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Writer's pictureMackenzie Therrien

My Perm Experience

I recently had a hair appointment and I have an amazing hairsytlist, his name is Tony, he owns two salons which are both located in the Captial Region of New York. Tony takes pride in what he does and whenever I go to get my hair done. I always make an appointment for a haircut but somehow we always end up trying something new on my hair, which is exactly what happened last Saturday.

Kenzie and her beach blonde hair!

When I was younger I used to have the most blonde, pin-straight, thinnest hair my parents had ever seen. As I was growing up, my hair started to get a little bit darker and a whole lot curlier and thicker.


In middle school, my hair was too much for me to handle and it almost always was in a pony tail because I didn’t know how to style it because it was so thick. It would take me over an hour to straighten my hair even if I had my moms help.


Before I started going to Tony’s salon, I went somewhere and asked what I should do and they recommended getting a Keratin Treatment done. A Keratin Treatment makes your hair straight, but for me it calmed my curls down so it didn’t take forever to straighten it. Now that my hair has grown out and the hair that received the treatment has been cut off, my hair isn't straight but it isn't curly, we just have a little bit of beach wave going on.


At this appointment, I went in for a haircut to only trim my dead-ends off because I love my long hair and Tony and I were talking about how curly my hair used to be and we decided to do a perm. I was so nervous at first but I trust him completely with my hair and I knew that I could take a risk to get my curls back because he would never do anything to harm my hair. He loves it too much :).


Images:

  1. Tony!!

  2. Saturday- Rollers are in!

  3. Saturday- Rollers are out!

  4. Saturday Night- Day 1 Results (I haven't washed my hair yet.)

  5. Sunday- Day 2 Results (I still.. have not washed my hair yet.)

  6. Monday Night- Day 3 Results (I finally washed my hair!!)

  7. Tuesday Morning- Day 4 Final Results!



Before we talk about some of the helpful tips on how to handle your perm, let's give a short background on how the modern perm came to be!

Joan Blondell, in 1932, getting a perm.

The perm hairstyle was introduced to salons going all the way back to the 1870s. The original techniques involved a wave machine, producing even longer lasting results was premiered by Swiss hairdresser Karl Nessler in 1906 in England. His system involved combining the chemical process with the thermal process. In 1941, Evans and McDonough were the first to use thioglycolic acid, which was known as a Cold Wave, which revolutionized the permanent waving industry and paved the way for the modern perm.

https://glamourdaze.com/2018/03/a-history-of-the-perm-hairstyle.html/

 

Tips for Handling Your Perm the Correct Way:

1. Do NOT Touch Your Hair

Although it is tempting... do your best to not touch your hair as much as possible during the first 48 hours of your perm. Your new curls need time to relax, which means no ponytails, no buns, and absolutely NO WATER. Which brings us to number two.

2. Do NOT Wash Your Hair

Unless you hate your perm, do not wash your hair! If you wash it before the 48 hours are up you can ruin your do and it would be so disappointing to waste the money you spent to look good. You can still shower but I suggest taking either a bath if you can sit and not have your hair get wet, or take a shower and put your hair in a VERY loose bun with a scrunchie. Only loop it twice so it won't leave an indent on your curls.

3. No Flat Ironing

Again, unless you don't like your perm, no flat ironing for at least three weeks. The sooner you flat iron your hair, the sooner your curls will all come undone. After the first three weeks you can straighten your hair and your curls will come back after you wash it. I would test a small portion of your hair with your flat iron before you do the entire head, just in case by chance your hair isn't ready or if you want your curls to last longer. Also! No high heat, if your flat iron goes up to 455 degrees like mine does, only put it on 355 degrees max. The lower the heat, the healthier your hair, giving you longer lasting curls.

4. Styling Your Hair

Styling your hair is really simple. I recommend keeping a wide toothed comb in the shower and comb through your hair while you're conditioning so there isn't much tug on your curls. Always have an extra towel just for your hair! Preferably a microfiber towel such as a Turbie Twist, you can purchase one at your local Walmart, CVS, Bed Bath & Beyond, or on Amazon, etc. After your shower flip your hair upside down and take the towel underneath the tips of your hair and scrunch it up to get your gorgeous curls. It's as simple as this folks, the more you scrunch, the curlier your locks will be. If you shower in the morning, do what is said above, but if you shower at night I suggest buying a spray bottle and fill it up with water so in the morning, wake up spritz your hair really good and scrunch it with your towel to get your perfect curls and not the frizzy bedhead you woke up with!

5. Not so much a tip but.. be prepared!

Something you guys should definitely be prepared for is the smell of the chemicals used to activate your curls. I don't know how to describe it but you get used to it very quickly. One way to help with the smell is to spray your hair with perfume, buy a nice spelling shampoo and conditioner (that is NOT deep-conditioning!) You can also a light-weight, nice smelling hair cream to help define your curls.

6. Below are some products that I use.



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