S/O Haircuts...Perms?

[Melaine]

Anyone have a perm or are they just totally uncool anymore? I'm getting bored (again) with my hair and I really loved the two spiral perms I had in highschool....for some reason it seems weird to get one now though. Not sure why....

My hair used to be a lot curlier than it is now, and I kind of miss it. Plus when I had a perm, I basically never had to style it, just scrunched it and I was all set. But is it a bad idea?

[HIU8]

My hair was straight until I was 16. I got a perm and then my hair changed and became curly (not due to the perm I'm sure). I love curly hair. If my hair changes textures again and gets straighter I would so go get a perm.

[lizzywednesday]

I can't say that I know anybody going curly nowadays ... it seems like straightening, whether flat-iron, chemical process or keratin process, is the way of fashion today.

Truthfully, I hated my spiral perm (circa 1992), despite wanting it so badly, because it was next to impossible for me to maintain - I have really thick hair and my scalp flakes, so the hair washing thing was an issue. So was having to use a pick or scrunching cream, so I just let it grow out.

If you do a wet-set overnight with foam rollers, you can get body waves without having to commit to a perm.

FWIW, I hate perms in general because my mom ALWAYS had one when I was a kid. Like those bad 80s perms. You know, the ones that always turned out floofy and made you look like Delta Burke on 'Designing Women.' It was embarrassing to go places with her when I started noticing it.

[newg]

I use to get my hair permed all the time.....I have fine, thin hair and I loved the body it gave me...........my mom has the same hair type and continue to get perms................I stopped only because they are stinkin expensive!!!
Do you have a hair school near you.....I have an aveda training school near me and got a perm there once....it was a lot cheaper becausea student did it.

[Indianamom2]

Well, I had a couple perms over a year ago, only because I was trying to grow out a very short cut that looked best curled, but then wouldn't style any more. I loved the perm...until it was long enough that I didn't need it anymore, and then I was stuck with an ugly perm. I got a couple more, in an attempt to get my hair long enough to do something.

In the end, the perms just completely fried my hair. I hated how it made my hair feel...and the worst part was that the only way to get rid of the damage was....to cut it out. Kinda defeated the whole purpose!

[SnuggleBuggles]

The thought of the chemicals in those scare me. I used to get them when I was a kid and haven't done it since. There are a lot of things I would try to do style wise beore doing a perm. I think they are pretty dated in style too.

Beth

[lalasmama]

I get perms. I know, its so 80s/90s, but I still do it....

When my hair is straight, its hard to manage, goes 87 different ways, and is frizzy no matter how much "No More Frizzies!" products I used. I had to style, dry, and pray that it kept looking "okay" throughout the day.

Now with my perm.... I wash, condition, towel dry, spritz some gel in, scrunch, and, hairwise, I'm ready to go in less than 2 minutes. Its HEAVEN! Its not as frizzy, it behaves well, and (best of all) SO prefers it curly. SO perfers it, and its easy for me? How could I say no???

[pharmjenn]

I have long (bra-strap length) hair that is fairly curly when shorter, but just wavy at this length. So I get a perm about every 1-2years, which seems to stay around for a long time. I just recently got a spiral perm for the first time, and I am enjoying it.
Most people assume it is natural, and it is so easy to take care of. Just spray gel, flip and diffuse dry. I was hoping it would last overnight, but sleeping still mushes it.

So, not too 80's. I say, go for it! Definitely get recommendations for someone that does them often though, don't want to mess it up.

[hellokitty]

If you want to go curly, go for it. To be honest, I feel like hairstyles have gotten very boring in the past decade, b/c everyone wants really straight hair now. I wish I could perm my hair, but last time I did it, they used TWO perm packs, and my hair was barely curled. So, I've been stuck with super straight hair my entire life.

[Melaine]

Hmmm thanks for the feedback. I kind of forgot about the whole chemically aspect of perms. Back in highschool I couldn't care less, but that definitely gives me pause now.

I'm still a little torn. I am afraid I will end up cutting it short and I'm sure I would regret that. I'll probably think about it for another 6 months....that's usually how long it takes me to decide!!

[brgnmom]

I was getting bored of my straight hair which has some slight waves, and then per recommendation by a co-worker who has gorgeous wavy/curly locks, I decided to try out something like this (not the specific model I have, but similar concept): http://www.target.com/Conair-Instant-Heat-Travel-Hairsetter/dp/B0002G21GI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&frombrowse=0&node=1038576&keywords=hair%20curler&field_browse=1038576&searchSize=30&id=Conair%20Instant%20Heat%20Travel%20Hairsetter&field_availability=-2&refinementHistory=subjectbin%2Ctarget_com_age%2Cta rget_com_gender-bin%2Ctarget_com_character-bin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&searchNodeID=1038576&field_launch-date=-1y&searchRank=target104545&searchPage=1&field_keywords=hair%20curler. I absolutely love using the curlers at home--I place the rollers inside the box and plug the cord into an outlet for about five to ten minutes & they are easy to use. I didn't want to get a perm because of the chemicals, and this has been a great alternative for me.

[Melaine]

I was getting bored of my straight hair which has some slight waves, and then per recommendation by a co-worker who has gorgeous wavy/curly locks, I decided to try out something like this (not the specific model I have, but similar concept): http://www.target.com/Conair-Instant-Heat-Travel-Hairsetter/dp/B0002G21GI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&frombrowse=0&node=1038576&keywords=hair%20curler&field_browse=1038576&searchSize=30&id=Conair%20Instant%20Heat%20Travel%20Hairsetter&field_availability=-2&refinementHistory=subjectbin%2Ctarget_com_age%2Cta rget_com_gender-bin%2Ctarget_com_character-bin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&searchNodeID=1038576&field_launch-date=-1y&searchRank=target104545&searchPage=1&field_keywords=hair%20curler. I absolutely love using the curlers at home--I place the rollers inside the box and plug the cord into an outlet for about five to ten minutes & they are easy to use. I didn't want to get a perm because of the chemicals, and this has been a great alternative for me.

Thanks. I have some similar ones that I never had much luck with. I should definitely try them again as my hair has changed. Will do that. How long do you leave them in?

[brgnmom]

Thanks. I have some similar ones that I never had much luck with. I should definitely try them again as my hair has changed. Will do that. How long do you leave them in?

It depends on how curly of a look I'm seeking. I heat all the curlers in the box for at least five minutes (longer if I'm looking for a curlier look) and I place them in my hair for about ten minutes. I take out one of the curlers initially, just to check and see whether the curlers have worked their magic. :)

[Melaine]

It depends on how curly of a look I'm seeking. I heat all the curlers in the box for at least five minutes (longer if I'm looking for a curlier look) and I place them in my hair for about ten minutes. I take out one of the curlers initially, just to check and see whether the curlers have worked their magic. :)

Do you use products along with the curlers?

[Green22]

I know of a couple of girls who have perms and they are FANTASTIC. That being said, they are all asian girls (not sure if hair texture makes a difference) and they got "digital perms" (I THINK that is what they are called. They mostly got them from "old asian ladies"). They look amazing, like Kardashian hair. Beautiful loose curls. In bigger cities (LA, NYC) apparently you can get these done at just any salon.

I have never been able to find them in my area, but I would really really really want one.

[Melaine]

Fascinating....never heard the term digital perms. I'm going to google that, thanks!