How perms began: Jheri Redding, creator of the
The iconic perm is now a thing thanks to 80s hair heroes Cher, Jon Bon Jovi and erm Deirdre Barlow. Just like flares and suede, perms are an hair trend that yo-yo in and out of fashion without a care in the world.
In 1938, Arnold F. Willatt invented the cold wave, the precursor to the modern perm. It used no machines and no heat. The hair was wrapped on rods and a reduction lotion containing ammonium thioglycolate was applied.
Big hair that was "often permed to achieve the desired volume" is especially associated with women of the mid 1980s as well as male rockstars of that era, especially of the glam metal genre. Television shows such as Dynasty helped popularize the high volume bouffant and glamorous image associated with it.
From these origins, big hair became a feature of a number of Japanese street and alternative fashions, including Harajuku and ganguro. In the early 1980s, Brooke Shields became a dominant force in the fashion trend after becoming a teen model in 1980.
The 1980s were a time of excess and expression. With fashion serving as a bold statement of individuality and freedom, big, curly hair wasn't just a style; it was an attitude—a rebellion against the sleek, restrained looks of previous decades.
It's thought that the first person to produce a practical thermal perming method was Marcel Grateau back in 1872. German hairdresser Karl Nessler took the process further with a curling hair method that reportedly used cow urine and water.
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.
What's old is new again, when it comes to hair. But it turns out that Gen Z boys are the ones embracing the perm this time around. Their parents or grandparents may remember back when the tight, coily perms were popular for women back in the 1980s and early 90s.
A permanent wave, commonly called a perm, is the chemical treatment of hair to produce curls. The first chemical treatment for curling hair that was suitable for use on people was invented in the year 1906 by the German hairdresser Karl Nessler (1872-1951).
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.
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.
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.
The modern perm, far from the tight, frizzy curls of yesteryear, offers a variety of textures and styles. Today's perms can create anything from loose, beachy waves to defined, structured curls. This versatility has made perms appealing to a new generation looking for fresh and fashionable hair options.
Aqua-net Bangs
While this option can take many shapes, one that was popular in the '80s was the aqua-net bangs. It's hard to miss anyone in the '80s forms of entertainment without this style, especially high school movies and TV shows. That makes it a good choice for those at this point in their lives today.
Hair trends of the '70s, '80s and '90s are back with a modern twist: From shixie shag to wolf cuts and the modern-day mullet, look out for these 2025 hairstyles.
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. The same goes for a spiral perm, the only difference between the two is the variety of curl sizes or lengths with the spiral.
Invented by the hairdresser Jheri Redding, the Jheri curl gives the wearer a glossy, loosely curled look. It was touted as a "wash and wear" style that was easier to care for than the other popular chemical treatment of the day, the relaxer.
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.
He explained that the results of the modern perm don't look all that different to the 1980s version, but that the chemicals aren't as harsh, and larger rollers are used so the curls aren't quite so tight.
TikTok and Instagram have played a big role in fuelling it, he said, and men are increasingly drawn to them as a way to add “movement, texture, or volume to hair and make their look stand out”.
Video games saw a huge rise in the 1980s, with standup machines like “Centipede” and, “Pac Man” (both released in 1980) and “Street Fighter” (released in 1988) sending kids and teens to mall arcades in droves.
From the early to mid-1980s, post-punk and new wave music groups influenced mainstream male and female fashion.
The 1980s have been called “the decade of decadence,” and one of the era's most notable movie characters, Wall Street's Gordon Gekko, famously declared that “greed is… good.” But the decade was about more than just excess. It was a period marked by defining events that continue to resonate.