Perm for long hair

[addikted]

Hello, I have permed my BSL hair waaaaaayyyy back in 2000, definitely pre-LHC. As I have fairly straight asian hair, you can imagine the condition of it. Very damaged, dried and tangly. It would only look good if it was loaded up with silicone products which in hindsight did not address the dry hair issue. So I don't recommend it. Especially now that I want to reach classic and not trim. But, I think the perm technology has improved since then, have heard of 'ionic', 'water', 'ceramic' perms which are supposed to be kinder to your hair using less chemicals etc. Go and check those out if you are really interested in perming your hair.

[sandrak]

I don't want to tell you what to do, but I do want to tell you what happened to my hair. I permed back in 2005 and have regretted it ever since. I am still fighting damage on the ends. My hair is fragile and breaks easily. I have spent ALOT of money trying to get my hair in shape. It just doesn't happen. If I was you, I would run as fast as I could away from the perm. Good luck!

[Smokie]

Isn't amla supposed to add a bit of wave? I seem to recall reading something about that over at Henna for Hair... Hmm...

Also, when I permed (Yes, I know I already have very curly hair) I never payed much attention to the quality of my hair. I just wanted it to straighten out a bit and was told by someone that if you continuously comb your hair with perm-chemicals on it, it would relax a bit. This was maybe ten years ago. I was afraid of chemical relaxers and just wanted looser curls anyway (still do! **pouts**) and would do anything to get them. Pretty sure it was quite damaged. Of course, I didn't know what healthy hair felt like then. I'm still not 100% sure as only my 3" of henna-only roots are completely healthy.

[k_hepburn]

I still think back fondly to the time I had my past-bsl hair permed about ten years ago. I had asked them to do it in bigger rollers than the tiny ones they ordinarily use for perms, so the curls turned out all big and natural looking. Simply gorgeous. Since this was the first serious chemical procedure I had ever had done to my hair, I didn't really see any damage at the time either. I loved it.

However, a few months passed and I began to find out what re-growth meant. For some reason I had naively expected the perm to flatten out over time, thus becoming more and more like the hair growing out fresh. But that was definitely not what was happening. Instead I had (and retained) a very clear demarcation line: 1c/2a hair in the roots section, 3c curls for the rest.

So, once I had grown maybe two inches of re-growth I decided to follow the hair-dresser's advice to "get my roots done". After all, the process had worked fine the first time, so why not. So not a good idea. I ended up with totally fried ends. In spite of having gotten a hair cut at the same time as the "refresher perm", the bottom 5 inches of my hair were visibly very badly damaged, frizzy and split ends galore.

Of course, it was now obvious that getting the perm re-done regularly to compensate for the re-growth just wasn't going to be an option. But surely, over time, it was going to straighten out some, right? NO. Basically I was stuck with growing out what was a very visible demarcation line for the next three to four years. That is how long it took. I was still able to compensate some by doing half-ups while the straighter, virgin section of hair was only a few centimeters shor, but when the curly section started somewhere below my shoulders, the look really wasn't very hot.

If someone was to invent a non-damaging perm that could be maintained by getting re-done (and can be re-straightened without damage) I would probably be in for another try. I still remember fondly how good that first perm looked on me (though I guess I did get lucky, and perms can go horribly wrong even on first application). But there's no way I would commit myself to a perm again as long as it means having to grow it out sooner or later (or being prepared to give up most of my length).

Greetings

katharine

[Merlin]

I know I'm always in the minority when I say this, but my wife had her hair permed at almsot bsl for our wedding. The perm took fine and created just the ringlet curls she wanted. They stayed in for ages. Her hair did not crack, dry out, fall apart or look awful. When she cut it to shoulder length three years later it was in the same condition it was before she permed it.

She still has the 'remainder curls' from a perm she had years ago on her hair at shoulder length, it's now much longer and the condition is no different than it is on unpermed hair at that length.

Maybe she's just lucky?

[MadPirateBippy]

I like doing things to make my hair different, but there are ways of doing it without chemical damage.

I'd say, try plopping and the other curly methods for a while, do rag curls for a few weeks, and if you don't like the maintenence that goes into maintaining it, don't go with hair which you can't UN-curly.

Also, if you get good at it, rag curls can be really quick to put in and a great way to protect your hair while you sleep, and they can be fairly quick. That way, if you end up tired of the curls, you can just stop rag curling instead of having to make a big chop.

[Magdalene]

I had perms for about 6 years straight, and the shortest my hair was during that time was waist. If you have very healthy hair and you use the right rollers (I used the LONG ones that make a circle when you fasten them) it can turn out quite well. Make sure they leave the perm solution on long enough. It usually took about 4 hours combined with the wrapping and the solution part.

I didn't really have a problem with a demarcation line with regrowth, because the weight of my hair always pulled the scalp curl flat anyway.

Every once in a while I consider perming again, but the cost is prohibitive, and I do have the option of braidwaves...but I do miss the curls...

[vdhendrix]

yes my mom was never able to grow her hair paist bsl when she permed(it always broke off) that that she has all the perm damage cut off it grows like wildfire

[Coriander]

When I had my first perm, I had about BSL hair. It was a complete disaster. The curls didn't take, but my hair was absolutely altered afterwards.

The second time I had a perm, my hair was between shoulder and BSL. This time, the perm took. Too well. I looked like Orphan Annie.

I had it straightened a few years afterwards because I couldn't take the frizz anymore.

Just my experience.

[RocketDog]

I had permed hair twice - once in fifth grade, where the curl fell out in about a week, the second in ninth grade, where the stylist used the wrong size rollers and I had major poodle-poof. My hair was visibly lighter and more 'porous' feeling afterwards, if memory serves. Both times my hair was just brushing my shoulders.

I can relate to wanting 'perfect' curls every day, but there are so many ways to achieve good curl without needing a perm. One way I can coax my unruly-curly hair into more 'coiffed' spirally waves is to part my hair down the middle and curl it into a big roll on each side of my head while it dries. It sets into pretty, super-shiny waves as it dries and you can refresh the waves during the day by running damp fingers through your hair and re-twirling for a few minutes.