Well, girls, I had my first perm done almost a month ago and I’ve finally decided to come out with a couple of my very own tips on permanent waves. Now, as you know, I’m not a pro hairstylist or a hairstylist of any kind, for that matter, and I’m definitely not interested in selling you anything you’re not sure you want to buy so I’m going to be straightforward and I’m not going to sugarcoat it. But, to cut the long story short-here are those 7 tips on permanent waves I had to figure out on my own:
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1. Consider Your Options
If I’ve been informed well, there are two types of perms available- a real perm that can last up to a whole year(depending on the type of hair) and something like a semi-perm that looks good for about a month or two. I had the first one done since my hair is naturally curly and I needed something to help it keep that shape without the curling products and whatnot. I wanted to do get my hair done and know that I won’t need a retouch at least 6 months but if you, unlike me, have totally straight hair, you might want to think proactive. Will it look good in two months, once that straight hair growth starts showing? But, maybe you like to change hairstyles often? Well, in that case, you might want to opt for a less damaging semi-perm first and see how you like it.
2. Research
Now, I must admit that the acid used to “reshape” my strands was pretty strong, so strong that I don’t think bleached or naturally weak hair could take it so, if you don’t want to end up looking like a blowtorched chicken (and I’m sure you don’t ), you better do some research on the acids your hairstylist uses. Don’t laugh or shake your head because this is one of the best tips on permanent waves you could ever get. You know how I know that? Because nobody gave it to me!
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3. It Takes Time to Get Used to
Going from straight to curly is a big change, a change that takes some time to get used to. This might not be one of those pro tips you were hoping for but it’s something you’ll need to remember in case your first attempt to style your new do turns out to be harder than you’ve expected. My first week was devastating; I almost cried and was a second away from regretting my decision. My hair just didn’t fall nicely and it kind of kept bulking in all the wrong places so I found a good hairstylist and got haircut. Nothing too extreme, just some layers and… guess what? I’m perfectly happy with it now!
4. It Takes Forever to Straighten
Before my decision to get a perm was made final, I’ve decided to ask my mom’s best friend one very important question, a question I was sure she could answer given that fact that she had been styling her hair this way since her twenties – “Will I be able to straighten it?”. She said yes and even added it’s going to help my hair look even straighter. Now, that was soooooo not true! Straightening takes forever, requires an enormous amount of heat and even thinking about water, mist, damp weather or any hairstyling products other than hairspray could cause it to frizz! So, if you want permanent waves or curls, don’t plan on straightening them every weekend- Once a month is okay but anything more than that will probably ruin your dear hair.
5. Hair Care is Crucial
Your hair might feel dry at first and you’ll probably need to switch to using different hair care products so, while I’m here giving your tips on permanent waves, I might as well mention this one too. Use light shampoo, a light hair conditioner on your entire length (Pantene Aqua Light is perfect by the way) and finish it off by conditioning the bottom part of your hair using a heavier conditioner. This trick will help you have lush, shiny locks, heavy enough to fall freely and naturally.
6. Learn How to Deal with Unwanted Fluff
Sleeping, wearing hats (or in my case, a bike helmet) will mess up your perfect locks, but that’s not something that should bother you. Get one of those big combs, section your hair, run the comb through each section and then spritz some water or some leave in conditioner. I’m not a huge fan of those leave in conditioners so I use regular water and just a little bit of liquid crystals or some hair oil to add shine and keep the short frizzy strands in order. It takes about 10 minutes to do, another 10 to 15 to dry and voila- you’re hairstyle is as good as new!
7. Do Not Blow-dry
The last but hopefully not the least of my tips on permanent waves is to let your hair dry naturally. Blow-drying is much faster, I know, but it often leaves me with a hair so big, I could make a lion go green with envy. Letting my hair dry on its own takes about 5 hours but it’s definitely worth it so, I prefer and recommend it.
Well, those were my 7 tips on permanent waves so hope some of you will find them useful. Now, when Rihanna re-introduced this style as something new, stylish and not for grannies only, I bet there will be plenty of girls looking for practical tips on what to do and what to expect after a perm-job. What do you think?
Top Photo Credit: Evil Erin
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