View Full Version : Considering a perm...talk me out of it?
FallingDarkness
September 5th, 2018, 12:50 AM
I have always been infinitely jealous of people with beautiful curls. Like...3A-ish? And for some reason it's all I've been thinking about doing recently. Maybe it's just because I've been maintaining at TBL for the last...year or so maybe? It's been a while. So I might just be bored with it and am looking for something new. But I also love my hair, a lot, and do not want to damage it. But it's hard to get the idea out of my mind, and with college starting up again soon it would be super cool to return to school with gorgeous curls. :/
I don't even know much about perming in the first place, just that it's pretty harsh and you can't wash your hair afterwards, and that my mom always wanted me to get one back when my hair was short because my hair was super frizzy when it was short so she thought that if it was curly too it the frizz would look natural lol.
Thanks guys :D :pegasus: :puppy: :pizza: :cake: :cake: :cake: :puppykisses: :stirpot: :couch:
Sorry I found the emoji things for once and couldn't help myself....
JennGalt
September 5th, 2018, 01:28 AM
Have you looked into heatless methods of curling? Then you could have curls without the damage a perm would do. A youtube search should bring up a plethora of options.
I’d gladly give you my curls if I could. Curls = tangly, unmanageable mess for me, especially when the humidity fluctuates, so I deliberately loosen mine.
Digging the emojis! :D
Margarita
September 5th, 2018, 03:55 AM
You should better cooperate with heatless methods of curling like JennGalt said. You can put on rollers after shower while your hair is wet :D
Perm contains a very damaging material it ruins your hair and curls.
Lady Stardust
September 5th, 2018, 04:14 AM
I had a perm in the 80s...as did many people...and it dropped out really quickly. I’m sure that technology has moved on but I would think that could still be a possibility - permanent damage for a short term effect.
Your hair looks amazing as it is :)
Elly May
September 5th, 2018, 05:02 AM
You asked to be talked out of it, so....Don't. Just don't. Not only is it really, really damaging, but when it grows out you will either have to keep perming it, or have two very different textures. I have rarely seen a perm that looks natural or does not cause damage, and it is permanent. With that said, it is your hair and it will grow back, do what you will! :D
MusicalSpoons
September 5th, 2018, 05:38 AM
I had a perm in the 80s...as did many people...and it dropped out really quickly. I’m sure that technology has moved on but I would think that could still be a possibility - permanent damage for a short term effect.
Your hair looks amazing as it is :)
A colleague of mine has a perm, which definitely does drop out to waves. I haven't noticed how quickly it does because my sense of time passing is atrocious, but when she's had it redone it is very noticeable - and of course the whole length has to be done, it's not like touching up roots with colour. It's evidently fine for her as she's had the same style since I've known her, but if you want long or even longish hair it's not a good idea!
Rag curls are one way to get the spiral curls you desire, without damage :)
lapushka
September 5th, 2018, 06:03 AM
Judging from your avatar, I'd say that's more than just 2a.
I am a bad person to talk you out of a perm, because IMMHO they are *so* easy to manage (I can deal with curly hair better than with my wild wavy unruly hair). But... they do damage the hair. I know my hair was half riddled in white dots after both my perms and some heat damage. So, there's that. And they were quite high up the hair shaft and started a few inches from my roots. Grew them out to hip, and then had to have my hair cut back to BSL because it had thinned out so much from a few major S&D sessions.
To get hair that length permed, they don't just roll it on regular rollers, it needs to be a spiral perm. You might lose some length as hair that long... to perm it? Not easy.
All things to consider.
Sarahlabyrinth
September 5th, 2018, 06:06 AM
Just - don't. WAAAAYYY too much upkeep. And damage, too, of course.
MidnightMoon
September 5th, 2018, 06:30 AM
I honestly think they make people look like they're stuck in the 80s with frizzy hair looking like a poodle, never seen a perm ending in nice, defined, soft curls like I see on people with natural texture, so... there's my contribution to talking you out of it I guess. There's also the damage to consider. But to be honest, I'm also trying to live more in the "YOLO" mentality and would say that if it would make you hapoy and feel better and enjoy your look... just do it. Hair grows and life is now :P
cjk
September 5th, 2018, 08:05 AM
What do you want? Do you just want to experience curls, or do you actually want a perm specifically?
I used flexi foam rod curlers in my hair this weekend to curl my canopy. I'm curly girl but my canopy isn't, so I curled it. Worked great...wet hair, gel cast, and roll.
And without the chemical damage and permanency of a perm.
If your goal is just to experience curls, grab some of those flexi rods from Dollar Tree and go to town! I'm impressed with the results I got, and it's just my first time.
lapushka
September 5th, 2018, 09:46 AM
If your goal is just to experience curls, grab some of those flexi rods from Dollar Tree and go to town! I'm impressed with the results I got, and it's just my first time.
Not that easy to roll on such long hair. ;)
Deborah
September 5th, 2018, 09:53 AM
Perms are way too damaging, and the damage is permanent. I vote don't do it.
Your hair is beautiful just the way it is. As others have said, you can easily set it on rollers or rods for curls when you want a change.
If you are simply bored, try some different buns or braids or other hairstyles.
I hope you choose to not damage your healthy, beautiful hair.:flower:
Kiiruna
September 5th, 2018, 10:02 AM
Been there, done that. Twice! I managed to grow my twice permed hair to almost waist and then got frustrated with all the damage and fragile ends.
The curls won't last forever, my hair hasn't been even wavy since... apl or something?
FallingDarkness
September 5th, 2018, 10:43 AM
You guys were even more helpful than I thought you'd be :o <3 Thanks so much you guys are the best.
lithostoic
September 5th, 2018, 02:35 PM
Judging by the waves in your avatar (which are at least 2b in my opinion) you could get beautiful curls just by plopping your hair! Or using a blowdryer with a diffuser on a cool setting.
lapushka
September 5th, 2018, 03:44 PM
Judging by the waves in your avatar (which are at least 2b in my opinion) you could get beautiful curls just by plopping your hair! Or using a blowdryer with a diffuser on a cool setting.
^^ Agree! Try and enhance what you naturally have; totally worth it if you learn about the techniques for enhancing the waves, such as the LOC/LCO method (see my signature).
spidermom
September 5th, 2018, 04:06 PM
If you get a perm, as your hair grows out, you will have two distinct textures, and it won't look very good. Plus perm curls turn into frizzy waves pretty readily. That beautiful curled effect only lasts a few months at most. On a friend of mine with stubbornly straight hair, the curls lasted less than a week. After that she only had cotton candy-like frizz.
veryhairyfairy
September 5th, 2018, 06:09 PM
Just adding my voice to the chorus ;)
I've only had one perm out of three in my life turn out all right, and the curls dropped out to very frizzy waves within about 3 months on healthy APL hair.
Not only that, but the damage was severe and I ended up having to chop to chin when it had grown out enough.
And, I looked pretty silly with straight roots and frizzy wavy lengths. I was 18 and mortified and would only wear my hair in one style for almost a year- scarred for life. :lol:
For reference, this was basically me in 2008: https://the-hollywood-gossip-res.cloudinary.com/iu/s--mkJefeW7--/t_xlarge_l/cs_srgb,f_auto,fl_strip_profile.lossy,q_auto:420/v1415316720/taylor-swift-yearbook-photo.jpg
PS. We have the best smilies!
:cheese:
2gaits
September 5th, 2018, 08:57 PM
I had spiral perms back in the 80s and it was so popular. Destroyed my hair and the top was always a different curl and texture than the bottom. Horrible! I would never recommend it based on my experiences. Rag curls are prettier in my opinion and less damaging.
lapushka
September 6th, 2018, 09:50 AM
If you get a perm, as your hair grows out, you will have two distinct textures, and it won't look very good. Plus perm curls turn into frizzy waves pretty readily. That beautiful curled effect only lasts a few months at most. On a friend of mine with stubbornly straight hair, the curls lasted less than a week. After that she only had cotton candy-like frizz.
If you have 1 hair and go for a curly perm, the difference is *huge*. But if you already have wavy hair, like OP, it kind of will look like sagged out curls or less texture up top, quite natural. It was that way for me, at least. It didn't look that bad, which is why I grew it out no problem from shoulder to hip (with the accrued damage). Yeah, the perms were nice; the damage, not so much. :( It's why I no longer go there, however much I like 3 type hair!
zanelle
September 6th, 2018, 11:51 AM
Oh no, stay away, really. This is how I ruined my hair... I had SL hair and one morning I woke up with this idea that I need curls. Went into a salon and came out sheep.
It was aweful.
Plus the damage was huge.
The only thing that helped me was cutting my hair.
lunalocks
September 6th, 2018, 06:52 PM
NO! DON'T! I permed my hair for about 8 years (in the 80's) starting at near waist length and every year had to cut more and more damage off. Finally I let the virgin hair grow out to below my ears (not easy, it looked so weird) and cut the perm off. I will never EVER perm again.
Jo Ann
September 6th, 2018, 09:18 PM
How about using straws for spiral curls? Some videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/beautyklove/search?query=straw
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