How to Perm Hair

Just a few days back I met one of my friends and she was looking fantastic with her newly permed hair. I asked her that how and when did she do it. She is not the one who would spend a lot of money on perming, so I assumed she did it at home. Indeed she had done it at home! I looked up to her and was absolutely flabbergasted. She coolly told me, making a mockery of my amazement how to perm hair yourself. And she went into a perm explaining spree. And the ulterior motive of perming her hair was told to me by her at the end. And that was of course her boyfriend used to go crazy with her permed hair!

So, if you also want to impress the man of your dreams or get a makeover done along with a ravishing long hairstyle, here is how to perm hair at home.

How to Perm Hair Yourself?

I am sure you have a fair idea of things we need for perming hair, though, let's have a revision of those things. You would need home perm solution/product kit, hair benders or rods, hair comb, hair brush, blow dryer, medium or large hair clips and body cape. Now let's get started.

• Washing your hair properly with a shampoo is a must before you perm your hair. Then dry your hair thoroughly and apply a pre perm solution to your hair and rinse well.
• Wear the protective gloves before you start the process.
• An important thing is having someone to help you as it is a tough task to do it all by yourself.
• Now with the help of a comb, separate small sections of hair, around half an inch a part and then use hair clips so that the sections remain separated. Take the help of your friend, or who ever, to clip the hair at the back.
• Next, to roll the separated sections of hair, use hair benders or rods. Place the hair sections in the end papers (available with the hair perming kit) and roll each section. Just ensure that the hair is damp and smooth before you roll. Avoid the perm solution and keep the hair wet only with water in this stage.
• Put on the body cape and the drip guard to avoid any contact of the body parts with the perm solutions.
• Liberally, apply the perm solution to each of the rolled section. Do not leave the solution for future use. It is not meant for that.
• Follow this up by allowing the hair to set as instructed in the perming kit.This will vary based on the length and type of the hair. Normal hair will set in around 30 minutes.
• You can keep tabs on the perming progress by looking at a couple of sections every 7 or 10 minutes and see if it is curling.
• Again, rinse the hair properly for almost 3 minutes. All this while, let the hair benders and rods be in their place. Then pat dry your hair using a towel.
• Now remove hair benders and rods and rinse the neutralizer with warm water totally.
• Now you can style your hair after blow drying it.

If you are not happy with your curls, well, do the opposite and perm your hair straight! Here goes!

How to Perm Hair Straight?

• Begin with dividing your hair into four sections by using a rat tail comb's pointed end.
• Start with a section of hair around 1 inch wide, from the back of your head. And then hold the rest of your hair out of the way by pinning it with clips.
• Again, as mentioned earlier, wear protective gloves and then apply the perm solution to your hair liberally starting at the roots.
• Then make sure that the perm is smooth all the way down the hair section to the ends.
• Continue applying the perm solution to all the sections till you are done with all of them.
• Now let the perm stay for the amount of time as instructed in the kit.
• Rinse with warm water and wash the perm from your hair. Use a neutralizing shampoo, that should be available in your perm kit. This is important because this prevents the harmful chemicals from damaging your hair, resulting in hair loss.

Wow, this was great, but some of you might ask, "what if we have long hair?" Pronto! Here you go.

How to Perm Long Hair?

• You know what will suit you the best, so first take stock of your hair condition and decide if you want a tight curl obtained by an alkaline perm or a loose, soft curl obtained by an acid perm.
• Then purchase a good at-home hair perming kit, ideally from a salon or a drug store. If you have healthy hair and you have done this before, only then go for at-home perming kits. Otherwise, look out for a licensed hair stylist.
• Go thorough the instructions given in the kit carefully and understand them thoroughly. If you think you would get stuck up or are stuck up at any point, have someone help you at home.
• Put on the safety gear - the cape and the gloves, to avoid any contact with the perming solution.
• wash your hair and gently blow dry it. Then with perming rods, wrap your hair upwards, curling it around the rod.
• Now apply the perm solution starting off at the scalp and let each strand be massaged by it.
• Let the stipulated time, pass before removing the rods and washing away the perm solution completely. Apply a neutralizer and blow dry your hair. Finally do not style your hair within 24 hours. Let a day pass before you think of styling your hair.

There, that was all about how to perm hair and giving yourself a new look. You could also try out some spiral perm hairstyles, in case you want to try something new along with perming your hair. But remember to indulge in proper hair care while you do all this.

Flaunt your new look and bedazzle everyone with your curls! And specially the love of your life! All the best!