How to perm your own hair at home

There are a few things to consider before getting your perm at home. If your hair is dyed, fine and brittle, damaged, lacking in elasticity, or if you’ve tried to get a perm before and it hasn’t gone well, I strongly suggest you go to your professional stylist to get a perm and don’t do it. at home. Trying to do it at home could cause severe discoloration of your color and / or hair breakage if you use the wrong perm or the wrong time.

Once you have decided that your hair is healthy and can be permed at home, you will need to decide what type of perm you would like. Going for a whole new style? Just want to add a little texture to the style you have? Do you want something super kinky? A perm is great if you have naturally straight hair and want to be able to style more with it. A perm makes hard-to-curl hair more versatile and easier to manage. You can still go straight if you want, but if you like to shake things up a bit and go curly sometimes, the perm will make your hair more flexible and help you maintain whatever style you can dream of. up. It also works well if your hair is too curly. Perming your hair with a larger rod will reshape your curls into something more manageable.

Now that you have decided how you want your hair to look, you will need supplies! The things you will need to do a perm at home are perm sticks, wrapping paper, a plastic glue comb, plastic hair clips, old towels, a perm kit, and a good friend. Wrapping a perm can be challenging for you. The type of perm rods you will need will depend on the curl shape you want. It’s mostly common sense – a thinner bar will give you tighter curls, while a larger bar will give you bigger curls. If you’re not sure what size to buy, you can experiment a bit to get an idea. Grab some perm rods the size you think you will like, and after shampooing your hair, add some styling product and wrap a section or two of your hair. Let it dry and then remove the dipstick. The size of the curl that you see will be a good indication of what your perm will look like. You can also do a test curl if you want to purchase an additional perm kit. Instead of doing your whole head, just make a rod and see how it turns out. You can adjust the size of the rod to use from there.

OKAY! So you’ve settled on a style, you’ve got your supplies (and your friend), now where do you start? Here’s how to perm your hair 101:

1. Start with freshly shampooed hair. Don’t use a heavy conditioner on your hair before perming! This can prevent the perm solution from absorbing into your hair. Divide your wet hair into 4 sections by parting right down the middle of your head (like you’re going to make ponytails), and then making another part from the middle down. from the side of the head to the back of the ear. Hold these sections with the plastic hair clips.

2. Starting at the top of one of the back sections, take a section of hair to wrap. Remember to never take a section that is larger than the length or girth of the permanent rod. Doing so will cause your hair to drift too far and / or pull, which can cause breakage. It is always better to take a smaller section than one that is too wide.

3. Comb the section of hair straight and cover the ends of your hair with the wrapping paper by folding it in half around your hair. If you have difficulty with this part, have a bottle of water handy. Spraying a little water on the ends of your hair will help the protective wrapping papers to “stick” where you want them. The most important thing to remember during this process is to make sure your ends are completely covered with the paper to protect them from splitting during the perming process.

4. Starting at the end of each protectively wrapped section, wrap each section of hair around the perm bar. The most common way to do this is to wrap the hair around the wand and secure it with the band when it reaches the scalp, being careful not to let the band cut through the hair if the band is too tight or causing too much tension on the hair. . hair can cause breakage when perming solution is applied. There are other ways you can wrap your hair around the perm bar depending on the type of curl you want, but I suggest you follow this common procedure, at least for now. Continue this process until your entire head is rolled up (or the section you want permanent if you’re not combing all of your hair to suit your hairstyle), starting at the top of each section and working your way to the bottom.

5. You are now ready to apply the permanent solution. There are basically two types of perms that you can buy. One is an alkaline permanent and the other is an acid permanent. An alkaline perm is for hair that is more difficult to perm, such as gray or resistant hair that is not colored or damaged. An acid perm is a softer perm and is recommended for easy-to-curl or color-treated hair. Follow the instructions in your perm kit on how to mix and apply perm solution. This process basically breaks the disulfide bonds in your hair that give it its shape. Make sure to completely saturate all of the rods with the perm solution evenly and completely or you’ll end up with an uneven perm. You may need to get two perm kits if you have a lot of hair.

6. If prompted, cover your hair with a plastic cap and set your timer for the duration indicated in the instructions. If you are not sure how long to leave the permanent solution in, you can do the “S Test”. To do this, partially unwrap a section of hair from the perm bar. Gently push hair towards scalp until curled. If you can see a predominant “S” shape in the hair, then you are done. Once the perm solution has been processed, you will need to thoroughly rinse your hair gently. DO NOT REMOVE PERMANENT RODS.

7. After rinsing hair thoroughly with water, gently blow-dry hair until just damp. Paper towels work well in this step to soak up excess moisture. Now is the time for the neutralizer. The neutralizer will reshape the broken bonds in your hair into the new way indicated by the perm rods. Following the instructions on your perm kit, saturate your hair with the neutralizing solution. Save some of the neutralizer, you’ll need it in a moment. Typically this stays on for five minutes.

8. Once everything is neutralized, you can begin to gently unwrap your hair. When your hair is fully unwrapped, apply the remaining neutralizer to your hair making sure each strand is saturated. Rinse your hair with cold water and voila!

Some things to remember after the perm:

Don’t shampoo your hair for 24 to 48 hours after perming! All your hard work can be wasted if you forget and drop your perm. If you have trouble with frizz, it’s okay to apply some gel or something to control it. Rinsing your hair with just water is fine too.

Once you start shampooing your hair again, be sure to use a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner to replenish what was lost after the perm.

Try to avoid wrapping your wet hair in a turban style in a towel and blow dry instead. This will prevent stress and breakage of your new curls.

You CAN wear your hair straight after the perm if you wish. While letting your hair dry naturally is best, it won’t damage your perm if you brush your hair straight and / or use a flat iron. Just be sure to use styling products for dry hair that will protect it from the heat of styling aids.

Never dye your hair before perming! Always get the perm first if you’re going to do both. The perm will fade your color. Also, it is best to wait 2 weeks between each procedure.

Your new perm should last three to five months before you need to touch it up. I hope this has been helpful! Remember, if you’re not sure about getting your perm done at home by yourself, you can always go see your local stylist!