There are a few things to consider before doing your own perm at home. If your hair is dyed, fine and brittle, damaged, not good elasticity, or you have already tried a perm and it didn’t go well, I strongly suggest you go to your professional stylist to get a perm and don’t do it in home. If you try to do it at home, it could cause severe fading of your color and/or hair breakage if you use the wrong perm or time it incorrectly.
Once you’ve decided that your hair is healthy and you can perm yourself at home, you’ll need to decide what type of perm you’d like. Are you going for a whole new style? Just want to add a bit of texture to the style you have? Do you want something super curly? A perm is great if you have naturally straight hair and want to be able to do more styles with it. A perm makes hard-to-curl hair more versatile and easier to manage. You can still wear it straight if you want, but if you like to shake things up a bit and go kinky sometimes, a perm will make your hair more flexible and help it hold any style you can dream up. above. It also works well if your hair is too curly. Getting a perm with a larger rod will reshape your curls so they’re more manageable.
Now that you’ve decided how you want your hair to look, you’ll need supplies! What you will need to do a perm at home are perm rods, wrapping paper, a plastic tail comb, plastic hair clips, old towels, a perm kit, and a good friend. Wrapping a perm can be a challenge on your own. The type of perm rods you’ll need depends on the shape of the curl you want. It’s mostly common sense: a thinner rod will give you tighter curls, while a larger rod will give you bigger curls. If you’re not sure what size to get, you can experiment a bit to get an idea. Take a few perm rods in the size you think you’ll like, and after shampooing your hair, add a bit of styling product and wrap around a section or two of your hair. Let it dry and then remove the dipstick. The size of the curl you see will be a good indication of what your perm will look like. You can also do a test curl if you want to get an extra perm kit. Instead of doing the whole head, just make a bar and see how it turns out. You can adjust the size of the rod you are going to use from there.
OK! So you’ve decided on a style, you’ve got his supplies (and his friend), now where do you start? Here is how to perm your hair 101:
1. Start with freshly shampooed hair. Do not use a heavy conditioner on your hair before perming! This can prevent the perm solution from being absorbed into the hair. Separate damp hair into 4 sections by parting right down the middle of the head (as if you were going to make ponytails) and then parting from the middle down. the side of the head to the back of the ear. Clip these sections with your plastic hair clips.
2. Starting at the top of one of the back sections, take a section of hair to wrap. Remember to never take a section that is larger than the length or circumference of the permanent bar. Doing so will cause your hair to drift and/or pull, which can cause breakage. It is always better to take a smaller section than one that is too wide.
3. Comb the section of hair straight and cover the ends of your hair with the wrapping paper by folding it in half around your hair. If you’re having trouble with this part, have a bottle of water handy. Spraying a little water on the ends of your hair will help the protective papers “stick” where you want them to. The most important thing to remember during this process is to make sure that your ends are completely covered with the paper to protect them from splitting during the perming process.
4. Starting at the end of each protected wrapped section, wrap each section of hair around the perm rod. The most common way to do this is to wrap the hair around the bar and secure it with the band when it reaches the scalp, being careful not to let the band cut into the hair. If the band is too tight or causes too much stress on the hair it can cause breakage when the perm solution is applied. There are other ways you can wrap your hair around the perm rod depending on the type of curl you want, but I suggest you stick with this common procedure, at least for now. Continue this process until the entire head is coiled (or the section you want permed if you’re not doing all the hair to fit your hairstyle), starting at the top of each section and working your way to the bottom.
5. You are now ready to apply the permanent solution. Basically, there are two types of perms that you can buy. One is an alkaline perm and the other is an acid perm. An alkaline perm is for hair that is more difficult to achieve, such as gray or resistant hair that is not colored or damaged. An acid perm is a gentler perm and is recommended for easy-to-curl or color-treated hair. Follow the instructions in your perm kit on how to mix and apply the perm solution. This process basically breaks the disulfide bonds in your hair that give it its shape. Be sure to completely saturate all rods with the perm solution evenly and completely or you’ll end up with an uneven perm. You may need to get two perm kits if you have a lot of hair.
6. If directed, cover your hair with a plastic cap and set the timer for the duration indicated in the instructions. If you’re not sure how long to leave the permanent solution in, you can do “Test S.” To do this, partially unwrap a section of hair from the perm rod. Gently push the hair towards the scalp until it bends. If you can see a predominant “S” shape in the hair, then you’re done. Once the perm solution has processed, you will need to gently rinse your hair thoroughly. DO NOT REMOVE PERMANENT BARS.
7. After rinsing hair thoroughly with water, gently dry hair on rods until damp. Paper towels work well in this step to absorb excess moisture. Now it’s time for the neutralizer. The neutralizer will reform the broken bonds in your hair into the new shape indicated by the permanent rods. Following the instructions on your perm kit, saturate the hair with the neutralizing solution. Save some of the neutralizer, you’ll need it in a moment. Normally this stays on for five minutes.
8. Once you are all neutralized you can begin to gently unwrap your hair. When your hair is completely unwrapped, apply the remaining neutralizer to your hair making sure each strand is saturated. Rinse your hair with cold water and voila!
A few things to remember after the perm:
Do not shampoo your hair for 24-48 hours after the perm! All your hard work could be wasted if you forget and your perm falls out. If you have problems with frizz, it’s okay to apply some gel or something to control it. Rinsing your hair with just water is fine too.
Once you start washing your hair again, be sure to use a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner to replenish what was lost after the perm.
Try to avoid wrapping your wet hair in a towel turban-style and dry your hair instead. This will prevent stress and breakage of your new curls.
If you wish, you CAN wear your hair straight after the perm. Although letting your hair dry naturally is best, it won’t hurt your perm to blow-dry your hair and/or use a flat iron. Just be sure to use styling products for dry hair that protect it from the heat of styling aids.
Never color your hair before getting a perm! Always do the perm first if you’re going to do both. The perm will fade your color. Also, it is better to wait 2 weeks between each procedure.
Your new perm should last you three to five months before you need to touch it up. I hope this has been helpful! Remember, if you’re not sure about doing your perm at home, you can always go see your local stylist!