From the Early 1900s to the 1980s Perms were popularized by iconic movies during the 80s that featured actresses with big, lustrous curls, but this style got its start many years earlier in Germany. The process was invented by Karl Ludwig Nesser, a creative hairdresser who first tested the treatment on his wife.
Yes, many metal bands in the 70s and 80s, including Metallica, often styled their long hair in ways that included perms. The hairstyle trends of that era typically featured big, voluminous hair, and perms were a popular way to achieve that look.
The long, permed hair look was particularly popular amongst male rock stars of this period, associated with heavy metal and glam metal bands of this era such as Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, and Whitesnake.
Curly hair was super popular in the 90s, lots of girls got perms. Early-mid 90s had a more natural look tied to grunge (doc martins, prairie skirts, etc) that was replaced by more sleek shiny pop looks at the end of the decade (think Spice Girls or Robyn).
Perm-mania was at its zenith and curls were being teased to great heights by hairdressers everywhere. By the 90s they had fallen out of vogue replaced with an obsession with sleek, straightened hair. Curls didn't really make a comeback except for a spell when we all wanted Sienna Miller's loose boho waves in the 2000s.
“Perming doesn't get taught to hairstylists like it did in the 80s, so the technique has kind of died out a bit,” says Hersheson. “It's really important that the person you go to understands perms. You also need someone who will tell you not to have it done if your hair isn't in the right condition.
Unless you were of the echelon of Robin Leach's Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, a salon perm was a costly and likely unfeasible luxury; such a style could set you back as much as $50, the equivalent of a new car payment at the time.
It wasn't until the 1980s, that curly hair had once again been considered “in vogue.” The 80's gave us the poofy, extreme hair,the “jheri curl” and even that high side pony with the crimped or curly hair. Today, it's okay to have those stylized curls and waves.
A number of brands of home permanent kits were available since the invention of the 'cold wave' in the 1940s, but their numbers have decreased as permanent waves are not as popular as they were in the 1980s.
Definition. The broccoli haircut is a hairstyle with tapered sides and short, uneven layered curls on top, which are often permed. It is referred to as such due to its resemblance to a floret of broccoli.
The 1980s saw the onset of huge, voluminous locks on men and women, often in the form of long, curly hair. Inspired by heavy metal and appropriately-named "Hair Bands," huge hair was everywhere.
A perm typically lasts three to six months, depending on the type of perm you get, your hair type and how well you take care of it. A traditional perm that produces a uniform curl pattern can last 3-6 months, depending on how fast your hair grows and how you treat it.
Curly Bangs
One of the most common hairstyles during the '80s was curly bangs. A go-to style for natural and curly-haired people, this hairstyle brings volume front and center (literally), and makes for effortless movement.
Unlike their predecessors, modern perms utilize gentler formulations and techniques that minimize damage and maximize results. This means you can achieve beautiful waves without sacrificing the health and integrity of your hair.
Disco/Dance Queen Curls (Big Loose Curls)
This hairstyle gained popularity at the height of the disco scene, and featured voluminous gravity-defying bouncy curls cascading in different lengths from short to long (beyond the shoulders). Tight curls were first created using curling irons, hot rollers, or perm solutions.
Though perms can be traced back to 1872, the original method involved electric heated rollers rigged up like a chandelier, and was known to burn a scalp every now and then. The first iteration of a “cold wave” perm, like the ones we see today, wasn't invented until 1938.
Perms can damage your hair over time. If you don't take care of your scalp health, you could get hair loss. Scalp health is important because once a hair follicle gets damaged, you can't grow new hair from that follicle. It's important to get perms only from a trusted salon.
From the Early 1900s to the 1980s
Perms were popularized by iconic movies during the 80s that featured actresses with big, lustrous curls, but this style got its start many years earlier in Germany.
As we step into 2024, the world of hairstyling is witnessing a resurgence of a classic trend—the perm. Once associated with the big, voluminous curls of the '80s, the modern perm has evolved into a versatile and trendy styling option.
Iconic hairstyles from the 80s, like the Jheri curl, wanton crimping, and the mullet, along with the box cut, feathered and voluminous, hair sprayed curls made bold statements. The era was defined by its loud and rebellious hair trends, which were all about expressing individuality and making a statement.
Which country has the most curly hair? Brazil is often noted for having a high percentage of people with curly and wavy hair due to its diverse ethnic background and climate conditions that influence hair texture.
One of the biggest complaints about perms is the smell—a strong ammonia odor that emanates from the alkaline perm solution formula. The odor often lingers in the salon and in your hair. But according to Mann, there's now a fix for that. Applying an acidic product called Biolage R.A.W.
In the '80s, big hair was not only a status symbol, but also allowed women to take up space, Rachael Gibson, who runs the account The Hair Historian, told the outlet. It was a statement and, especially for artists in the limelight, “filling the screen with your hair felt like quite a power move,” she added.