surferlove007

I need to get a haircut before going back to school...been considering a volume boost perm to help give my hair some "oomf" since its thin and hard to grow long. I've found myself curling it everytime I go out somewhere since straight its just kinda of hanging there...which brings me to wonder, would a volume perm be a miracle or be a mess to deal with? I don't curl it all the way to the root just on the ends.
Some advice or experiences with perms would be great! Before I go do something that might be a mistake!

ngdawg

I perm my own hair about twice a year. It's not really curly, but it's got some wave and it's pretty 'bushy'.
Make sure it's in great condition. Perms really dry it out, which is probably where the bushiness comes from( I do have a LOT of hair though). I'm leery of salon perms-they always seem to be too curly, plus I know how my hair is (left side is drier and straighter than the right).
If you decide to get one done, check the rods. For just body, large rods should be used. Ask what sizes they are going to be using. Perms stink, there's no getting around that, so have it done at a time you don't have to go anywhere the next day.
The nice thing about perms is, less maintenance-it takes me 3 minutes tops to blowdry and if going to work, I just curl the ends a bit.
Oh, and perms lighten your hair-at least the salon ones do. I use a solution for color-treated or damaged hair so it doesn't do that.

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maleficent

i've never needed a perm - i'll gladly donate some of my curls to you

My hair is naturally wavy an d the right haircut can keep it under control.. you might want to try a consult with a stylist to see if a specific cut can give you more volume.

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surferlove007

I'd gladly take them off your hands...I've had some haircuts that look alright for volume but they need to be redone every two months or less and after a terrible experience in Lubbock, I refuse to go to any hairstylist there again.
Figured I'd give it a try.

hunnychile

...and as a former perm girl, remember, do not wash your hair for at least 2 days after the perm (yikes - I know it seems yucky) or it will make your hair get "fuzzy" and not hold the wave shape as well. I ruined my hair once by washing it right afterwards to get rid of that perm smell. It was as if I just threw away $60. BTW, I have very fine straight hair. Perms were wonderful to thicken and give my hair body.

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surferlove007

I have the same hair, what size rods did you want for the waves? I was thinking medium, I don't want huge or tiny ones. How long did yours last?

hunnychile

Always get the biggest rods your stylist has. I think the last ones I had were grey colored. Different brands may have different colors. Don't let the stylist wrap your hair too tightly either or else you will have some breakage which is a nightmare. My perms lasted for about 6-8 months, though I only got a minimum of lenghth trimmed every 4 or 5 weeks. The worst part is when the top (root) area grows in - because that's where you'll have the flat areas once more. Long layers do better than an all over/one length style. I have had a stylist who could do a root perm and not wreck the lower 2/3rds of my hair shafts. She was great, but now she's still in CA. and I'm back in Ohio now.

Ask around for someone who is highly recommended. That's a wise approach IMHO. And good luck, perms can really make your hair look fabu when done correctly!

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Sweetpea

I would highly suggest against a perm. It will kill your hair, I've never known someone who had a perm that didn't have terrible hair damage, so, once the perm grew out a little, it left their hair brittle, causing a lot of breakage.

stick to the curling if you want a little more body to your hair. But honestly, I think your hair looks very pretty just the way it is.

sp

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shesus

I have straight, thin, and very fine hair. I hated it for years and cursed it many times, but now I accept it as it is and love it.

I had a horrible, horrible experience with a perm. I can still hear the names echoing in my head. I had grown my hair almost to my waist and wanted loose, flowing curls to 'oomph' it. The perm didn't agree, it fried my hair. I had to have it cut to chin length and the oomph was too much. I was called Fi-Fi the poodle for awhile.

Some people have great experiences with perms, but I compare it to going to a tanning salon. It's not natural and will be a pain to keep up. As is coloring hair and all the other things people do to make themselves look 'better'. Natural is the best in my opinion. Good luck with whatever choice you make.

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hunnychile

Obviously those of you, who have had bad perms went to hairdressers who weren't good at giving perms!

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surferlove007

I've got an appointment set up for Wednesday Evening.
My mom has has perms for nearly 35 years...so she knows pretty much everything and is going with me.
I'll report back with photos.

hunnychile

Great that your mom's going along with you. Nice mom.
So Good luck. If you feel too worried - just have her do a test strand first. I think you'll enjoy the fullness and curls after the perm is done. Oh & Ask about spiral rolled rods also. It's esp. good for longer hair.

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Sultana

Back when I got perms (oh blessed '80's!), my mom always did the best job, bar none.

I used to be very hard on my hair, and one of the best lessons I think I've learned since entering my 30's is to stop wasting so much energy/time/money on trying to change the very nature of my hair and to just work with what I have, so to speak. I get much better results. In a nutshell: healthy is most attractive, vs. fried curls.

I wanna see pictures of your results!

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surferlove007

Ok folks
My dresser had been around for a long time.
She basically trimmed my ends allowing me to keep my length
She said my hair took to the chemicals perfectly and didn't frizz.
I'm pretty happy with it, will post pics in the portraits.
Still need to get used to it.
Let me elaborate...the smell is overpowering. I'm almost afraid to touch it or brush it now...maybe after I wash it.
Now...any tips on maintence? She said something about gelling it or curling it with an iron so it will hold...I guess I'll learn eventually.

mixedmedia

If you want to wear your hair full and curly invest in a good ionic blowdryer with a ceramic diffuser attachment. It does wonders to avoid frizz and promote shine. There are also lots of products out there that will give your curls more definition and shine without making it hard and crispy like gel. I've been using the John Frieda Frizz Ease products for curls lately:

http://www.johnfrieda.com/products/p...zEase&lineID=4

...and I've been really happy with them.

My hair is naturally curly, but I do highlight it pretty heavily so it's about the same difference. My hair is also very fine.

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surferlove007

The weirdest thing now has been after I shower combing it to part properly..
Don't really know if I should gel the roots and let it dry naturally or what...tried the blowdryer today but I think it looks kinda big...?

mixedmedia

The parting thing may be because of the way the perm rods were rolled. That will probably go away on its own in a short while.

LOL, sorry the blowdryer didn't work for you. But you could try blowing it up real full and them using one of curl defining products I mentioned earlier to kind of pat it back down. Or, you can use the same type of product to let it dry naturally then shake it out a bit. I do not recommend gel. It makes your hair hard and crispy and untouchable. I don't like it when, ehhhh, someone puts their hands in my hair and they won't come out. If you get my drift.

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Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

hunnychile

After a perm use a difusser, not just any old blow dryer. It will help your perm hold the waves and your results should be better. You'll need to keep your hair moisturized too.

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little_tippler

as someone on the opposite end of the spectrum, I've had a backwards perm! lol

Well it's called defrizzing or something. It didn't really work that well. Instead of being evenly curly, it just became evenly almost straight with weird small kinks. Personally I don't like perms or the opposite. I have learned to deal with my hair the way it is. Luckily my hair is also easy to straighten so when I want to look extra glamorous I get that done in 30 mins in the salon, for about 15 $.

I always think no matter how well the perm is done, the result always looks slightly frizzy, and the waves are never round, just kind of wavy and zig zaggy. I know you've already had yours done ghoastgirl but I think your hair was beautiful straight anyway. I hope it turned out how you wanted. I guess we always want to try at least once to know what it's like...

The only "perm" type of treatment I'd still consider is a defrizzing one that exists now, that makes your hair as straight as a japanese geisha's, for at least 3 months! I don't remember what it's called but it's pretty tempting...I quite like my hair curly but I have been told so many times that it looks more sophisticated straight...maybe I'll try it one day too. Has anyone tried this BTW?

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Demeter

I have very fine, straight hair, and through my life I have had many many perms done, both in and out of salons.
All I can say is I resolved years ago to never ever get another perm. No matter what perm I get, in two weeks so much hair is damaged I end up with most of it cut off.
Now, I know I can have long straight hair, or short curly damaged hair. I opt for the long straight hair.

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diddagirl

Yes, Yes, Yes Demeter, I couldnt agree more. I am also a life time member of the fine, straight hair club and I have learned my lesson about perms. My VERY healthy hair turned straw like and fried...and took a LONG ass time to get back to normal. I would never encourage someone with thin hair to get a perm...as our hair tends to be generally very healthy and delicate and the perm just murders it.

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hunnychile

It's not helping ghostgirl1 feel any better saying how much you hated the perms YOU got in the past cuz it's after the fact.

She got one...let's rally around her and give suggestions on ways to keep it nice looking. C'mon....be positive for a change. I'm getting tired of so much negativity out there these days. But that's just me.

I've had some great perms. But I used great stylists and very good products, did YOU???

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surferlove007

I actually really like my perm, at first I was kind of like oh jeez, what do I do...how do I manage this...
Well I've figured out combing it carefully while its wet with a large tooth comb helps it dry so it still looks silky and healthy while having nice volume.
So far the ends look fine and not frizzy or broken.
Note to those of you who had bad perms...I understand there are bad experiences, but I've had thin, straight and flat hair my entire life...I really like the change of pace.
My hairdresser was careful to discuss the types of rollers and their different effects to me before doing the perm. She gave me medium ones that would give wave but also hold a curl. Also this woman had been doing perms for 35 plus years so she had been around the block a few times. I got to keep alot of my length and overall I love it. I let it airdry which helps with the healthy look...so I think I'm figuring out how to manage it.
I'm going back in April for a touch up.
I think the stylist made all the difference in the world, also my hair is naturally pretty healthy so it took easily, about 10 minutes and I was done with the first portion, then 5 for the neautralizer.
Very happy wth it. I like the change.

shesus

Yes, actually I did. The stylist was one we had been going to for years and he'd been around for years. He went to a good beauty school and sold the best products to use.

GG asked for opinions, although she already knew her answer. We were offering viewpoints...the point of the forum. I, along with others that replied, have thin, fine hair and tried perms as a solution as she has. We told her our stories because she ASKED. Sorry that putting chemicals on our hair didn't turn into a happy story for you. Seriously...

I'm glad she's happy and I hope it's a good experience. Better her hair than mine is all I'm saying from my experiences in the past. But everyone's hair and style is different.

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settie

Glad to hear that your perm turned out great GG! And I saw the picture in the Tilted Portraits section, it looks beautiful! I know how nice it is to have a change from the same old, flat, fine, straight/limp hair. I almost got a perm this Christmas myself, but opted for highlights/lowlights. I used to get perms all the time when I was a kid, but now that I colour my hair, put in highlights, etc, I was strongly advised against it. My hairdresser said "I'll use the lightest, most gentle formula on the market, but it will still damage your hair." And now that my hair is finally healthy, I said forget it. But I'm so glad it worked out for you! Volume is a beautiful thing! And now it takes much less time for you in the mornings! And no doubt your man thinks its real sexy, right? hehe.

Demeter

I've had the whole enchilada. I'm sure there isn't any deep conditioning formula that hasn't seen my scalp. I've had my hair permed several times in the last 30 years (my first when I was 4). In salons, at kitchen tables, bathrooms...my hair simply cannot take a perm without the perm damaging the holy hell out of it, and that's simply a fact.

I'm not going to lie & say it was bliss when it wasn't. I'm sure ghostgirl1 is happy with her choice, because she did some research & thought about it. If it doesn't turn out, she can see that for some people it just doesn't work, and she may think twice before putting herself through grief again.
So far, it sounds like it went well for her, and I'm happy for her. Nothing is worse for a woman than a damaged fuzzy head of hair.

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surferlove007

Hey guys, ok it's been roughly 4 months since I got my perm.
I still like it a lot. A side effect I thought I would notice would be that my hair quality would go down and leave it dry and brittle...well maybe it's because I condition my hair daily so I can actually comb it, but the quality seems better than ever. The perm is still stronger than ever, my hair took to it beautifully.
I did straighten it several weeks ago to find the length and thickness to be incredibly improved. I love it being LONG and STRAIGHT! It actually looks good being long for the first time in my life! SO now...how does one keep this awesome look as their perm grows out?
I do like the versatility of having curly one day and straight the next...that is awesome.
Also my ends are starting to look a little frayed about 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch might be needed to trim them up but I most certainly don't need another perm. Should I go back to the original stylist or trust someone here...which I've had bad experiences in the LBK.
My previous stylist was AWESOME she layered it beautifully and shaped it toward my face and the cut was just fabulous overall.
Going home would require a 300 mile drive one way...kind of don't want to go just for that.

Thanks guys!

hunnychile

Hey G-girl!
Glad that you are happy with your perm. They've come a long way from the old poodle frizz kind! If you only need a trim, maybe there's a good stylist in Midland or Odessa who comes recommended. If you see a local or an on campus chick with a good hair cut, ask them if they got their cut in town. Most ladies like the compliment any how!

The most important thing now is that you do NOT get another perm too soon. For my straight baby-fine hair I only get perms every 6 or 7 months...that's the golden rule of preventing dried out frizz.

I had a stylist in Ca. who could do a "root touch up perm" for lift...but it was a long process and luckily she was awesome and experienced but very expensive.

Just get a tiny trim on ends and layers by someone good. Oh and Keep using good hair products. Try not to blow dry hot too often either.

Good luck.. Glad you are having fun with your thicker hair!

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