Hair Perming Process

Perming has been a popular hair styling process that is not restricted to just celebrities today. Hair perms have always been an attraction for women of all ages. With the advancements in hair care and hair styling products, you have a range of options that make hair perming a perfect way to get a stylish makeover. Today most of the products are so designed to transform your hair into waves and curls and maintain their beauty at the same time. Previously perming or most of the hair styling processes were the known cause hair damage. But today you can enjoy a stylish permed look at no loss as styling products are specially formulated to maintain the healthy body of your strands using conditioners and proteins even while the chemicals do their work.

The Process

Before we learn about the process let me tell you that even though you can learn how to perm your hair, leaving the task for a professional is a smart decision. Believe me, a single mistake can give you undesired results and leave hair damaged or frizzy.

Step 1
Hair perming process starts with a thorough hair wash. A hair wash to remove all the deposits and dirt on your hair strands is an important step of the perming process. If your hair is clean, the perming lotion can enter your hair shafts easily and give better results.

Step 2
Now a perming lotion is applied to your hair, section by section. The perming lotion that is used does the primary job of altering keratin and breaking down sulfur bonds. These are the basic inner structures of your hair which give them a specific shape. Once the inner structures are broken down, your hair becomes flexible and can be further given desired shape using a curling rod. As the perming lotion works on these structures and loosens the bonds, you hair is tightly curled around a rod and again covered with sufficient amount of perming lotion. Hair is well sectioned and each section is curled around curling rods or curlers in this step.

Step 3
During this process the inner layers of your hair are transformed into a new shape which offers more uniform and well-defined curls or waves. Smaller the rod used, tighter the resulting curls. So if you want wavy hair, a larger rod will be used. Hair is left in same state, covered with lotion and coiled around the rods for a specific duration. Now this duration, also known as developing time can vary according to your hair texture and thickness. A hair expert will only be able to examine your hair and decide the right duration.

Step 4
Once the developing time is over, hair is left free and a coat of neutralizer is applied on your strands. This neutralizer helps set your hair into its newly permed shape. This neutralizer is left on your hair for a specific duration which is decided depending upon your hair texture and condition. Once the duration is over, your hair is given a fresh and thorough wash. This is often followed with application of specially formulated conditioners. Use of shampoo, heat styling and other hair products needs to be avoided for next 2-3 days.

Well, the total duration required will vary according to the length and thickness of your hair. So perming long hair is definitely going to take longer than perming short hair. Make sure you step in a reputed hair salon and ask for an experienced professional to work on your hair for getting them permed. You can opt for one of the various types of perms according to your taste. Taking the right hair care post-perming is extremely important to maintain its new structure and beauty.