 Perms
are back!!!. Perming or permanent waves is a great way to
add body, curls, & bounces to your hair. Perms can increase
the fullness of soft, fine hair, put a curl or wave into straight
hair, or simply make your hair easier to style. Thus perming
can be used for styling hair in the following ways.
- To
add curl. If your hair is fine and limp, getting perms
just might do the trick for you. Gone are those days of
tight, poodle type curls. Now you can choose from a variety
of size curls. From small rollers to large, 1 ½ inch rollers,
perms are out of the dark ages. A large roller will give
you a very soft curl. A smaller roller will give you more
of a spiral look.
- To
relax naturally curly hair. If you have naturally curly
hair, that is unruly, perming can tame those locks. By
using a large roller then your natural curl size, perming
will break down your hair and create a new curl.
- And
to straighten hair. Yes, you can use perms to straighten
hair. However, this method is tedious and time consuming.
The lotion would be applied and then the stylist would
comb your hair straight for the length of the timing.
Sometimes up to 20 minutes. And this method would only
be used on hair that is almost straight.
The strength of the perming solution used to curl the
hair is measured by pH, which can be either alkaline or
acidic.
ALKALINE WAVE: It
is the best choice for resistant hair, Asian hair, hair
with low elasticity, and hard to perm fine hair as well
as normal, healthy hair.
ACID WAVE: These
are milder than alkaline perms and work at a lower pH
to reduce swelling of the hair during the perm process
thus-reducing the chance of damage to fragile and colour
treated hair. A good choice for healthy hair with good
elasticity, tinted hair, damaged hair, highlighted hair,
or fragile hair.
The perming process
-
The hair is first washed and then wound on to some kind
of former, such as a curler or a rod. The perm lotion
is applied to the hair. Because the lotion is alkaline
(pH about 9) the scales of the cuticle open slightly,
allowing the lotion to flow under the cuticle and into
the cortex. Here it reacts with the keratin of the cortex,
breaking some of the disulphide cross-links within and
between the protein chains. The hair swells and 'softens',
so that it can stretch to take up the shape of the formers.
-
After a while the perm lotion is thoroughly rinsed away
and a neutralising lotion is applied. This re-forms the
broken cross-links, which makes the hair harden into its
new, curlier shape. This stage is the key to a successful
perm: failure to rinse and neutralise properly can lead
to many problems, including scalp irritation and damage
to the structure of the hair shaft.
Some Tips if you are perming
your hair at home:
-
First and foremost wash and condition your hair properly.
Hair that has already been chemically processed may need
a cream conditioner applied to protect the hair before
perming.
-
Use protective gloves when applying chemicals.
- When
wrapping hair around rollers, each section must be wrapped
smoothly and evenly, without stretching the hair too tightly.
-
After thoroughly rinsing out the permanent solution with
warm water, a neutralizer must usually be applied for
five to eight minutes to set the curl.
- Remove
rollers and then rinse off neutralizer thoroughly with
cool water.
-
Do not use if you are allergic to any ingredient in the
product. Avoid contact with eyes, nose, and mouth.
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