Want to put a twist on your boring, straight hair? Adding a perm can give you curly and voluminous tresses with a lot of body and style. However, perms - just like relaxers - involve certain chemicals that can damage your hair. Before attempting this style, you should know how the process works and see if your hair can handle it.

Perms can give you any type of curl you desire, from lose waves to tight corkscrew curls. To get the best results, perms should be done professionally in a salon. This hairstyle goes back to the 1980s so you’ll have no trouble at all finding a qualified stylist who can get the job done. Not sure what kind of curls would look best on you? Browse through magazines and take a couple photos to your stylist for his/her opinion. Be sure to explain how you want your hair to look to avoid a bad outcome. Don’t let your stylist get carried away. If you feel uncomfortable at any time or are unhappy with the end result, you have the right to tell your stylist.

The thicker the hair is, the better the perm will turn out. Perms and curls are all about adding volume and spring to your hair. Unless you get extensions put in to add more volume/thickness, those with thin, limp hair would be better off choosing a different style. Healthy hair that has not been treated with chemicals or dyes is the best candidate for getting a perm. This allows the hair to take better to the process and the results will last longer. Talk to your stylist about the health of your hair. If you have put chemicals into your hair before, tell your stylist. By going over your hair’s history, this can help you find the right style or type of perm that won’t cause further damage.

So how do perms work? Unlike relaxers, which use a special cream that is applied to the hair, perms involve the use of rods. There are a variety of rod sizes used for perms, which is why it is important that you know what style/curl you want. To begin the perm, the hair is separated into four sections and wound tightly around each rod. The stylist then applies a chemical solution that breaks down the hair’s structure. A neutralizer that chemically reassembles the hair is then put onto the scalp. Once the rods are in place, they must sit in the hair for a period of time. Depending on how fast the stylist works, it can take one to two hours for a perm to be put in. In order to make sure the hair takes to the perm without any problems, 28 hours is needed for the perm to fully settle. A good perm normally lasts between two to six months.

Because this process chemically restructures your hair, perms can cause hair to be dull, weak and brittle. Before getting the perm, use a strong, moisturizing conditioner and shampoo. Also avoid deep conditioning your hair prior to getting your hair done or else the perm may not take. To keep your hair healthy after the perm, use a moisturizing conditioner after shampooing as well as reconstructing and rejuvenating hair styling products that will keep your perm looking good, while strengthening your hair.

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