Perms

The Best Curly Perm for African-American Hair

Ever since ancient Egypt, women have been striving for long-term curls. They would wrap their tresses around wooden sticks, cover it in mud and bake it under the sun. Lucky for you, today's solution is easier: Get a perm. The right curly perm can...

Step-by-Step Windmill Perm

A windmill perm, also known as a piggyback perm or helicopter perm, uses a special technique to curl hair that is 6 inches or longer. When you do a windmill perm, you use two perm rods on the same section of hair. However, instead of wrapping the...

What Is a Wash and Wear Perm?

You’re about to get big news: Every permanent wave on the planet can produce wash and wear hair -- why else would you subject your scalp to all those chemicals? Fact is, the idea of “wash and wear” anything is pure marketing hype...

What Do You Put on a Chemical Burn Caused by Hair Perm?

When you get a chemical perm, you expect to come out with a head full of curly locks or super-straight and sleek tresses, depending on the type of perm. What you don't expect to get out of the appointment is burned, yet because of the strength of...

The Best Brand of Perm

There’s no need to fear because better brands of perms are here. Gone are the bad perm days of the 1980s because chemists who care finally got it right. The best brands of perms today let you choose the kind of curl you want in a formula...

What Kind of Hair Dryer Is Better for African-American Dreadlocks?

You can't give dreaded hair the same care you give undreaded tresses -- and using a hair dryer is no exception. Dreadlocks need moisture to maintain their springy texture and hair dryers zap moisture. Let your locks dry gently when you've got to...

How to Tie Newly Rebonded Hair

It may sound fancy, but the process of rebonding hair is actually just a matter of permanently straightening it, using a chemical called ammonium thioglycolate. In the United States, the process is also called thermal reconditioning. Whatever you...

How to Get Rid of a Wave Nouveau Hairstyle

If you've achieved a wave nouveau hairstyle using the Wave Nouveau Coiffure line of products, then you know that it wasn't an easy road to get there. So -- hold your breath -- the facts are that it's not going to be an easy road getting out of...

What Is a Cold Wave Perm?

There's probably as many different hair terms as there are shoes in your closet, if not more. So it's only natural to get confused about all the different terminology. One technique that is used often in the beauty industry is the cold wave perm....

How Soon Can I Put a Perm in My Hair After Braids?

Braids and perms both do a number on your strands, leaving them with nicks and abrasions. Combining the two treatments in a small window is a definite don't: It can leave you with strand breakage, and your perm can take unevenly. Give your mane a...

The Best Home Perms

Forget the home perms from the 1980s that left your locks out of control and resulted in eternally embarrassing photos. Advances in technology have improved the way home perms work, so you can bring some life into your stick-straight hair. The...

How to Do Partial Perms

Skip the '80s frizz that full-on perms tend to leave behind and rock a partial perm instead. This process gives body, wave or texture to select strands, leaving the rest to hang naturally. You can DIY a partial perm, but the trick is predicting...

What Is an Air-Wave Perm?

Air-wave perms, also called "air perms" or "digital perms," are a special kind of permanent wave for your hair. Originally developed in Japan, these perms use a different kind of perm solution, plus heat, to curl or wave the...

Is It Safe to Perm My Hair After Using Hair Bond Remover?

The removal of hair bond may involve the use of chemicals and pliers. Seriously: Some stylists use pliers to crack the glue. Perming hair subjected to such treatment is not recommended. Before you decide to perm or not to perm, you must know what...

Helpful Perm Facts

Disulfide bonds in your hair's fibers form curls. The more you have, the curlier your hair will be. If you have straight hair, these chemical bonds are practically nil. This is where a perm comes in. A perm is a chemical process that breaks down...

What Is a Texture Perm?

Gals have been perming their tresses for decades, so using this process to change your hairstyle is no biggie. The modern perm is way better than it was when your grandma popped into the salon, though -- as cosmetologists and scientists have...

What Is a Perm Kit?

Perms are sometimes the best way for a gal to get long-lasting waves or curls in her tresses. Once you know perming is the way you want to go, you'll need a basic perm kit. These kits let you perm your hair for the first time, or touch up a...

What Materials Are Needed to Do a Spiral Perm?

Spiral perms are sometimes the best solution for gals who want a fairly permanent solution to volumeless tresses. These perms refer to the way the hair is wrapped around the rod, so they produce spiral-like results ranging from super tight curls...

Organic Chemicals for a Hair Perm

You may think chemicals and perms always go together. But you have alternatives that don't rely on harsh chemicals, and why damage your hair while you're trying to beautify it? An organic product might be right if you want to avoid the hassle or...

How to Tie Rope for a Hair Perm

Can you get a curly perm without perm rods? You bet! You can perm on just about anything, including household items such as nylon rope or even rags. The only material you can't use is metal -- metal items react negatively with perm solution. You...

How to Give Yourself a Body Wave Perm

Perms add volume, wave and texture permanently -- well, at least for three months. That's about as permanent as anything gets when it comes to hair. To get said texture, you could go to a salon and spend a hundred bucks or you could go the home...

What Type of Perm Is Best for People With Highly Resistant Hair?

Even though "resistant" may sound like a bad thing, it's actually a good thing. The more resistant your hair, the healthier it is. All resistant really means is that your cuticle -- the outer protective layer of your hair -- is closed...

The Best Lye Perms

Lye relaxers, also known as lye perms because of the way they work, are a fairly standard way for ladies to remove some wave or curl from their tresses. This helps women rock a sleeker look. Depending on your hair condition and type, though,...

What Is the Purpose of a Perm?

Perms: they aren’t just for grandmothers anymore. While the perms of the past were smelly and could generate so-so results, today’s perms are a way to build body or create loose waves or soft curls. If you need some extra oomph for...

The Best Spiral Perm Control Products

Celebs like Taylor Swift have brought the spiral curl back. Instead of being a relic of the ‘80s prom, today’s spiral curls are loose, flowy and romantic. What they shouldn’t be is frizzy or undefined. While a spiral perm will...

The Upkeep of a Hair Perm

The upkeep of a perm can mean the difference between a perm that stays gorgeous and a perm that falls flat. You leave the salon with a head full of sexy curls. Keep your mane looking and feeling soft and healthy with the right products and careful...

Can Women With Short Hair Get Perms?

Girls with all hair types can crave the curl, wanting that bounce and body that only curls can offer. If your hair is short, you can get a perm to pump up the volume and body in your pixie mane. Because your hair is short, you’ve got some...

The Best Curl Enhancer for Perms

Sometimes curly hair has a mind of its own. Instead of turning into those sexy ringlets you desire, it gets frizzy, messy and less than gorgeous. Besides visiting your stylist daily for expensive treatments, you can fix those curls up yourself in...

Is Detox Shampoo Safe After a Perm?

Is there anything worse than getting perfect hair and having it all ruined with one shampoo? If you’re anxious to remove all the impurities from your hair, a detox shampoo probably seems like the perfect choice. Trouble is, early shampooing...

What Do Perms Do to New Growth?

Sporting straight locks can look almost sinfully attractive when done right, but curls and waves are equally as sensuous. For gals whose natural curls need more manageability or definition, or for straight-haired women who are dying for a hair...

Why Is a Texturizer Better Than a Perm?

There are enough products for African-American hair to make your head spin. Naturally coarse and curly, African-American manes are capable of getting styled in just about any way. If you've ever thought about delving into the world of texturizers...

The Difference Between a Body Wave & a Spiral Perm

If you're interested in sporting a beautiful body wave or wearing sexy spiral curls, it's important to know the right info about the processing these permanents entail. From the toll on your wallet to the techniques used, spiral and body wave...

Introductions to Perms & Relaxers

A perm is a hair treatment that involves the use of strong chemicals -- no mincing words. A curly perm is done to put in waves or curls, while perms for black hair or very curly hair typically involve straightening it with relaxers. A curly perm...

How to Apply Affirm Perm

You don’t have to rely on a flat iron for super straight strands -- a relaxer, also known as a perm, can get you there permanently. An Affirm perm, which is a type of hair relaxing cream, offers a long-lasting straight hair solution. You...

Different Kinds of Hair Perm Rods

Once you’ve decided to take the plunge and get a perm, your options and decisions depend on the volume of curls you want, the length of your hair and the health of your hair. There are lots of different kinds of hair perm rods, each...

The Difference Between a Perm & a Texturizer

Salons often advertise texturizing and perming services together on their websites and in print ads. Don't be duped into thinking these processes are the same, however. Chemically, they're very different, and the difference in the look you get...

Can You Get Sisterlocks if You Have a Perm?

Growing out a perm can take a long time, but you don't have to wait too long to get Sisterlocks. If you have curly roots and permed hair, you can generally proceed. This trademarked locking style works on textured hair and does not work on...

What Size Perm Roller Should I Use to Get Loose Ringlets?

Ah, the ringlet. It's a classic symbol of a childlike innocence that, when done with an adult approach, can look sexy and sophisticated. To get the look with a perm, you have to pick the right rod size. This is not a black and white game of just...

How to Get Your Roots Straight Without a Perm

There are two types of perms. One type makes straight hair curly, and the other type of perm -- also commonly called a relaxer -- makes curly hair straight. If your roots need a little straightening and you don't want to get a relaxer, no worries....

The Differences Between a Root Perm and a Body Perm

When hair falls limper than last night's linguine, perming might wake up your style and save you the trouble of hours of hair preparation every day. Ladies who want lift and volume instead of curl from a perm often have good results with root and...

How Often Are You Supposed to Perm Your Hair?

Perms are an easy way to get luxurious, sexy curls and waves, but they don't always turn out the way you want. Or maybe you decide to change your style after you've committed to the perm process. In either case, the big question is how often you...

Why Not Perm Hair When Using Retin-A Micro?

Retin A Micro, also called tretinoin, is a topical gel that helps the skin renew itself. The gel is a form of vitamin A that is used for acne, according to the National Institutes of Health. Exactly how the gel works is still a mystery. It seems...

How to Touch Up a Perm

"Perm" might be short for "permanent," but this curly style is anything but. Sure, it lasts for a while, but not forever. But regular touchups with styling products can keep your perm looking as fresh and curled as the day you...

What Are the Benefits of a Perm?

Flat-irons might be all the rage, but fun-loving fashionistas know that sometimes, a straight 'do just won't do. Few styles scream vivacious and funky like a head full of curls. Of course, since not every woman was born with luscious natural...

What Is a Piggyback Perm?

Perming your hair when the length is down-to-there can leave you with curls that are sadly uneven and weak. To avoid a perming disaster that ends in a limp lock tragedy, your hairstylist may recommend giving you a piggyback. Although this might...

How Does a Perm Affect Your Hair?

Perms contain strong chemicals that change the shape and natural curl pattern of your hair. These chemicals can have many effects on the hair as they change hair texture -- this can result in damaging side effects that are less than desirable....

Gorgeous Perm Styles

If you reach for a curling iron every day, splurge and get a perm already. The curly 'do has come a long way from your grandmother's tight-locks look. From flowing beachy waves to romantic spiral ringlets, curls can transform your youthful...

Loose Perm Vs. Curly

Heading to the salon for a new color, cut or blow-out can add instant glamor to your everyday look. But if you’re really looking to dramatize your ‘do, consider getting a perm. Now, don’t worry, today’s perms are nothing...

When Will My Spiral Perm Fall Out?

Permanent waves are must-haves for fashionistas who want curlier hair but don't want to spend an eternity styling every day. Similar to a lot of good things, though, even perms don't last forever. Eventually, perms loosen or "fall out."...

How to Control New Growth in Between Perms

No one ever said it's easy being a woman -- and the demands of beauty care is one of the reasons why. African-American women deal with a variety of issues exclusive to them alone. One such subject is the topic of perms, or relaxers. Relaxers are...