Back in the 80s, curls were 100% the hairstyle to have. Straighteners were out and curlers, crimpers and perms were everywhere. Girls loved their curls and why not? They brought volume, life and waves to their hair. Now, thirty years later, everything retro is back in fashion and women everywhere are realizing that the 80s rocked – especially when it came to fashion.
If you’re one of the millions of women who love wearing their hair in curls, you’ll know how much of a hassle it is too though. How many seemingly endless hours do you spend a week trying to achieve the perfect curls? How often have you found yourself wanting to throw your curlers in the trash? Curling your hair is a nightmare – fact. The solution? If you curl your hair near daily anyway and know that’s not likely to change any time soon, why not get a perm? Your curls will last for months (the tighter the curls the longer the perm) so you’ll have no more daily hassle with curlers. Your hair will look great and you’ll save yourself heaps of precious time! Win, win!
Perms aren’t just a one curl type fits all type of job anymore either. You can choose how you want your hair permed and in what style. Confused? Let’s take a look at six different types of perms you can get…
Spiral Perm
Spiral perms are created using long perm rods. The end result is extremely tight, cascading curls or ringlets. They look like tightly wound spirals or corkscrews. Of course, how tight the curls are depends on the size of the perm rod and the various chemicals used. These factors will mostly vary from salon to salon so be sure to ask – some salons will be able to provide pictures of their work as examples.
Body Perm
Body wave perms help to give volume to hair. They’re generally suited for people with thin or flat hair and the curls will be larger on women with hair that is naturally quite straight. It produces loose curls and a gentle wave which is great for adding volume and a bit of life to dull hair. It’s great for shoulder length hair or longer and suits people with square faces as it tends to soften facial features.
Spot/Plain Curl Perm
Plain curl perms (often referred to as ‘spot perms’) focus on curling a specific section of hair. They’re used generally to help achieve a certain style, for example curling only the ends or midsection of your hair. With plain curl perms, you can choose to either have tight or loose curls. The result tends to be natural looking waves depending on where you choose to have permed.
Muti-Textured Perm
If you’re worried about your perm looking a bit too uniform and unnatural, a multi-textured perm could be perfect for you. It’s created using two different sized styling rods which means the curls end up varying sizes throughout your hair. This is thought to look more natural and the uniform and defined curls you would get otherwise. Due to the nature of the perm, it’s best done on women with long hair – the result isn’t quite as flattering on short hair I’m sorry to say.
Root Perm
Root perms are perfect for women with flat, limp and lifeless hair. As the name suggests, this process involves perming just the roots. The slight curl will give your roots a bit of body which will in turn help to lift the rest of your hair, giving it volume.
Root perms can also be used on women with short hair who simply want to bring a bit of life to it. It’s perfect for giving your short hair an incredibly fashionable and retro look.
Stacked Perm
Stacked perms work better for women with hair of all one length opposed to hair with layers due to the fact it adds a lot of volume to hair. Generally, it suits women of all face types too. Stacked perms are where the stylist focuses on curling only close to the ends of the hair, giving hair volume and creating the illusion of layers.
Pin Curl Perm
As the name would suggest, pin curl pins are created with pins and curlers. They tend to create quite tight curls however you do have some control over size as you can choose the appropriate curler size to be used. The one drawback to pin curl perms are that they tend not to last as long as other perms, especially if your hair is quite long. This is best done on medium or short hair.
Loose Wave Perm
Loose wave perms are a great choice if you’re not totally committed to having super curly or wavy hair. As the name suggests, this type of perm creates loose waves which can be easily compared to the beach wave look, something which looks fab come summertime. It can be done on any length of hair but the longer the better in this case or the waves likely won’t have much effect on your look.
Partial Perm
Partial perms involve perming only the bottom half of your hair (or even just the very end if you choose) and leave the part of your hair nearest your scalp completely straight. This is a great way to add volume to your look without overdoing it and also tends to be a much manageable style than most other perms. If you’re going to be tying your hair up a lot this look is perfect for you.
Volumising Perm
Volumising perms add volume – it really is that simple. You can get them in a variety of curl styles but as a rule they tend to use quite tight curls to create extra volume. Plus, there tends to be lots of small curls opposed to a few loose big ones which adds even more volume. It’s not the easiest style in the world to manage but it is a look that is sure to get you noticed.
As you can see, you have loads of choice when it comes to what perm to get. Even within these basic perm types, all perms are different depending on the rod type and the chemicals used to set your hair. These six perms are just a few of what you can get too – there are lots more perm types out there but these are the most popular.
Now that I’ve told you about various perm types, it seems only fitting that I give you a few instructions on how to care for your new perm too. Firstly, do not – DO NOT – wash your hair for an absolute minimum of 24 hours after having your perm done. Doing so will deactivate the chemicals used to set your perm before your perm has had a chance to take hold and thus your hair will return to being exactly the same as it was before. If you don’t want your perm to be not only a waste of time but money too then this tip is a must!
Secondly, try to care for your perm will special shampoos and conditioners. These will help your perm to last longer and look better too. Perms can last for anywhere between two to six months so to give your perm the best chance of survival care for it wisely.
So that’s that! Have fun choosing which perm to get and enjoy your new style. Be sure to experiment with your new style too – just because your hair has a bit of extra volume and a few added curls doesn’t mean all your favorite hair clips and all your old hairdos need to go to waste.
Happy perming, ladies. Be sure to let me know how it goes and if you found this article useful.
(All images sourced via pinterest.com)
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