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Perming or permanent waves is a great way to add
body, curls, & bounces to your hair. Perms can increase the fullness
of soft, fine hair, put a curl or wave into straight hair, or simply
make your hair easier to style. Thus perming can be used for
 styling
hair in the following ways.
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To add curl. If your hair is fine and limp, getting perms just
might do the trick for you. Gone are those days of tight, poodle
type curls. Now you can choose from a variety of size curls.
From small rollers to large, 1 ½ inch rollers, perms are out of
the dark ages. A large roller will give you a very soft curl. A
smaller roller will give you more of a spiral look.
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To relax naturally curly hair. If you have naturally curly hair,
that is unruly, perming can tame those locks. By using a large
roller then your natural curl size, perming will break down your
hair and create a new curl.
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And to straighten hair. Yes, you can use perms to straighten
hair. However, this method is tedious and time consuming. The
lotion would be applied and then the stylist would comb your
hair straight for the length of the timing. Sometimes up to 20
minutes. And this method would only be used on hair that is
almost straight.
The strength of the perming solution used to curl the hair is
measured by pH, which can be either alkaline or acidic.
ALKALINE WAVE:
It is the
best choice for resistant hair, Asian hair, hair with low
elasticity, and hard to perm fine hair as well as normal,
healthy hair.
ACID WAVE: These are
milder than alkaline perms and work at a lower pH to reduce
swelling of the hair during the perm process thus-reducing the
chance of damage to fragile and colour treated hair. A good
choice for healthy hair with good elasticity, tinted hair,
damaged hair, highlighted hair, or fragile hair.
The perming process
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The hair is first washed and then wound on to some kind of
former, such as a curler or a rod. The perm lotion is applied to
the hair. Because the lotion is alkaline (pH about 9) the scales
of the cuticle open slightly, allowing the lotion to flow under
the cuticle and into the cortex. Here it reacts with the keratin
of the cortex, breaking some of the disulphide cross-links
within and between the protein chains. The hair swells and
'softens', so that it can stretch to take up the shape of the
formers.
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After a while the perm lotion is thoroughly rinsed away and a
neutralising lotion is applied. This re-forms the broken
cross-links, which makes the hair harden into its new, curlier
shape. This stage is the key to a successful perm: failure to
rinse and neutralise properly can lead to many problems,
including scalp irritation and damage to the structure of the
hair shaft.
Some Tips if you are perming your hair
at home:
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First and foremost wash and condition your hair properly. Hair
that has already been chemically processed may need a cream
conditioner applied to protect the hair before perming.
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Use protective gloves when applying chemicals.
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When wrapping hair around rollers, each section must be wrapped
smoothly and evenly, without stretching the hair too tightly.
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After thoroughly rinsing out the permanent solution with warm
water, a neutralizer must usually be applied for five to eight
minutes to set the curl.
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Remove rollers and then rinse off neutralizer thoroughly with
cool water.
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Do not use if you are allergic to any ingredient in the product.
Avoid contact with eyes, nose, and mouth.
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