Is it possible to perm your hair to 2b/2c?

[FallingDarkness]

My friend is looking to get her 1b hair to a 2b or a 2c. I've suggested braid waves and the like because I know how damaging perms are, but she's looking for something that'll be less constant effort....what would you ask for if you wanted to get your hair permed to that? Or is it even possible? It's my (probably incorrect) understanding that only those seeking curls get perms. I'm just trying to get as much information to her as possible...thanks!

[jane_marie]

You can get perms to go curly, straight or anywhere in between. The thing is though, perms are super tricky to do and even harder to do well. When I worked as a cosmetologist I refused to do them because they are extremely easy to mess up.

I would urge your friend to rethink the whole thing and if she is dead set on doing it make sure she knows to ask the stylist if they have done it before, how confident they are and for after photos.

The only things that can ruin a head of hair faster than perms are razors and three year-olds with scissors.

[Begemot]

Wavy perm is possible :) google new wave perm. The results depend on how tightly you use perm rods, how thin the rods are and how long you leave them. I don't have personal experience but have thought about it (I love wavy and curly hair so much).

[lapushka]

The stylists I went to always said they needed to put a curl in, that a wave wasn't possible; might be due to the texture of my own hair (which I was in total denial over for years). So there is that.

I think I believe previous posters who do say it is possible. :)

[AmaryllisRed]

I'm surprised she would rather do a perm than just braid her hair every night. The hair she's wanting is pretty much my natural state and you can barely tell the difference between that and braid waves. And sleeping in braids is like zero effort. To each their own I guess.

[Crystawni]

I've done it by using perming solution with multiple braids (the smaller the braids, the more crimped the hair looks, so she'd want to go for 3 to 5 braids around the head, depending on cut/style and thickness for 2b-2c braidwaves). It's tricky to get the ends right, though (paranda/ribbon helps to continue the pattern past the end), as the setup is the reverse of normal rod perms where the ends are wrapped around rollers with the rest of the strands following (i.e. the ends are last instead of first to form up). Spiral perms can grow out to a similar effect (+ manipulation drags the spirals out), but I'm not sure if they're done anymore.

[Begemot]

I'm surprised she would rather do a perm than just braid her hair every night. The hair she's wanting is pretty much my natural state and you can barely tell the difference between that and braid waves. And sleeping in braids is like zero effort. To each their own I guess.

I'm one who has considered a perm because braid waves just don't work for me. 9/10 times my braid waves are irregular and ridiculous looking mess accompanied with tangles, the ends never look right and I would need a huge amount of styling products (which I'm not a fan of since I hate how hair spray, mousse etc. makes my hair feel) to make waves stay wavy instead of turning into half straight, half kind of wavy atrocity. Sounds awfully dramatic but I just can't make braid waves, bantu knots and other such styles work for my hair. I imagine it would be lovely to just have wavy hair without all the work, be able to wake up in the morning and not worry if my waves have turned out right or not. I guess the success somewhat depends on what your hair type and texture are.

[AmaryllisRed]

I'm one who has considered a perm because braid waves just don't work for me. 9/10 times my braid waves are irregular and ridiculous looking mess accompanied with tangles, the ends never look right and I would need a huge amount of styling products (which I'm not a fan of since I hate how hair spray, mousse etc. makes my hair feel) to make waves stay wavy instead of turning into half straight, half kind of wavy atrocity. Sounds awfully dramatic but I just can't make braid waves, bantu knots and other such styles work for my hair. I imagine it would be lovely to just have wavy hair without all the work, be able to wake up in the morning and not worry if my waves have turned out right or not. I guess the success somewhat depends on what your hair type and texture are.

That's a good point. Braid waves have always taken very well for me with no extra effort, but I guess that wouldn't be the case for everyone.
My daughter's hair goes straight with braids!

[Begemot]

That's a good point. Braid waves have always taken very well for me with no extra effort, but I guess that wouldn't be the case for everyone.
My daughter's hair goes straight with braids!

Lucky you! Hair envy intensifies ;)

[YvetteVarie]

You can get perms to go curly, straight or anywhere in between. The thing is though, perms are super tricky to do and even harder to do well. When I worked as a cosmetologist I refused to do them because they are extremely easy to mess up.

I would urge your friend to rethink the whole thing and if she is dead set on doing it make sure she knows to ask the stylist if they have done it before, how confident they are and for after photos.

The only things that can ruin a head of hair faster than perms are razors and three year-olds with scissors.

I agree with the bolded. Consistency is the biggest problem when using chemicals to maintain straightness, waviness or curliness. I have been texlaxing for years (chemically straightening my hair while still leaving texture) and getting consistent results is hard because there are a lot of variable factors. I second a non-chemical way to get the look, and only do take the chemical route after doing a lot of research

[AutobotsAttack]

Perms are pretty much just reverse relaxers. You’re still breaking the disulfide bonds and restructuring them mechanically. Your friend would be off to a good start in maintaining proper moisture and protein balances if she decides to go through with the chemical service. Most perms use Ammonium-Thio formulas which are lower than the pH of hydroxide relaxers, but Thio based perms still raise porosity to a higher degree.

Since your friend is looking for Curls, it would also be good if she adopted a curl friendly routine. Adequate moisture, making sure the curls stay intact upon styling, oiling as needed, etc.

The smaller the perm rods, the tighter the curl will be. Larger rods =bigger curls/waves. But like everyone else has said, it’s easy to do that type of chemical service wrong. Whatever stylist she chooses, make sure the stylist is working in small sections, using proper concentrations, and try to part in three or four sections. Just to get even coverage and that there’s uniform curls throughout. But again make sure you work in smaller, equal sized sections.

[Begemot]

Just came across this video. The hair talk is kind of scattered but I thought it was interesting stuff. This is definitely not what I imagine when I hear the word perm :D


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSeQZARi5Z8

[LittleMac]

I'm one who has considered a perm because braid waves just don't work for me. 9/10 times my braid waves are irregular and ridiculous looking mess accompanied with tangles, the ends never look right and I would need a huge amount of styling products (which I'm not a fan of since I hate how hair spray, mousse etc. makes my hair feel) to make waves stay wavy instead of turning into half straight, half kind of wavy atrocity. Sounds awfully dramatic but I just can't make braid waves, bantu knots and other such styles work for my hair. I imagine it would be lovely to just have wavy hair without all the work, be able to wake up in the morning and not worry if my waves have turned out right or not. I guess the success somewhat depends on what your hair type and texture are.

You say you hate the way styling products make your hair feel, I'm guessing you mean. the hard/crunchy feeling? If that's what you mean, maybe you could look into the "scrunch out the crunch" method. If you scrunch your hair after it's fully dry and in the gel/mousse "cast", the cast will break and your hair will feel soft again, while maintaining the style. That way you could brains your hair at night with product and get a consistent look, then scrunch out the crunch once it's fully dry in the morning?

[Begemot]

You say you hate the way styling products make your hair feel, I'm guessing you mean. the hard/crunchy feeling? If that's what you mean, maybe you could look into the "scrunch out the crunch" method. If you scrunch your hair after it's fully dry and in the gel/mousse "cast", the cast will break and your hair will feel soft again, while maintaining the style. That way you could brains your hair at night with product and get a consistent look, then scrunch out the crunch once it's fully dry in the morning?

Yup, the hard/crunchy feeling is the worst. I only have some hair spray and dry shampoo at the moment but I should try scrunching some time. In the past I did try separating curls/waves after my hair had dried but it ended up straightening my hair out... maybe I did too much separating and touching, or the product(s) I used weren't very good for hold.