As your perm grows, your hair's ends may still be curly while your roots turn straight or limp. If you're wearing your hair down, curl a few sections of hair on the sides and back to add volume and make it less noticeable that your hair is growing out.
According to O'Connor, perms can last up to six months; however, unlike hair color, a perm won't wash out and can't be chemically reversed. A perm always has to grow out, but thankfully, they typically grow out as natural-looking waves. When it comes to perms, maintenance is key.
How long does it take for your hair to fully transition? It will take roughly 8-12 months if you just let your hair grow. If you want to transition by growing your hair out, you'll see and feel your natural hair coming in over the first 1-3 months.
And, while the word 'perm' might make you think your look will be permanent, that new texture won't last forever. This chemical treatment will soften or grow out over time.
Perms can cause damage to your hair over time. If you don't take care of your scalp health, you could experience hair loss.
Since perming is inherently a drying process, if done so incorrectly can result in damage to the strands of hair making them weak and brittle. This causes the strands to break, leaving thinning or bald patches. The good news is that this type of hair loss is temporary, and new strands will grow back in time.
A: Heather, unfortunately the best way to “get rid of'' a perm is to wait for it to grow out. Frequent micro trims will speed up this process, in addition to using a deep conditioning mask once a week to weigh down curls.
The disulphide bonds can only be broken with heat (as happens in 'permanent waving' hair treatment), but hydrogen bonds are affected by water, so the individual molecules can change their shape temporarily when wet.
It's 2023 now, and perms have truly (honestly!) come a long way, thanks to new techniques and technology. “You don't have to have a tight perm,” Lucille Javier, a color and texture specialist at the Mark Ryan Salon in New York, says.
A perm, or permanent texture, isn't actually permanent. A good perm will last 3-6 months, depending on the length and texture of your hair. So the good news is, if you don't like it, it will grow out, and the curls will loosen over time.
But decades after the 1980s, both are back. And perms (short for "permanent wave") look altogether different these days. Even better news: the techniques used to achieve modern-day perms are far better for your hair than the harmful chemicals utilized in the '80s. 1 They also look more natural.
Doubling up on the chemicals can lead to severe damage, dryness, and breakage. Similarly, if your hair is already very dry or breakage prone because of frequent heat-styling, a dry climate, your genetics, or even illness, this may not be the best time to think about perming your hair.
Perm chemicals change the protein bonds within your hair. After a perm, a lot of your natural moisture is lost, and you might be prone to split ends and breakage, especially on the ends of your hair. Perming your hair the first time usually isn't the problem, it's perming multiple times over already damaged hair.
While perming is very drying on the hair and can affect its quality, it will not usually cause hair loss. It can, however, result in bald patches if the chemicals and heat used for the perm burn the scalp.
If your hair is color-treated, dry, or damaged, you might want to postpone your perm plans for a month or two to let your locks recover.
If it is too curly, your stylist can relax it. If it is not curly enough, wait at least a week to redo it. If your hair is not in good enough condition to re-perm, you may have to trim your hair and wait until your hair is ready to perm again. Get 15% off your next online order.
Immediately After the Perm
Also, for a week, steer clear of any styling, other than simply scrunching the hair with your fingers to set the curls in place. "Even the most basic hairstyles or hair accessories can potentially cause your perm to break or set in an unwanted shape," says Breuer.
Body Wave Perm
"Body waves offer a softer, more natural-looking wave," adds Dunning. "It can also provide added texture and longer-lasting blowouts." To create these effortless, natural-looking waves, "normally larger rods are used to create the look, giving it less of a curl," Lara explains.
"The amount of time [it takes to completely transition] depends on the length of your relaxed hair, how often you trim or cut off the relaxed hair, and if there are any setbacks such as hair breakage or hair loss. It can take as long as a year (or longer) if you do basic trims every three months versus the big chop."