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PurpleAshes
August 8th, 2009, 07:08 PM
First, my hair story:
About 3 years ago I had waist lenght hair (when stretched). It was not the healthiest hair, but it was fine and it curled beautifully. Then, my sister introduced me to a flat iron, and suddenly it became my best friend.
I have gone to the salon to straighten my hair my whole life, but there was always the risk of getting frizzy hair as my country is very humid, and flat irons made the risk nonexistent - my hair was always sleek and straight, so I fell in love with it and used the flat iron nearly every day.

This obviously resulted in AWFUL damage. Most of my hair just didnt curl anymore, and this was devastating since my dream was always having looooong curly hair. I also lost a big part of my thickness do to a medication, so I really didn't like the state of my hair at all.

About a year ago, I finally decided to do something about it, and started going to the salon less frequently, and gradually cut my hair, until I took the plunge and did the big chop in october 08, and stopped straightening my hair definetly. I didnt cut all the damage though, as this would've meant cutting my hair until it was 2 inches long, and this was not an option. Right now, I have about 5 inches of healthy hair, and maybe 6 inches of damaged hair that just DOESN'T CURL.

And I hate this parts of my hair. I can't wear it completely down beacuse it doesnt look ok (the damage is precisely in all the front and canopy), being half curly half straight. I have been breaking my head for 10 months trying to figure out what to with this part of my hair, and today, realization hit me:
A PERM!

I know this would be even more damaging, but really, I have nothing to loose as I already dislike very much the way my hair looks. I would only get a perm in the parts that don't get curly.

So, what I am asking here is information about perms. I have never had one done nor heard of someone who has had it done (people in my country don't apreciate curls that much, people with straight hair are considered lucky).

Would a perm make the hair as curly as my natural hair (3b/3c) ?
How much does it last?
Does it requiere any special type of treatment?
Will it look nice airdried?

Just any information you can give me about perms will be apreciated.
I might post pictures of the way my damage looks later, as the photos in my album don't show it clearly.

TIA LHC, I know your responses will be very useful even if this rather a peculiar question in hair care forum :o

Flynn
August 8th, 2009, 07:12 PM
Never had one, but have been warned that perming has a tendency to lead to insane frizziness. If that's a problem already, it might not be the best option here.

Also, I'd be worried about how a perm would go over your naturally very curly parts...?

spidermom
August 8th, 2009, 07:16 PM
I understand why you'd want to try it, but be prepared to cut your hair short because perms are very damaging. Of all the things I've done to my hair, perms were the worst. They'd generally look pretty good for about 4-6 months, then it was all downhill until I couldn't stand it anymore and got the perm cut off. Since your hair is already damaged, a perm is going to compound that. You will probably have hair breaking off like crazy every time you comb it.

I see that you have F/M hair, which is pretty much what I have, so I really can't recommend this.

You could try making a top of head ponytail at night and rolling the ends on spongy curlers. This might give pretty results. I used to do this, but my hair is too long to hold a curl now. Too bad.

PurpleAshes
August 8th, 2009, 07:17 PM
Never had one, but have been warned that perming has a tendency to lead to insane frizziness. If that's a problem already, it might not be the best option here.

Also, I'd be worried about how a perm would go over your naturally very curly parts...?

I don't want a perm in the curly parts, never! hahaha. I love the curly parts so much :D
It would just be in the damaged parts, the one that dont curl. They look like 1b.

Speckla
August 8th, 2009, 07:20 PM
The pattern wouldn't match your curly hairs and those portions would be dryer and more prone to damage and breakage.

toodramatik
August 8th, 2009, 07:22 PM
I don't want a perm in the curly parts, never! hahaha. I love the curly parts so much :D
It would just be in the damaged parts, the one that dont curl. They look like 1b.


You'll damage those damage parts even more to the point that they might not even look like hair.

& then if you fall in love with the flat iron again you can kind of kiss your hair goodbye. :( Or if you ever feel like dyeing it.

It will also be hard to match the perm to the exact curliness of your hair.

I think you should wait till your hair grows more & then cut off the damaged ends. You'll end up cutting them sooner or later. I think at the moment you should just put your hair in up do's until you can do that.

I know that's not what you wanted to hear but it's my 0.02 =[

Speckla
August 8th, 2009, 07:24 PM
I've had curly and straight perms before and liked them initially but regretted it afterwards. Your hair looks pretty in your avatar. I'd say just keep your hair well moisturized and trim off the ends over time.

GlassEyes
August 8th, 2009, 07:27 PM
I'd just try roller-setting the damaged ends when you want it down. A perm won't match the curl pattern, so it'll look off, and even if it didn't, it's just going to damage the hair down below more.

I'd just do that until you're comfortable chopping the damage off. Plus, there's alway sa chance that the damage from the perm could damage your healthy hair.

heatherdazy
August 8th, 2009, 07:36 PM
I hate to break this to you, but as a stylist I can tell you there's no way the perm solution is going to magically stay off your regrowth. You could have done this months and months ago, but now it's either perm the whole thing or don't.

Ice~Cold~Wind
August 8th, 2009, 07:59 PM
It's all or none from what I've heard. My mom used to be a stylist and she did perms all of the time. The result: dry frizzy hair. Just be patient and grow those ends out!:D Then you will have the pleasure of chopping them off!

PurpleAshes
August 8th, 2009, 08:10 PM
Oh man, and I thought I had finally figured it out. :doh:
I guess this is not an option then, since it would have to all of my hair, and it wouldn't even match my texture.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions :blossom:

The reason why I'm so frustrated with this is that the damage is all the front! Imagine a line from ear to ear passing through the canopy. That's where all the damage is. So, when I cut it, I either have to cut a BIG part of non damaged hair for it to look even, or have a very weird hair cut :(

Flynn
August 8th, 2009, 08:15 PM
Pics? It sounds a lot like you think it's worse than it is because it's your own hair...

Speckla
August 8th, 2009, 08:16 PM
It is frustrating. Just letting your hair grow is the best and most frustrating thing. I've ruined my hair with a flatiron before and tried to do things to fix it and only made it worse. I ended up having to cut off more than I wanted to to fix it.

PurpleAshes
August 8th, 2009, 08:19 PM
Pics? It sounds a lot like you think it's worse than it is because it's your own hair...

Not really =(
I'll go get my camera and post pics in a few minutes

Speckla, yes, it's very frustrating not being able to do anything:mad:

ETA: I made a ponytail today, so my hair is a bit straighter than usual. I'll take a few pics when I wash my hair, that way the difference between textures will look as it usually does.

In the meanwhile, a pic from when my hair started getting damaged, compare with my actual curls.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c38/PurpleAshesLP/P1010875.jpg
Rigth now, the damage looks way straighter than it does in this picture. Please ignore my face :)

Bunnyhare
August 8th, 2009, 08:20 PM
try the growing out hints, lots of cute hair clippies,bandanas,hats and just leave it to grow for a bit then start to trim the ends as it grows. GOod luck an dhang in there!

Aer
August 8th, 2009, 08:21 PM
I would skip the perm and cut the damage. I know its probably not the answer you want, but I honestly do not think getting a perm would help you out. In the end though, the decision is yours. I had to cut some damage off maybe six months ago, infact I probably need to update my profile length info if I remember to. I didn't cut a lot off, but it wasn't fun, although I now it was for the best. You could get a cool new haircut for like the last time before you go long, that could be neat. I hope with whatever you do that it makes you feel good and your happy about, cause thats what matters.

Speckla
August 8th, 2009, 08:32 PM
Your hair looks like it needs a little more moisture and probably some protein. It doesn't look bad or unhealthy at all. I'd say (and yes, I'll probably say it again) that you just need to give it time to grow out and it'll grow back faster than you realize.

My hair was a mess (relaxed and flatironed) a few years ago and wouldn't even curly anymore but it wasn't totally straight either unless I flatironed it. It was a vicious circle and I had to finally just let it grow and use a good conditioner.

PurpleAshes
August 8th, 2009, 08:37 PM
Your hair looks like it needs a little more moisture and probably some protein. It doesn't look bad or unhealthy at all. I'd say (and yes, I'll probably say it again) that you just need to give it time to grow out and it'll grow back faster than you realize.

My hair was a mess (relaxed and flatironed) a few years ago and wouldn't even curly anymore but it wasn't totally straight either unless I flatironed it. It was a vicious circle and I had to finally just let it grow and use a good conditioner.

You mean right now or in that picture?
That picture is 2 years old, from when my hair started getting damaged. Right now, the condition looks very well, but it still doesn't curl at all and that's what bugs me. The difference in textures doesn't look nice, at all.

I'm glad to know you went through the same as me and ended up with beautiful hair :blossom:

Speckla
August 8th, 2009, 08:41 PM
You mean right now or in that picture?
That picture is 2 years old, from when my hair started getting damaged. Right now, the condition looks very well, but it still doesn't curl at all and that's what bugs me. The difference in textures doesn't look nice, at all.

I'm glad to know you went through the same as me and ended up with beautiful hair :blossom:

Ok, I didn't realize that picture was two years old.

Yep, I think a lot of curlies have been in the same exact place we were and are going towards. Growing out damage is the hardest thing because you have to trim off length and length is already hard to show because it curls right back up. Your curls will return back to normal. In fact, my curls are better now than ever. I learned to appreciate them and to take better care of them.


Thank you for the compliment.

Shiva
August 8th, 2009, 08:42 PM
hmmm... I think I did something simular but opposite back when I wanted to go back to naturally straight.

I was a perm junky and was just getting tired of always having to perm it as it grew out, SO I had my hairdresser chemically straighten the old perm on the ends. I was ever so happy with the results and really didn't suffer damage that was too bad (this was WAY before I ever found TLHC and CWC's and CO's and exotic oils to put in my hair).

It's funny how people with curly hair always admire the straight hairs and vice versa. Back in the day if you told me cow manure put on my hair would make it curly and long I would've done it. http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l226/NorthernXposure/emoticons/crackhead.gif

Flynn
August 8th, 2009, 08:42 PM
Not really =(
I'll go get my camera and post pics in a few minutes

Speckla, yes, it's very frustrating not being able to do anything:mad:

ETA: I made a ponytail today, so my hair is a bit straighter than usual. I'll take a few pics when I wash my hair, that way the difference between textures will look as it usually does.

In the meanwhile, a pic from when my hair started getting damaged, compare with my actual curls.
[Image]
Rigth now, the damage looks way straighter than it does in this picture. Please ignore my face :)

*Laughs* That expression is great... it's like "ugh. Hair.".

Looking at that pic, it looks like there's an easy fix until it grows out: the straighter bits look like the perfect parts to pull back into a half-up sort of thing (you know what I mean, where you just pull the front bits back and clip them, not the scraped-straight-back sort), which I think would look great with the contrasting textures. If you dislike that, the same thing can be done with braids (I love using this style...) Braid the straighter front bits (pointing them backward as you do) and then combine them and braid them together where they meet at the back. If it's more extensive now, and it's only your top layer, a full, pulled-back half-up (braided if you like) would look really cool.

Treat them real nice otherwise (lots of moisture, protect them with some oil, maybe a coconut milk soak for protein... you know the drill) and they might spring back into shape for you. ^__^

spidermom
August 8th, 2009, 08:54 PM
Try a reconstructing treatment followed by a moisture treatment.

PurpleAshes
August 8th, 2009, 08:58 PM
Ok, I didn't realize that picture was two years old.

Yep, I think a lot of curlies have been in the same exact place we were and are going towards. Growing out damage is the hardest thing because you have to trim off length and length is already hard to show because it curls right back up. Your curls will return back to normal. In fact, my curls are better now than ever. I learned to appreciate them and to take better care of them.


Thank you for the compliment.

Yup, that's exactly how I feel (about cutting the lenght that hardly shows). Your post gives me hope :)



It's funny how people with curly hair always admire the straight hairs and vice versa. Back in the day if you told me cow manure put on my hair would make it curly and long I would've done it. http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l226/NorthernXposure/emoticons/crackhead.gif

Hahaha, yes, I've always thought its funny!


*Laughs* That expression is great... it's like "ugh. Hair.".

Looking at that pic, it looks like there's an easy fix until it grows out: the straighter bits look like the perfect parts to pull back into a half-up sort of thing (you know what I mean, where you just pull the front bits back and clip them, not the scraped-straight-back sort), which I think would look great with the contrasting textures. If you dislike that, the same thing can be done with braids (I love using this style...) Braid the straighter front bits (pointing them backward as you do) and then combine them and braid them together where they meet at the back. If it's more extensive now, and it's only your top layer, a full, pulled-back half-up (braided if you like) would look really cool.

Treat them real nice otherwise (lots of moisture, protect them with some oil, maybe a coconut milk soak for protein... you know the drill) and they might spring back into shape for you. ^__^

Hhahahahaha, that's EXACTLY what the expression meant! I have been treating my hair like old lace ever since I found this board (10 months ago), so unfortunately, I don't think they will curl back:o

And half ups are what I have been doing for the past 10 months too, it gets quite boring :S But the braids thing is a great idea! I'll try it next time I CO, thanks!

PurpleAshes
August 8th, 2009, 08:59 PM
Try a reconstructing treatment followed by a moisture treatment.

What is a reconstructing treatment? =O

Juneii
August 8th, 2009, 09:07 PM
YIKES. flat irons are NOT very forgiving.

I think that if your hair is long enough I'd suggest just cutting off the damaged ends and be done with it. then you can rock the short hair until it grows out.

best of luck to you! :)

Speckla
August 8th, 2009, 09:08 PM
What is a reconstructing treatment? =O

Something that has protein or other nutrients to help fill in the gaps (damage) places on hair.

spidermom
August 8th, 2009, 09:09 PM
What is a reconstructing treatment? =O

Unfortunately, I don't know what is available in the DR, but look for hair treatments/conditioners with the words "reconstructing" or "reconstructor". They generally contain both protein and moisture. They help to normalize the disrupted structure of damaged hair.

PurpleAshes
August 8th, 2009, 09:14 PM
Ohh, that sounds interesting!

Speckla
August 8th, 2009, 09:16 PM
Ohh, that sounds interesting!

Coconut oil is great on my hair. It has some protein and oil to balance things out.

spidermom
August 8th, 2009, 09:28 PM
I'm pretty sure that coconut oil does not contain protein except maybe the tiniest amount. It's pretty much pure essential fatty acids. What it does is prevent protein loss from your hair.

Nightshade
August 8th, 2009, 09:31 PM
You could always have a test section of a perm done on just one or two pieces- so if they melted or broke off you'd know.

That said, I HATED my old color and fixed it. I knew that there was a chance I was going to damage my hair, though Sun-In is on a whole different level than a perm. Being that it's hair you know you can't keep anyway, try setting it with curlers, then if that isn't cutting it, test one piece or two of your hair with a perm and wait a month to see how the hair reacts long-term. If you think you can live with it, go for it- but have it done by a professional and error on the side of "might not hold the curl" rather than "might evaporate in a puff of smoke"

Speckla
August 8th, 2009, 09:34 PM
I'm pretty sure that coconut oil does not contain protein except maybe the tiniest amount. It's pretty much pure essential fatty acids. What it does is prevent protein loss from your hair.

I can only tolerate protein in small, small amounts and I think it's just the right amount. It could contain :cheese: or :pumpkin: and I'd still use it. :eyebrows:

spidermom
August 8th, 2009, 09:41 PM
I can only tolerate protein in small, small amounts and I think it's just the right amount. It could contain :cheese: or :pumpkin: and I'd still use it. :eyebrows:

Me too; it's pretty terrific stuff.

PurpleAshes
August 8th, 2009, 09:53 PM
I've never tried it.
I'll convince my mom to make me some (she and the cleaning lady know how to do it =O )

spidermom
August 8th, 2009, 09:55 PM
I've never tried it.
I'll convince my mom to make me some (she and the cleaning lady know how to do it =O )

Good idea! Start with a small amount - enough to cover one fingertip, rubbed among fingers, stroked onto hair. It's easy to add more, nearly impossible to subtract any, also easy to overdo. I'm sure with your damage that you don't want to have to wash your hair more often.

PurpleAshes
August 18th, 2009, 04:35 PM
Try a reconstructing treatment followed by a moisture treatment.

I found a reconstructing treatment in my mom's product bag, and I'm intending to try it next weekend (or sooner).
Should I use it all over my hair, or just where the damage is?

spidermom
August 18th, 2009, 04:56 PM
I found a reconstructing treatment in my mom's product bag, and I'm intending to try it next weekend (or sooner).
Should I use it all over my hair, or just where the damage is?

If it were me, I'd just apply it where the damage is, more or less.

Fractalsofhair
August 18th, 2009, 05:23 PM
Personally, I'd suggest just chopping off all the damage, as 5 inches is a good bit longer than a bob, so you should be fine. You'll lose the growth, but lose the damage!

Cherry_Sprinkle
August 18th, 2009, 05:48 PM
I'd avoid perming.. it's very damaging to your hair and if you already have damaged hair you run the risk of it breaking. A good stylist will snip some of your hair from underneath in a non-visible spot and do a strand test so you can see what it looks like permed.

I used to perm my hair when I was young, I always got a tight spiral but I fought frizz daily and in the end I was never happy with how it looked anyway. Honestly if I were in your shoes I wouldn't perm, instead I would spend a great deal of time caring for my hair with moisture treatments and lots of trims until the damage is gone.

yogachic
August 18th, 2009, 06:03 PM
I don't think you can just perm a portion of your hair. It's pretty much all or nothing if were speaking length wise.

I've had perms since I was 16, and It's been about 2 years since, and I have very wavy/curly hair, and come to find out I never needed them.

The other posters are very correct in saying perms will lead to very frizzy hair/damaged hair.

PurpleAshes
August 18th, 2009, 10:40 PM
If it were me, I'd just apply it where the damage is, more or less.

Do you think healthy hair would change it's texture if I put reconstructive treatment on them?
Because, I could separate the front from the back easily to get the damage in the front, but I don't know how would I go about avoiding the roots :confused:

PurpleAshes
August 21st, 2009, 12:40 PM
I did the reconstructive treatment two days ago, and it didn't do any difference. I was half hoping I would get some curl back, but I guess the only option left is cutting in a few years (Definetly not now!)
I uploaded a few pics of the damaged hair in my album :)

spidermom
August 21st, 2009, 01:13 PM
Do you think healthy hair would change it's texture if I put reconstructive treatment on them?
Because, I could separate the front from the back easily to get the damage in the front, but I don't know how would I go about avoiding the roots :confused:

I was just thinking it's possible to get protein overload. I'm sure that your damaged hair needs protein, not so sure about the undamaged parts. Give it a try; the results might be good.

Jay P.
August 21st, 2009, 01:14 PM
Maybe just use flexirods for when you want to go out? Just a suggestion....my first post here actually! :)

Jay P.
August 21st, 2009, 01:15 PM
I did the reconstructive treatment two days ago, and it didn't do any difference. I was half hoping I would get some curl back, but I guess the only option left is cutting in a few years (Definetly not now!)
I uploaded a few pics of the damaged hair in my album :)


I think if you do more than one treatment you may be able to get some curl back. One reconstructive treatment isn't enough for horribly heat damaged hair.

A perm is not the solution, it will only be detrimental. Use the flexi-rods if you want curl.

PurpleAshes
August 21st, 2009, 02:00 PM
I was just thinking it's possible to get protein overload. I'm sure that your damaged hair needs protein, not so sure about the undamaged parts. Give it a try; the results might be good.

Heh, maybe we posted at the same time :)
In the post above I said I already did it and it didn't do any difference =(
eta: And that I uploaded some pics in my album of how my damage looks now.

PurpleAshes
August 21st, 2009, 02:02 PM
Maybe just use flexirods for when you want to go out? Just a suggestion....my first post here actually! :)

I've never seen flexirods, but I've discovered that little rope braids give me a curl that looks like my own :D They give me a headeache though, so it would be for special occasions as you said.

Cherry_Sprinkle
August 21st, 2009, 02:06 PM
I don't think you can just perm a portion of your hair. It's pretty much all or nothing if were speaking length wise.

You can, it's called a root perm :)

LaurelSpring
August 21st, 2009, 02:28 PM
I understand why you'd want to try it, but be prepared to cut your hair short because perms are very damaging. Of all the things I've done to my hair, perms were the worst. They'd generally look pretty good for about 4-6 months, then it was all downhill until I couldn't stand it anymore and got the perm cut off. Since your hair is already damaged, a perm is going to compound that. You will probably have hair breaking off like crazy every time you comb it.

I see that you have F/M hair, which is pretty much what I have, so I really can't recommend this.

You could try making a top of head ponytail at night and rolling the ends on spongy curlers. This might give pretty results. I used to do this, but my hair is too long to hold a curl now. Too bad.

I totally agree with Spidermom. A perm will do you no favors. I usually had mine go frizzy in a couple of weeks and hated it and then had to have it cut. I know it seems like a solution at the moment, but perms are not the answer for anyone that wants long hair. If you had short hair and were constantly cutting it in a short style and cutting off damage and then always perming over new growth then a perm isnt so bad and can be a good base for holding a curl but thats about it.

A better solution would be to address the damage as well as possible with some good treatments, perhaps do as spidermom said and curl it on rollers to get uniformity or learn some good updos so its out of sight out of mind until it grows.

LaurelSpring
August 21st, 2009, 02:32 PM
I just looked at the damage pics. Honestly as a former hairdresser I wouldnt perm over that. I would refuse to do it. You might end up with total mush.

PurpleAshes
August 21st, 2009, 02:53 PM
I just looked at the damage pics. Honestly as a former hairdresser I wouldnt perm over that. I would refuse to do it. You might end up with total mush.

I know :(
I decided against the perm from page one of this thread. I was just really excited because I thought I had finally come up with a solution.

About your previous post, I've done many protein/moisture treatments over the las 10 months and nothing seems to help. Now it's worse (not in condition, but in the way my hair looks), because when my hair was short the curls of the bottom layer were more vissible, but now that my hair is longer the damage shows with every hairstyle I do. I'm tired of not being able to wear my hair completely down (without pinning away the damage) , or have a nice ponytail (without damage covering all of my pretty healthy hair)

ETA: Oh, and take into consideration that in the pic of the ponityail, the damage is just the straight parts. The parts that look frizzy in the middle.. are just frizzy :D It was a bad hair day.

prittykitty
August 21st, 2009, 03:18 PM
First, my hair story:
About 3 years ago I had waist lenght hair (when stretched). It was not the healthiest hair, but it was fine and it curled beautifully. Then, my sister introduced me to a flat iron, and suddenly it became my best friend.
I have gone to the salon to straighten my hair my whole life, but there was always the risk of getting frizzy hair as my country is very humid, and flat irons made the risk nonexistent - my hair was always sleek and straight, so I fell in love with it and used the flat iron nearly every day.

This obviously resulted in AWFUL damage. Most of my hair just didnt curl anymore, and this was devastating since my dream was always having looooong curly hair. I also lost a big part of my thickness do to a medication, so I really didn't like the state of my hair at all.

About a year ago, I finally decided to do something about it, and started going to the salon less frequently, and gradually cut my hair, until I took the plunge and did the big chop in october 08, and stopped straightening my hair definetly. I didnt cut all the damage though, as this would've meant cutting my hair until it was 2 inches long, and this was not an option. Right now, I have about 5 inches of healthy hair, and maybe 6 inches of damaged hair that just DOESN'T CURL.

And I hate this parts of my hair. I can't wear it completely down beacuse it doesnt look ok (the damage is precisely in all the front and canopy), being half curly half straight. I have been breaking my head for 10 months trying to figure out what to with this part of my hair, and today, realization hit me:
A PERM!

I know this would be even more damaging, but really, I have nothing to loose as I already dislike very much the way my hair looks. I would only get a perm in the parts that don't get curly.

So, what I am asking here is information about perms. I have never had one done nor heard of someone who has had it done (people in my country don't apreciate curls that much, people with straight hair are considered lucky).

Would a perm make the hair as curly as my natural hair (3b/3c) ?
How much does it last?
Does it requiere any special type of treatment?
Will it look nice airdried?

Just any information you can give me about perms will be apreciated.
I might post pictures of the way my damage looks later, as the photos in my album don't show it clearly.

TIA LHC, I know your responses will be very useful even if this rather a peculiar question in hair care forum :o


I know that you think a perm may be the answer but I warn you, don't do it! I have naturally curly hair that gets frizzy and I went and got a large rod perm to (calm down my natural curl) and give me hair that is more of a controlled curl. The perm went great but the only problem was that it did not relax my natural curl even after waiting a month. In fact my hair seemed more curly. I started using a straight iron which seemed to do the trick but my hair was so dry. So I did the next thing that I thought might work. I went to the salon and had perm solution combed through my hair to relax the perm. This was ok the first week or so but then my hair started to frizz and was very dry and brittle on the ends. I again used the straight iron and it looked good straight but it was so dry and breaking off at the ends. I was even using professional straightening products recommended by the salon, the same with shampoo and conditioner. I had lost hope. My hair was fried and breaking off at the ends and I didn't know where to turn. I went online and by luck I found this website. I am new here and learning but I am now on the right track to getting my hair healthy and learning to use the right products. I also got my hair cut into a nice layered style while it grows so I have some kind of hairstyle. My hair is about the same length as yours.

Might I add, the front of my hair is straighter than the back. The best thing I have found that works for me is to get the front cut in a style and do something with that while the rest of it grows out.

Nicoliee
January 20th, 2011, 06:28 AM
If you properly take care of a perm and condition like crazy you can prevent alot of damage.

GlassWidow
January 20th, 2011, 09:43 AM
I've seen a few perm threads pop up on the front page today, and it got me thinking about when I used to perm my hair in the late 80's. I'm sure the technology is a zillion times better today, but I still can't get over the memory of sitting in class in high school and feeling something tickle my neck. I reached back to see what it was and came away with hunks of hair. The entire underside of my hair broke off at about 3 inches, and my hair was about APL back then. I'm permanently scared of perms!