weekly at-home conditioning treatments. Look for a repairing or intensive conditioner at the beauty supply store when you pick up the pre-perm conditioner. Get one formulated for double-processed hair and use it faithfully. Do a treatment once a week, leaving the conditioner on for at least 15 minutes at a time.
