Perm: Good or Bad idea?

Amaya8

So I'm trying to decide how to curl my hair for my wedding where it won't be frizzy and fall out. A little background is that I have really long hair (down to lower back), it's impossibly straight, and no matter how I curl it or what I use in it either doesn't stay or it frizzes or both. So I was given the idea to do a really loose perm.
How have your experiances been with perms? I have never done anything to my hair so it's really nice, and I don't want to mess that up. Do you think it would mess up my hair? Also should I go to the local beauty college (senior students with a teachers supervision or a professtional. My only hang up is money but I care more about my hair.

ilovevinny21809

you should try a beach wave . its alot looser than a regular perm , and it lasts up to 3 months .

fallbride1109

I don't recommend a local beauty college for this sort of thing.  It's your hair and your wedding day--something like this is best left to a professional.

joyfulbride424

I agree with stephie, leave it to a professional. Perms are dangerous because they don't just wash out overnight. What if you hate it??

tesskerr

I work in a salon, and we offer a few options

Old lady perms, with little perm rods, for that tight old lady look.

Young lady perms (perm stands for permanent, so permanent curl, texture or wave)

The young lady perm (we don't actually call them that haha) can be done on larger perm rods, or curlers.

A spiral perm (i hate them) in long hair, done in tight curls on perm roller, will look like this, and can get very frizzy!

You can also get a new style of perm, that will look much more modern, quite often done on very straight asian hair that doesn't hold curl. It is done with keratin, rather than harsh chemicals, less frizzy that a spiral perm (very similar to Brazilian keratin straightening) that will give you a look like this, it is called a digital perm.

Make sure you go to a salon that does them all the time, get quotes, maintenance advice, how often it will last etc. I would def get the digital perm, I have had something similar done just to control the frizz of my crazy big hair, and it is so nice! I have bleached hair, so I could never get a chemical perm, it would just snap off, however the digital perm, some using only keratin, can actually be good for your hair!

Hippinhipster

The one thing I'd say is don't let them tell you what you want! I went in wanting loose waves and asked for the largest rod. The lady said it wouldn't hold well and told me I needed a smaller rod and that it would loosen out in a few days. I had tight little curls for over 6 months!

Amaya8

tessKerr-The digital perm sounds like exactly what I want. Does it harm your hair as much as a normal perm? My friend told me she had hair like mine, got a perm, and her hair was never the same. I don't want that.

leia1979

My friend got the digital perm (in Hong Kong) and it was beautiful on her very thick Asian hair. I have long fine hair, and the two times I've tried perming it (admittedly years ago) were disastrous. Personally, I wouldn't want to risk it.

Have you tried washing it (using little or no conditioner), adding a bit of product like gel or mousse, and setting it on curlers that you sleep in? My hair will not hold a curl from an iron or hot rollers, but the wet set and air dry method works for me.

mandi921vh

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-beauty_perm-good-bad-idea?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:358Discussion:8074e32e-7bb6-4d56-93b8-8e0e166bc44dPost:4b82d123-86fc-4577-86b0-2fb8a8b5dc07">Re: Perm: Good or Bad idea?</a>:
[QUOTE]I agree with stephie, leave it to a professional. Perms are dangerous because they don't just wash out overnight. What if you hate it??
Posted by joyfulbride424[/QUOTE]

<div>This.</div>

Amaya8

I haven't tried the air dry exactly but I've tried something like that. Can you put your hair in the hot rollers overnight? Thats all I have.

leia1979

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-beauty_perm-good-bad-idea?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:358Discussion:8074e32e-7bb6-4d56-93b8-8e0e166bc44dPost:945c6de8-063d-4b19-8b74-8ef31f8eff3f">Re: Perm: Good or Bad idea?</a>:
[QUOTE]I haven't tried the air dry exactly but I've tried something like that. Can you put your hair in the hot rollers overnight? Thats all I have.
Posted by Amaya8[/QUOTE]

I suppose you could, but that sounds really painful. Also, you want to set these with damp or wet hair, which I've never done with hot rollers. I have the foam kind with a wire core, so you roll the section of hair and bend the two ends towards the middle.

Here's exactly what I have:
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.sallybeauty.com/flexible-rods/SBS-209405,default,pd.html">http://www.sallybeauty.com/flexible-rods/SBS-209405,default,pd.html</a>

They come in different diameters, but I think the purple ones are a good starting point. The grey ones are also good with a slightly smaller diameter than the purple.

I'm sure you can find some YouTube videos on tips for roller sets with them. They aren't exactly the comfiest things to sleep in, but they will be far more comfortable than hot rollers. I think it would be worth the $8 to try a pack.

I mix hair gel and water in a spray bottle and thoroughly spray each section right before I roll it. Then once I'm done, I give all the curlers another spritz.

*Edited because there are more sizes of the foam curlers than when I bought mine several years ago.

Sarah77510

Perms are one of the most damaging things that you can do to your hair and with your long hair it's very unlikely that  if it was rolled even with larger rollers that it would look like you think it would. As for trying out the beauty school you have to remember that they don't know even a fraction of what an experienceed stylist knows and perms are tricky supervised or not. My suggestion is try to find a good salon with a good deal, (JCPenney's always has coupons for new clients) and ask for "good damage". Something like a moderate highlight that can even be toned if you wanted or even lowlights. Also try the Kenra volume spray, best hairspraiy I've ever used! (silver can)  Good luck!

tesskerr

Hi, sorry for the late reply back.

Both perms use the same type chemials, so are both damaging. We only do perms on virgin, or semi coloured hair, never on lightened/foiled/highlighted/bleached hair. It will snap off.

If you have healthy, natural hair, a perm will be damaging, but if you do protein treatments and take good care of it, it will be fine.

I have my hair completely bleached out (then toned) as I don't like how foils/highlights still leave a re-growth look. What I do to my hair is one of the most damaging things you can do, but I do lots of treatments, minimal heat styling, and even though I haven't had a trim in 12 weeks, it is still fine, no split ends etc.

But I could never get a perm over the top of my hair now, as it would all snap off. And vice versa, don't get a perm, then lighten your hair. You will have to wait for one or the other to grow out (which could take years).

A good hairstylist will be able to get curls to last in your hair no matter what, for example spray in "redken spray starch" which is basically starch (like for clothes) then curls, then hairspray, then shine spray. It will last all day, look nice, but feel really hard!

Magdeline687

A few years ago, I got a "body wave," and it was the worst thing I have ever done!!! My hair was about 1/2 way down my back and pretty straight. First of all, they say that it only last 3 months- that is just not true! It doesn't go back to being straight after 3 months. Instead, you have regrowth of straight hair by that time-- so part of your hair is straight, and the rest is curly. It looked AWFUL when it was growing out. The salon used the loosest roller that they had, but the bottom was still way too curly to look decent with a straight top.  Also, it was extremely damaging to my hair. I had never had a split end in my life until I got the body wave. If you have long hair, it takes soooo long to cut off the regrowth and get back to your normal hair. You'd think maybe you could just perm the regrowth, but I inquired at several places and was told that it would be way too damaging for my length of hair. It isn't worth it at all!

MacFreitas7

I'm totally butting in on this thread.
But I have to say as someone who got a perm at a local beauty school a couple of years ago, STAY AWAY!

100% Agree with other PP... a place like that is NOT a good option.

I used to go to a beauty school ALL the time when i was little and get my hair done, and I never had an issue at all... So I decided to go just a couple years ago.
I left in tears and looked like Lionel Richie. it was AWFUL.

I immediately washed it and flat ironed it... and it took the better part of 3 - 4 months for my hair to be reduced to "waves"...  it was just terrible.

Also perms are very out of style - I also learned that the hard way.

if you want your hair curly- just get it hot rolled the day of your wedding  pay the extra $$ for a professional to do it... it will be MORE than worth it

HYDROPHILE

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-beauty_perm-good-bad-idea?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:358Discussion:8074e32e-7bb6-4d56-93b8-8e0e166bc44dPost:976e1359-5b3a-4961-8878-6391f00890ef">Re: Perm: Good or Bad idea?</a>:
[QUOTE] if you want your hair curly- just get it hot rolled the day of your wedding  pay the extra $$ for a professional to do it... it will be MORE than worth it :)
Posted by MacFreitas7[/QUOTE]

^ THIS.  Perms are out of style for a reason: the damage it does to your hair (and it never looks like way we all want it to look.)  My mother was a habitual permer (to my hair) when I was growing up (and she was a licensed hairdresser, too!) I always wanted one thing and ended up with NOT that!

In regards to "beauty schools," I get my hair done regularly at Paul Mitchell The School here in Atlanta.  I always get the "future professional" that is close to graduating.  Yeah, I pay a little more for that (like $4 more or something,) but I get someone who will be graduating, securing a job at a Buckhead boutique salon and charging out the wazoo for pennies.

MissKate2011

DON'T DO IT!
I permed my hair for my high school graduation for the exact same reason and it was the worst thing I've done to my hair.

I went to a professional and half of my hair didn't take in the perm so I went back and again it wouldn't take.  My hair was so fried and I will forever have little baby hairs because of it.  It took a year and a half to grow it enough to cut off and have chin lenght hair.  I lived in pony tails for a year. 

Worst thing ever!

matash

A brazillan blow out, could be an option

tiffanycdemeo

i have straight hair too and its hard for my hair to hold a curl or even a wave.  but now when i use aussie instant freeze hair spray it holds my hair in a curl till i wash it out in the shower.  the only down side is that it like it says "freezes" the hair in a sense because when you feel your hair it will be hard and not flowy.  but it does look great.  i had a wavy perm when i was younger in 8th grade and it never held up great but then again i didnt go to a good person and i probably didnt use the right products for it either. but it just made my hair wavy in weird places until it grew out.  id just go to consultations with professionals and ask what is best and what they suggest.no matter what youll great