Should You Get A Perm?
I decided 8 months ago to get my first perm. I had some strong supporters, but also some objectors (otherwise known as my curly haired friends who already knew how much work it was going to be). I powered ahead, and got my perm in May of 2017. Honestly that's crazy because it doesn't seem like I've had my perm that long, but it's been over half a year!!! And it's still here! (kinda...we'll talk about that later).
Before my perm:
Before I got a perm, my hair routine was, well, basically nonexistent. I washed my hair every day, like a typical white American female who has been marketed to by shampoo commercials and told to wash daily. I didn't condition unless I really felt like it-- my hair was straight so it didn't really tangle unless I went a week without brushing it, (which was something I did do pretty frequently). I dried my hair with a terrycloth towel and then let the rest of it air dry. I didn't really brush my hair, just ran my fingers through it until it was visibly smooth.
After my perm:
I knew going into it that my hair routine was going to have to change. If I wanted to maintain my curls, I'd discovered, there were some steps I would have to follow. I could no longer be the lazy, low maintenance gal that I'd always been. At first this wasn't a challenge for me because the excitement of getting a perm and the fear of messing up said perm was enough to convince me I should stick to a much more demanding hair routine. I was consistent with this routine for probably about 3 or 4 months, which is surprising even to me.
My new routine was to wash my hair every other day, sometimes every 2 days. Before the perm, my hair would appear oily if I skipped even a single day of washing, but after my perm, because my hair was chemically altered, it was a lot dryer and did not get oily for a much longer period of time, so I could comfortably go multiple days without washing it at all. This was honestly such a relief and a huge time saver! I would either dry my hair with a t-shirt (although I usually forgot to grab a t-shirt so this wasn't very consistent) or I would blot and scrunch with a towel instead of wiping with a towel, as I used to do, because I didn't want the abrasive terry cloth to snag my curls and pull them apart, since that would result in frizz. Once I got out of the shower, I sprayed in leave-in conditioner and massaged in a small amount of mousse. Then I would scrunch my hair to shape the curls a bit better. I did not brush my hair! Brushing your hair when you have a perm can mess up the curl pattern and make your hair go flat sooner. I brushed my hair out only a very few times in those first, dedicated months. I washed my hair in the mornings so that I wouldn't sleep on freshly formed curls and flatten them out. Some nights when I was feeling particularly dedicated, I would sleep with my hair wrapped in a silk scarf to keep from messing up my curls. This did help a lot, but was just a nuisance to do, and I was usually too tired to deal with it.
After a few months, as my hair grew and the top inch or so of my hair was virgin hair that hadn't been permed, I went back to washing my hair every day, only skipping a day very very seldom because my hair was back to appearing greasy very soon. I also just started getting lazy: part of me didn't really believe my perm would last that long, so when month 5 rolled around and it was still relatively fresh, I just started adhering less and less to my routine because it was a lot of work. Also by this time, the front pieces of my hair had straightened out considerably, since those were the pieces which I'd touched the most, and touching your hair when it's been permed can also lead to it flattening out more quickly.
Now my hair has gotten to the point where it doesn't really know whether it wants to be curly or not. Much of it doesn't even try to curl, but other parts are still sticking to their guns and curling up whether I want them to or not. I have about 5 inches at the top of my head that aren't curly at all, so you can see how much my hair has grown in the past 8 months, which is pretty cool! I think that, despite the harsh chemicals of a perm, my hair is in some ways much healthier than usual because I've trimmed it pretty consistently on my own throughout the past months. Plus I've been paying closer attention to the ingredients in my shampoos and conditioners now that I've learned how bad for you a lot of products can be (always opt for silicon and sulfate free shampoo if you can help it! Products without those chemicals reduce product build-up in your hair and don't strip your hair of its natural oils! Did not know any of that before I got my perm...)
Future hair goals?
I want to focus on restoring my hair to its original state by fully growing out my perm and the last little remnants of dyed hair (when I got my perm, about 2/3 of my hair length was dyed ombre. Almost all of the dye has grown out by now, but I'm sure if I looked closely I'd be able to pick out a few pieces that still have some dye in them). I also want to make sure my hair is as healthy as can be so that the growth process goes as fast possible.
So, should YOU get a perm?
Here's my advice: if you enjoy spending a lot of time maintaining your hair, and are willing to commit to taking steps to ensure your hair's health that you might not have taken before, by all means go ahead. Perms are so pretty, and while mine was fresh I absolutely loved it.
BUT, if you're a lazy girl who wants to be as low maintenance as possible, and if when you think about it realistically, you know you wouldn't be able to stick to a rigorous hair routine, then I'd say skip the perm. There are plenty of easy ways to get curly hair without getting a full on perm, and they're all only a YouTube search away.
-VaughnDL
Before my perm:
Before I got a perm, my hair routine was, well, basically nonexistent. I washed my hair every day, like a typical white American female who has been marketed to by shampoo commercials and told to wash daily. I didn't condition unless I really felt like it-- my hair was straight so it didn't really tangle unless I went a week without brushing it, (which was something I did do pretty frequently). I dried my hair with a terrycloth towel and then let the rest of it air dry. I didn't really brush my hair, just ran my fingers through it until it was visibly smooth.
 |
| Right before I went into the hairdresser's... |
I knew going into it that my hair routine was going to have to change. If I wanted to maintain my curls, I'd discovered, there were some steps I would have to follow. I could no longer be the lazy, low maintenance gal that I'd always been. At first this wasn't a challenge for me because the excitement of getting a perm and the fear of messing up said perm was enough to convince me I should stick to a much more demanding hair routine. I was consistent with this routine for probably about 3 or 4 months, which is surprising even to me.
 |
| As soon as I got home from the hairdresser's. |
 |
| This was the first time I actually brushed out my perm. As you can see it was still very voluminous and curly. This was about a week or so after my perm. |
 |
| This picture is from October. As you can see, while it's still really wavy and pretty, it's considerably flatter than it was in the previous months, and the top few inches have grown out. |
Now my hair has gotten to the point where it doesn't really know whether it wants to be curly or not. Much of it doesn't even try to curl, but other parts are still sticking to their guns and curling up whether I want them to or not. I have about 5 inches at the top of my head that aren't curly at all, so you can see how much my hair has grown in the past 8 months, which is pretty cool! I think that, despite the harsh chemicals of a perm, my hair is in some ways much healthier than usual because I've trimmed it pretty consistently on my own throughout the past months. Plus I've been paying closer attention to the ingredients in my shampoos and conditioners now that I've learned how bad for you a lot of products can be (always opt for silicon and sulfate free shampoo if you can help it! Products without those chemicals reduce product build-up in your hair and don't strip your hair of its natural oils! Did not know any of that before I got my perm...)
Future hair goals?
 |
| I gave myself multiple haircuts and trims over the course of my perm journey. This one is from the day after my brother's wedding. |
 |
| This is from just about a month after I got my perm and it's still crazy curly. |
So, should YOU get a perm?
Here's my advice: if you enjoy spending a lot of time maintaining your hair, and are willing to commit to taking steps to ensure your hair's health that you might not have taken before, by all means go ahead. Perms are so pretty, and while mine was fresh I absolutely loved it.
BUT, if you're a lazy girl who wants to be as low maintenance as possible, and if when you think about it realistically, you know you wouldn't be able to stick to a rigorous hair routine, then I'd say skip the perm. There are plenty of easy ways to get curly hair without getting a full on perm, and they're all only a YouTube search away.
-VaughnDL
Comments
Post a Comment