Facts
About Getting a Good Permanent Wave by Doris
Möller
Perhaps
you have been getting your hair permed for
some time now or you have been thinking about perming your
hair. Have you ever wondered how a perm can make your hair
curly - almost permanently? Understanding what makes a permanent
wave work will help you appreciate what makes a good perm
and what does not.
Human hair is an extremely strong and versatile
fiber. It incorporates physical and chemical properties that
allow us to do all kinds of interesting things with it in
order to improve our appearance. For people who have straight
hair a permanent wave can make the difference between looking
good or looking bad. Permanent waves are easy to do (provided
that your hair stylist knows how to do them properly), don't
take much time and are the best method for giving hair body
and fullness. A perm also gives your cut and style the foundation
required to last longer than one day.
But what makes the curl "permanent"? It happens
through the magic of chemistry. Obviously you figure that
it must be the permanent solution which makes the curl permanent.
This is true but it is not the whole story. Hair is 97% protein
(keratin) and contains three important bonds that give hair
its strength. They are disulphide bonds, hydrogen bonds and
salt bonds. The disulphide bonds play the main role in changing
your straight hair into a permanent curl or wave.
The first step is to
wind wet hair around the perm rods. The action of winding
the hair around the rods creates tension, compression and
with the addition of the perm lotion causes the formation
of a permanent curl.
The processing time for the perm
is very important. Hair that is tinted or streaked needs 15
to 20 minutes processing time because it is more porous. The
perm lotion is able to penetrate the hair faster.
If it is not processed long enough
the curls or wave will be weak. Now, if the processing time
exceeds 30 minutes the result will be over processed hair
which will lack bounce and elasticity.
After your hair has processed
for the correct amount of time your hair will have a curl,
but not a permanent curl - you will need to add another very
important step to this procedure.
Well, the next miracle of a permanent
wave is the very important second step, which
is to apply a neutralizer on each perm rod after the hair
has been processed. The function of the neutralizer is to
ensure that the new shape of the hair becomes permanent.
There you have it. Now
you have a permanent curl. The timing for neutralizing your
perm is also important. It usually takes 7 minutes. If the
neutralizer stays on much longer than that it will have the
reverse effect on your perm. Some of the newly formed disulphide
bonds will not stay together after a few weeks.
What do you think makes a curl tight
or loose? Does it depend on how long you process
the perm or the size of the perm rods?
Many people think that
the difference between a small and a large curl is determined
by how long the perm processes. I often hear clients say,
"don't leave it on too long. I don't want it to be too
curly." Hair stylists check perm rods every few minutes,
worried that if they leave them on a few minutes longer the
hair will become too curly. It is the size of the rods that
will determine how curly or wavy your hair will be. If you
want to have a large curl, which can also be described as
a loose perm or a body perm, then you will need a perm rod
with a bigger diameter. If you want more body in your hair
you will need a perm rod which has a smaller diameter.
There are a few more details
which concern winding the perm rods and applying the perm
lotion. In order to get a really good perm your hair stylist
has to be very particular about winding the perm. It is important
that the sections for each rod are not more than 1 centimeter
thick and that each section is only three-quarters of the
length of the permanent rod. Also for hair styles that need
really good body the section to be wrapped must be held at
the correct angle.
