Avoid Heat Styling: Minimize the use of heat styling tools before perming to prevent additional stress on your hair. Prepare Your Hair: Use a clarifying shampoo a few days before the perm to remove any residue, but avoid heavy styling products right before the treatment.
Avoid washing your hair for at least 48 hours after getting a perm to allow the curls to set properly. Choose a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo to prevent stripping moisture from your hair. Look for products specifically designed for curly or permed hair. Use a moisturizing conditioner every time you wash your hair.
After Leaving the Salon
It's highly recommended that you wait three days before washing your hair. And try not to get caught in the rain! Not washing your hair will keep water from deactivating the perm and making the curls fall apart. Remember if you go swimming to always wear a cap.
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.
A child younger than five should definitely not receive a perm. For children that are a little older, it is wise to consult with an experienced salon professional, who properly assess the situation based on the child's hair type.
Keeping your permed hair safe overnight might be the most difficult task yet. Regular cotton pillowcases can cause friction that damages your hair. Sleep on a satin pillowcase instead to give your hair the freedom to move without damage. You could tie your hair up in a loose bun, braids, or do the plop method.
Wait before washing your hair
You can't get your perm wet, put it up or even touch it much while the chemicals reset your strands. Even after getting your perm, washing it everyday will affect the longevity of your curls, so prolong the gap between washes as long as possible.
A shampoo, conditioner, or any product really, with an excessive level of alcohol in the ingredients can bring damage and frizz to your perm.
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.
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.
Don't comb thru your hair during the first 48 hours. Leave it alone as much as possible. Don't use any products in your hair especially leave ins and conditioners. You want to try to keep your hair on the same ph level until the waiting period is up.
Tip 1 - Bleached/Pre Lightened hair cannot be permed
Thus before each color, always be sure to ask your stylist what goes into your hair. Inform your stylist that you intend to perm your hair in the near future, thus your hair cannot be bleached or pre lightened.
Usage of The Wrong Conditioner/Shampoo
An example of an inappropriate shampoo is clarifying shampoo. Although clarifying shampoos are excellent for removing product buildup from natural hair, they are too harsh for freshly permed hair and cause the curls to give way too soon.
Deep conditioning will help loosen tight curls from your latest perm and tame frizz on overly processed hair. If you only have a few, short fishtail pieces sticking out of your curls, remove them carefully with a little trim.
The verdict is in: You can curl permed hair. But don't get too trigger-happy with that curling iron just yet.
Go for deep conditioning. Deep conditioning can be highly beneficial for women who have undergone perms or have experienced heat damage. Deep conditioning treatments help to restore moisture, strengthen the hair shaft, and improve overall hair health, says the expert.
"Generally, two inches is the minimum length of hair for a perm because it is enough to be wrapped onto the perm rod. The perm result varies on the length of the hair for example, if you have 2-3 inch long hair, a super slim sized rod can fit there but your curls will be super tight.