Hair Perming

A permanent wave, also known as a perm, is a chemical hair treatment that can be used to straighten or add curl and body to your hair. Every perm has two parts: the physical wrapping of the hair into shapes and a chemical bath that breaks and then reforms the disulfide bonds of your hair. In other words, the chemicals soften the inner structure of the hair.

Hair perms are a fantastic way and versatile process. With today's perms, you can have everything from body to loose and sexy waves to true curls. Hair perms will also give you the true "wash and wear" hair style that every woman seeks. A hair perm can free you from the hassles of setting, blow-drying, and curling irons.

It's important to consider your hair type and the condition of the hair in determining if you are a candidate for a perm. Damaged, over-processed and most color treated hair should usually not be permed. Perming hair that is not healthy and in good condition is very damaging to the hair. In extreme cases, it could all need to be cut off.

The type of hair is another thing to consider. The best hair type for a perm is thick hair that has a bit of a natural wave. Very fine hair types or thin hair types must use hair perms with extreme care to prevent hair damage. You always want an experienced stylist, particularly if you are perming fine or thin hair, to ensure the best possible result.

Your hairstyle plays a big role in determining the kind of hair perm you need. Some perms work well with hair in one length while others are designed to work with layered hairstyles.

There are different types of hair perm:

• Acid perms create highly conditioned, flexible curls. Acid perms have a mildly acidic action that minimizes the risk of hair damage. They are ideally suited to hair that is fine, sensitive, fragile, damaged, or tinted.
• Alkaline perm gives strong, firm curl results on normal and resistant hair.
• Exothermic perms give bouncy, resilient curls. Exothermic refers to the heat that is produced by the chemical reaction that occurs when the lotion is mixed.
• Body perms are very soft, loose perms. The result is added volume with a hint of wave rather than curls.
• Root perms add lift and volume to the root area only.
• Pain curl perms give soft, natural waves and curls.
• Stack perms give curl and volume to one-length hair cuts.
• Spiral perms create romantic spiral curls. The hair is rolled vertically rather than horizontally.
• Spot perms give support only on the area to which they are applied.
• Weave perms involve perming certain sections of hair and leaving the rest straight.

Hair perms also require a bit of extra care:

• Colored hair must not be permed. Ideally coloring is done after a perm. Subjecting your hair to two processes may damage it.
• Aggressive shampooing must be avoided Use conditioners specially created for permed hair.
• Carefully towel blot your hair dry after a wash. Avoid tangles as it can damage the hair perm.
• Use a diffuser when blow-drying hair perms.
• You can maintain your perm hair style with perm rejuvenators - products that will add moisture and shine to the hair.

Typically a hair perm takes about 2 hours. It takes about another 24 hours for the perm to fully settle and its impact to be completely felt. A hair perm usually lasts about 3 - 5 months.

A perm is harsh on your hair, so only get one if you're completely sure. It's important to know your hair type and how it will react to the process of breaking and then re-forming links between protein chains in your hair. Breaking these bonds causes the hair to expand, stretch, and take the shape it is held in by the rods.