To Perm or Not to Perm? Know What You Are Getting Into

Perm is making a comeback today and if you plan to get caught up in this craze of reminiscing for the 80s, you need to know some things. On one hand, this hair treatment is damaging and there is no way around this. On the other, it’s nowhere near as bad as it was in the actual 1980s. Seeing how the majority of the people who sported this style back in the day still have hair today, you can be quite calm about the damage. But that doesn’t change the fact that you should be looking for ways to reduce it and to restore the health of your locks. After all, not everyone who went around with the crazy perm of the 1980s still has hair.

Everything You Should Know About Perming Your Hair

If your hair is bleached, highlighted, or colored, you really shouldn’t perm

First, you need to understand that your bleached hair won’t necessarily turn green or do some other horrendous thing that will be impossible to cover up if you perm it. At least, it shouldn’t do this if you use high-quality treatments for both highlights/bleaching and perm.

However, as both treatments cause extensive damage to your locks, you should take it at your own risk. If you choose to do this, wait for no less than a week after bleaching/ coloring/ highlighting before you perm. This will reduce the damage a little and help both treatments “set” into your hair.

You have a chance to choose the best perm: use it!

The most important thing with this treatment is to choose your perming solution wisely. Today you can find a specialized option that fits your exact hair type, like protective Fanola perming products that come in three types, for natural normal hair, for natural strong and thick hair, and for colored or otherwise treated hair.

You should always go with the closest possible match for your hair type. These treatments will do the least damage. You should also consult with your hairstylist about the exact solution they will use. Today, you can find “milder” options that contain fewer chemicals so they are safer. However, they don’t produce the same perm result, so discuss your exact expectations with an expert.

Dry hair doesn’t take well to perming

As was said before, perm does great damage to your hair, even if you use the “softer” solutions available today. Dryness is the first thing that occurs due to this damage and it often deteriorates to brittleness fast. However, if your hair is already dry, the damage it suffers will be extensive.

In some cases, this may result in your perm not living up to your expectations. Too damaged locks will break down and split. This will prevent them from forming beautiful curls you were hoping for. Instead, you might end up with a “bird’s nest” on your head. And the only way to deal with it in bad cases might be to cut off the most damaged parts.

You’ll need to grow out your locks if they are short or layered

Layered hairstyles that have short layers don’t do well with the perm. Even if your hair is healthy and strong, this won’t change the fact that your newly-permed curls will make your hairstyle appear shorter.

If your hair is short already, which should be the case for layered locks, you might end up with a ridiculous hairstyle of tiny curls that look akin to sheep wool. Therefore, if you want a perm, grow out your locks to a decent length first.

The damage perm does can be mitigated by the absence of daily hot styling

Any type of styling your hair into curls will do some damage, especially if there is heat involved. From this point of view, the one-time damage from the perm can be considered the “lesser evil” as it will remove the need for you to use a curling wand.

Never forget that for all that it’s bad for your locks, a proper perm doesn’t ruin them completely. If your hair was strong and healthy before, you should be able to restore it rather fast. Use specialized hair care products recommended by your hairdresser and cut down on styling. Hydrate your locks daily and provide them with a nourishing and restorative hair mask once a week.

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