Curlformers permanent curls/waves, opinions?

[thistledown]

Hi all :)I'm curious about trying out curlformers in a perm, here are the curlformers videos:Long (well...sort of) fine hair: http://www.curlformers.com/blog/general/permanent-waving-curlformers-long-fine-hair-step-step/ awesome result!Long (again sort of) thick hair: http://www.curlformers.com/blog/curlformers-instructions/permanent-waving-curlformers-long-thick-hair-step-step/ also awesome results!But my hair is much longer then that, and of course I worry about damage........I was thinking of just doing it the once-I'm wondering at my length (hip), texture (fine and straight) if my hair will naturally drop the curl over time without me having to do anything, the worst thing I can think of is having two textured hair, so that would suit me fine ;) Is my hair likely to suffer really badly from one treatment? I thought this would be really great for travel as it'd save carting about heatless curl options and time on styling, but I could be hugely wrong.It'd be so fun to have curly/wavy hair for once, even if only for a few months! But I'm not willing to ruin my hair completely for a couple months fun either. I know my hair type takes perm curls well, my mum and sister both got perms and they took a little too well and they both had afros......:tmi:So I'm looking for any and all opinions basically :o Vanessa

[Scarlet_Heart]

Welp, I bought curlformers late summer/fall last year and still haven't managed to use them. When I first got them, despite having watched a lot of tutorials/demos on youtube, I couldn't get them in my hair without making a tangly mess out of it. I've really got to try again because I wanted to use them for a wedding this summer. Before I bought them, I posted on here but it didn't seem like hardly anyone here uses them.

FWIW, I bought a knock off from amazon. It's much cheaper and from what I understand, it's pretty much the exact same thing. link (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008FIH4IK/)

[Micayla47]

I don't know about perm solutions because my last (disastrous) perm was at least 10 years ago. I will say that the curlformers seem to cause mechanical damage whenever I've used them (on me, my mom and my daughter) and a lot of trouble.

[picklepie]

I've had curly hair all my life, and I'm not sure that it would save you time and effort styling.... Quite the opposite, in fact...

[thistledown]

Hmmm where are you incurring the damage? I don't have much trouble putting them in....taking them out is a bit harder.....I really don't know how people sleep on them though LOL I guess they are less damaging then heat anyway.
@ picklepie I guess I just want something different :)
Vanessa

[Ambystoma]

I would absolutely advise you to stay away from perming! I have honestly never heard of someone who didn't regret getting one due to damage, especially since they revert back to a straighter look after a while and then you're left with semi straight, damaged hair instead of the straight healthy hair you started with, and since you have fine hair I would be even more wary. I have medium, very resilient hair that can generally put up with a lot of abuse but even still, the one perm I got in the early 90's left my hair in very poor condition.

I'd also personally never use curlformers, they look as though they would cause a lot of mechanical damage over repeated use (all that pulling and scraping shudder:) and this is from someone with a much less delicate hair type. I honestly find that getting nice heat free curls using gentle methods like rag curls or sponge rollers to be the easiest thing possible already - soft to sleep on and only takes about 5 minutes before bed, so I'd be perfectly happy to do that while travelling. You can get that lovely old hollywood type big curl/wave thing happening using only 3 or 4 handkerchiefs, so it would take up next to no space in your bags, or you can get a more defined look with 1 or 2 extra hankies and twisting the hair as you wrap.

[CurlyCap]

I'm in the "the damage isn't worth it" camp.

Why are you curling your hair so often? I understand all the work for special occasions, but it seems like too much of a fight for 1a/fine hair on a regular basis.

[thistledown]

Yeah I'm not going to do it :) Too much risk/damage for not enough payoff.
@ Ambystoma do you have a link to a good rag curl tutorial for long hair? Do you think it'd be okay to use the curlformers every few weeks? I was actually pleasantly surprised how easy they were to use, my hair being so slippery is a problem but with these it actually helped :)
@ Curlycap I don't curl it very often.....maybe once every 2 months....I'm just bored of my super straight super fine hair LOL
Vanessa

[Ambystoma]

I like this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=KXsCxRjPFw4 - she doesn't use that many rags because she's creating a soft "Victoria's Secret"/ red carpet kind of look, but you can go wild and use the same technique with as many rags as you want, more curlers made from thinner fabric create tighter curls. Make sure you smooth your ends under very neatly before you roll up towards the scalp (she's not as pedantic as I am, I use my thumb to hold them firmly as I roll) for the best smooth "curling iron" type look.

If the curlformers haven't caused you any damage yet then I don't see any harm in using them on a semi regular basis - but they don't look very hair friendly whereas good old hankies/socks (or gentle non velcro rollers when you're not travelling since they take up a lot of space and can take a little practice to sleep on) and a spritz of water can be used every day if you want with no worries :)

[thistledown]

Thanks! I think the secret with curlformers is to use small pieces of hair, take it slow and make sure your hair is slippery! I use silicone serum to make the hair super slippery :) However I'm wondering about using the hood with a cool hair dryer (indirect heat) to dry the hair quicker......they really drive me nutty when they are on and I could never sleep in them, even a sock bun on top of head make me toss and turn LOL
Vanessa