Avoid using shampoo that contains alcohol in the ingredients. The perming process itself is pretty drying, so you want to minimize damage as much as possible. You don’t need to follow up with conditioner, since that will introduce oil and make your hair slippery to work with. Avoid deep conditioning your hair 24 hours before you plan to perm it. [4] X Research source
Do not use a hairdryer to save time. It will dry your hair too much.
A wide-toothed comb is preferable because it’s gentle on the hair. Smaller combs can cause breakage and damage, especially when used on wet hair.
Consider protecting your face from the perming chemicals by applying a small amount of petroleum jelly on the skin below your hairline. Make sure that you do not get any of the petroleum jelly on the hair itself! If you have sensitive skin, grab a pair of plastic gloves.
You should have 1 section clipped to the left side of your head, 1 section clipped to the right side, and 1 larger section clipped up in the back, for a total of 3 sections.
The amount of hair you part away should comfortably sit at the end of the roller. The width of the hair section should be about the same as the perm rod’s diameter. [8] X Research source The remaining sections from the back portion of hair will be roughly the same size as this first one.
This ensures that the ends of your hair will be wrapped around the rod instead of bending improperly. When the ends of a section bend improperly, you will end up with “frizzies” or “fishhooks” at the end of each curl. You can buy perm paper wrappers at any beauty supply store. They basically look like small squares of white tissue paper.
Spiral perm rods are long, slender, flexible rods that you can buy at any beauty supply store.
Each turn around the rod should only partially overlap the turn before it.
Continue wrapping in ½ inch increments, clipping each rod vertically into place, until you reach the other side of the nape and there’s no hair left.
If your hair begins to dry as you wrap it, spray it generously with water until it becomes damp again.
Make sure that the hair on each rod is fully saturated with the perming solution. Wear plastic gloves when you’re working with perm chemicals. The chemical smell is pretty intense, so you might also want to crack a window. To keep the smell out of your hair, rinse the neutralizer out before you take the rods out. You can also use a Goldwell serum to get the smell out. You can buy the chemical perming solution at any beauty supply store.
The solution will probably burn a little as it gets rinsed away, which is normal. The cool water will help with that sensation.
The neutralizer completely stops your hair from processing.
Remove the perm wrapper from the end of each section once the rod is off.
If recommended by the manufacturer, you can also apply a leave-in conditioner. If this is not explicitly recommended, though, do not use any conditioner.
This can take a few hours, depending on the length of your hair.
If you wash your hair too soon, you could relax the waves and cause them to loosen or straighten out.
Avoid any shampoo or other hair care product that contains alcohol. Alcohol is one of the most drying, damaging solutions you can apply to your hair, especially after perming it.
Your perm should last 3 to 6 months, depending on the condition of your hair and how often you heat style it. If you do not have time to let your hair air dry, attach a diffuser to the end of your hairdryer and blow dry your hair on low heat. Doing this should prevent the curls from straightening out.
