My hair is pretty strait, but if it air dries it can get a little wavy..what I was thinking of doing was a home perm kit. Anyone have any experience with it? When I curl my hair using sponge curls I usually do bigger curls (instead of hte small ones or crimping it) and it usually stays in pretty well. I don't curl my whole hair but usually just the ends..about 5 or 6 inches from the bottom. Has anyone had any experience with home kits and what do you reccomend, also- do you think just perming the ends rather than the whole head would turn out alright? Thanks
Sorry never tried a home kit. Do you know anyone who can do it for you? I had mine done when I was about 8 by a neighborhood mom who used to be a beautician. She did pretty good and the first time it was done in a local beauty shop. I think that might be one of those things that should be done by someone who has had some training. I've never seen anyone just perm the ends, but that might look cool. Good luck with your perm, especially if you do it yourself! peace and love
my mother did mine a few times. she had a knack for it, though. however, it trashed my hair pretty good and went away. may just be my hair, it's super fine and terrible to style. doesn't seem to matter what i do. but unless you're really good at rolling all of your own hair, i'd have it done professionally. i like air waves, less caustic, but takes longer.
back in the 80's when everyone had perms, I did too. Then again in the 90's with the spiral perm. I had much better results from home perms than salon perms for whatever reason. Just make sure whoever does it has done it before and knows what they are doing. No, don't perm just the ends of your hair. It will look really really strange because perms do more than just curl, they damage your hair irreparably. I'm sure you've seen someone with a perm growing out, with really straight hair at the roots, and then a fluffball or curls or frizz at the bottom? You might do better to air dry your hair with some gel or some other syling product, and scrunch it with your fingers. That's pretty much how you have to style it after getting a perm anyway, and you might get good curls without the damage that way.
Ah.. good times. Yes, I've used home-perming kits. My hair is slick straight for the most part and I remember there being a phase where I wanted a change so badly. Such chemicals from perming, chemical straighteners will undoubtedly do much damage to the hair but why not play with your hair while it's still growing? When you're slightly older you'll never be wondering or regretting why you didn't explore different things. That's my take on things. Understandably others may not feel that way. Now, back to home-perming. If you've never permed your hair before, I would suggest getting a professional to do it for you just so you can not only see how the process is being done, but how the results should turn out to be. The times I permed on my own were after I had been to the salon once and couldn't be bothered to go back because (I thought!) I already knew what I was doing. If you simply must must perm and don't want the salon for whatever reason, just follow the directions on the box closely. Don't leave the solution in for longer thinking that your curls may turn out better. All it will do is damage your hair further. Do NOT shampoo your hair during the first two days or so and it will tell you what to do for aftercare. Do not brush, or go nuts towelling it. Simply scrunch up the wet locks and squeeze to get access water out. Be warned that you will stink of solution for anywhere from a few days to a week. Even more importantly, you should know that that section of the hair shaft being permed will 99.9% of the time -never- go back to the way it used to be. If you perm from your roots, it will also take a few years for your roots to purge the effects of the solution. ALWAYS do a test patch to check if you're allergic to any chemicals, the same as what people should be doing for hairdyes. You can perm any part of your hair you wish and I have heard of end-perms. I might have done that too. But be careful of what state your hair is in already. If they're horribly damaged right now or not as healthy, maybe reconsider. There are also people who get perms near the scalp only for a little lift for thin or flat hair. Don't limit yourself, but learn and be gentle with your locks.
home kits are NOT the way to go. i mean, some may go okay, but i personally wouldnt put my appearance for the next couple months on the line. my sister got a home straightening kit- and it literally fried her hair to the point it was fallout out. she had mohawk-like spikes at the crown of her head for a while, it was funny, but what a pain for her to go through and deal with. if you really want a perm, then suck it up and get it doen professionally. you will be MUCH happier with the results of that. if you dont have a huge wallet to just empty on a perm, go to Great Clips or another small chain like that- they do low costing perms but they use reliable products- and they ARE professionals. good luck no matter what you choose hun!
Thanks everyone you've all helped a lot and given me advice on a few things I didn't know about. I guess what I was thinking was that if I did decide to perm it myself, it would pretty much just look like how when I curl it with sponge curlers at night?..and I'm guessing it might not work that way? Someone also mentioned not to brush it..which was weird because when I curl my hair with the rollers I can usually brush it okay without it frizzing or such, is it different with perms? And finally everyone warns about how it damgaes your hair. I knew it did a bit but I don't think I knew how much. If it's jsut my ends (which are in pretty good condition right now..I just got them trimmed and they're pretty healthy) would it ruin it as much? Thanks everyone
It will still damage your ends, and it will cause more damage than just heat rollers. You won't come out like a staticmama but I would definately avoid brushing them. Finger comb and detangle in the shower very gently. Perhaps others have had different experiences but mine didn't come out with great results when I brushed dry hair - infact, the curls just fell out faster into a mass of kinkedness. Since it seems you're mostly interested in curls at the ends, it's good that you're not doing the entire head of hair. It takes quite awhile for everything to be flushed out and grow out. Probably also a much easier way to get used to perming if you've never done it before. Having as less initial damage as possible is best and that's good that your hair has been trimmed. I don't mean to cause any scares as I think it's great that you're exploring a new style - but be prepared for splitends, drying out and kinks that never really go away afterward. But again, since you're just working on the ends, you'll be trimming in a few months anyway. As previously mentioned, and if at all possible, look into getting it done professionally if you've never done it before or just asking around to different salons. I'm quite sure they'll do something to lower the price if they're willing to just do the ends with you.
