Bad "spiral" perm.... I need help.

[C_adkins1101]

A few weeks ago I had the bright idea to get a loose spiral perm on my PST shoulder length hair. I have naturally wavy hair, but it doesn't curl well unless I use product to ex inch or I have to blow dry and heat set. I though in would make my life easier. Huh!! Yeah right!
I now have a little past chin length huge wavy 80s fro on my head. It is purely awful. So mynplan is to go tomorrow and have it chemically straightened. I have been leaving a foods heavy conditioner in it with it pulled up almost constantly for the last two weeks.
Any suggestions for a last minute moisture surge boost before tomorrow? I plan on having in cut chin length layered. I will post a pic in comments of past hair, current hair, and goal for tomorrow.

[littlestarface]

oh your poor hair :cry:

[C_adkins1101]

I can't post pictures.

[littlestarface]

I can't post pictures.

you have to upload it on to imgur or tinypic and then past the code here sweety.

[CurlyCap]

I really would leave it alone. Most perms relax a little with time. And two chemical processes in two weeks will likely cause just more damage.

There is also an art to styling curly hair.

[spidermom]

2nd chemical process is a bad-bad-bad idea. You will hate it and regret doing it within 6 weeks.

[C_adkins1101]

http://i.imgur.com/BJAyTdT.jpg

[C_adkins1101]

Its been a month. I have pretty healthy hair even though it is chemically treated. I "thought" I knew I how to fix curly hair. My 6 year daughter has 3b/FM/iii hair.

[Wavelength]

Don't have it straightened. All that will do is make it frizzy as well as unruly, and the layers might make it poofy to boot. You might wind up looking like an electrified poodle. Honestly, I'd just baby it for the next little while and let the perm fall out by itself.

[jeanniet]

Agree that chemical straightening is not a good idea. The chances of severe breakage are just too high. I would just keep up with deep treatments. I'd suggest a Deva cut for curl control, but I'm just not sure that permed curls act quite the same way as natural curls.

[lunalocks]

Try using huge curlers. They may give you billowy waves. They did for me way back when I permed my hair in the 80s.

Please don't use more chemicals, tho. Eventually the perm will relax and then you can move on.

[Nadine <3]

Another vote for just leaving it alone and letting the perm fall out on it's own. The chance for terrible damage is just too high.

[DweamGoiL]

When I was a teen, I had a similar experience. I did do the chemical straightening and when I got home as I just ran my fingers through my hair, it began breaking off....so disheartening. You can either leave it alone and baby it as others have recommended or cut it down to a length where the perm isn't as strong and then let it grow out.

[Kherome]

Leave it alone!

[RavenRose]

Another vote for leaving it alone! I had a double perm 18 months ago, and lost quite a bit of hair do to breakage. Style it wet with some conditioner or flax seed gel, and you should be able to tame it.

[LauraAlaina]

Yikes- your stylist should have warned you about the final result, and you probably, hate to say it, should have known that the smaller the perm rod the tighter the curl, resulting in lots of shrinkage. I definetely would not get it straightened. You are just going to fry your hair. Try leaving it alone and seeing if the curls fall out a little bit.

[C_adkins1101]

The person who did it is no longer my stylist. I did a ton of research before I consulted her, we went over the perm rods to be used and what I wanted results to look like. She used peach and purple, which should have been right, but my hair pulls curlier. Her mistake was using a self adjusting perm rather than an acid perm. I am now going to a much better establishment that has come highly recommended.

[Lirona]

http://i.imgur.com/BJAyTdT.jpg

Fixed the photo link. It doesn't look NEARLY as bad as you think! I'm not seeing the "huge wavy 80s fro." To me it just looks like lovely wavy/curly hair. :) But you do what you gotta do!

[Kaelbu]

I don't think it looks bad at all! With some curly-specific styling, maybe you'll feel better about it? Even as it is in the picture, it really looks fine. Not worth messing with chemicals again in my humble opinion!

[jeanniet]

I'm a little confused after seeing the picture, assuming that's post-perm, of course. I don't see huge hair; if anything, I'd say it's lacking in volume, considering the wave/curl.. The pattern seems kinda uneven, but that could be the picture. A chin-length bob would be cute. I have a stacked bob and it took a while to get used to it, but now I really like it (but I like volume and get it cut specifically to enhance curl volume and lift). Now that we can see a pic, can you be more specific about what you don't like?

[C_adkins1101]

The photo was taken before I had the fuzzy ends cut. I'll post a pic on here after I drop off kiddos.

[Horrorpops]

I think your curls look nice!! :) I agree with PPs extra chemical straightening might not be too good for it, but if your hair is healthy and you really don't like the perm I guess it's a valid option! :o best to be happy with your hair rather than suffer through something you don't like, I think.

[lapushka]

It actually looks great. I don't know where you got the idea or notion that this is a "fro". I mean it doesn't look at all like that. It looks *really* nice.

So pamper it, and leave it alone!

[C_adkins1101]

<a href='http://i.imgur.com/lJOvgR7' title=''><img src='http://i.imgur.com/lJOvgR7.jpg' alt='' title='Hosted by imgur.com' /></a>
NEW PIC from this morning

[C_adkins1101]

http://i.imgur.com/lJOvgR7.jpg

[C_adkins1101]

Its an uneven curl and fuzzy. The curls are limp instead of bouncy. I feel frumpy. It gets bigger as bigger throughout the day. When its completely dry it looks like I have crimped it and ran a brush through it. It looks fried and coarse, but in actuality it is super soft and fine.

[missrandie]

Honestly, it looks fine. I see no fro.. I think it just feels that way because you were used to straighter hair.

[lapushka]

That looks a bit like my hair on a good day. I feel a tad insulted. ;)

[Nadine <3]

After seeing a photo, I really think it looks fine! I don't see a fro (and seriously my cousins are african american and they both have a huge fro. I've seen fros!) I think, with some babying and styling products it would look really great and you could grow it out. I have this feeling if you chemically straighten it you'll be back upset with hair that is breaking off. Maybe not right away, but for sure several months down the line.

[lapushka]

Yes maybe try and look up the curly girl method, read the book by Lorraine Massey. And learn to style it. It seems to lack a few styling products, as far as I can tell.

[ExpectoPatronum]

Yeah really, your hair looks fine. I think you just need to adjust your styling routine to something more suited to curly hair. You can't really treat curly hair like straight/wavy hair and expect it to look great. (Though, I'm sure some people can).

You mention you don't like how uneven the curl pattern is, but that's another fact of life for those of us with naturally curly/wavy manes. Different sections of hair are going to curl up in varying degrees. The front of my hair has a very tight wave pattern, while the back is loose. It's just something you kind of have to learn to live with, though different styling techniques can help straighter sections wave up more, or loosen the tighter sections, if that makes sense.

[Sterlyn]

I had a spiral perm done on my nearly waist length hair in early sept, the hair from the shoulders up took really well and it's poufy and big as well. If there was a down side to the perm I'd say that might be it. My natural texture is fine hair with a bit of wave to it and I'm not used to seeing all that volume around my face, so I understand where you're coming from.

The pics you posted look nice to me :). I found conditioners with 2 different silicones, one being the heavier dimethicone work best for my hair to weigh it down a bit. Anything else is too wimpy for my hair, I can get a lot of pouf and volume going. I also have been using Kinky Curly Knot Today as a LI, detangler with good results, it really seems to help with the frizz.

I know my hairdresser that did the perm on my hair expressed concern that perming twice on hair would fry it, straightening I'm assuming is perming in reverse with a similar type of solution. Your hair is shorter so if there was damage you could trim it off if you had too. I guess that's the concern expressed here, that chemically treating it twice might leave you with fried hair, my hair dresser told me she didn't want to reperm any of the hair that had already been permed, not if I wanted to keep it long, even if it was 2 years out.

Good luck with whatever route you decide :flower:

[Hurven]

To be honest, I see nothing wrong with your perm. It looks like a short version of my dream hair! :o

[C_adkins1101]

Its just not what I wanted. My family mostly has curly hair, I am literally the odd ball out. My huaband and girls have 3b/3c/FM/ii hair. Sadly the hubs is about bald😢. My aunt and dad have 4a/4b/C/iii hair. So I thought I knew what vwhat I was getting into.
Ignore the littlest ones hair. This is first morning of school and she was still rocking pajamas and complete bed head. Her hair is normally a lot curlier more 3a/F/I at this point. http://i.imgur.com/s6eMT72.jpg

[RavenRose]

Your perm doesn't look so bad. Yeah it is tighter than is in style now, but it doesn't look bad. Plus it will relax as time goes by. I would highly advise against another chemical treatment.

Pic below is what happens- My hair is APL, with one layer 2" above that, in pic it is put back in a simple braid at the nape.. I have tons of hair that is between chin and shoulder all along my crown, that falls out of everything except higher pony/buns because it all broke off where the double perm was. Granted I did do a few other chemical treatments since, but all the hair above the perms is in much better condition, almost no visible/felt damage. Where as I had visible damage and breakage since the day after second perm.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd177/paganrosemama/IMG_20151023_164559831.jpg (http://s221.photobucket.com/user/paganrosemama/media/IMG_20151023_164559831.jpg.html)

[C_adkins1101]

http://i.imgur.com/LANn8BY.jpg.
Before and After

[C_adkins1101]

I am much happier and feel like me again. I will start taking HSN vitamins now and still continue to baby my hair with conditioning treatments.

[spidermom]

I knew you'd do it anyway, which is your right. I hope your hair doesn't turn into a shapeless, fried fluff-ball like mine did when I had it repermed after a year and a half.

[pastina]

Protein conditioner! I recommend Joico Kpak. <3

[Horrorpops]

So straight again!! I am glad you've done what makes you happiest :o
Definitely use protein conditioners and deep treatments with keratin to help keep your hair in good condion. The vitamins will maybe help new growth but they wont effect the ends that have already been permed and straightened. :) So definitely keep up your care! Looks great!!

[RavenRose]

I am glad you are happier with your hair. Like others have said, make sure to baby it! protein treatments and deep moisture often!

[C_adkins1101]

Will do. I typically baby my hair anyway, so this just a way to spend a little more time with it. The good thing about the relaxer that she used is it won't strip away my natural wave pattern, it just takes out the perm. So after a few washes mybhair should be back to its normal wave. It feels so soft and not dry and brittle at all.

[rina06]

Wow. I was in exactly the same situation as you last November. In the end i had my hair chemically straightened and then got a japanese perm to get it back to my natural waves. I didnt get any splits from the experience but my word was I lucky.

I used a lot of coconut oil and silicone based conditioners

[lapushka]

I hope the damage won't catch up with you. I had a few perms with about 4 months apart (I thought the roots looked bad :rolleyes:) and boy, my hair was riddled in white dots and I lost half my circumference to that later. Which is why I had to cut back from hip to BSL. You can't have it all, I guess; baby your hair as much as you can!