Perming Your Own Hair

A trip to the salon for a professional perm is expensive. You can save both time and money by perming your own hair at home. Before going to your local drugstore to buy a home perm kit, however, there are some points to consider:

• What is the condition of your hair? If it is damaged, colored, bleached, or you already have a perm, you should reconsider perming your own hair.
• What type of style do you want? Some perms give lots of curls, while some just add body or wave. Look at magazines in hair salons or online and choose a look that will compliment your face type and hair length.
• What length is your hair? If you have long hair, then you may need to use more than one perm kit. The length of your hair also determines the amount of resulting curl. Long hair is most times heavy, so achieving tight curls might be difficult.
• How tight do you want your curls? Rod size determines the tightness of your curl. Body waves use the largest rod sizes, while tight curls use the smallest. Choose from red, blue, pink, grey, white, and purple, with red being the smallest and purple being the largest.
• Choose a very good brand name perm kit. L'Oreal and Ogilvie are two very good brands.
• If you do decide to perm your own hair, despite having colored hair, then choose a home perm kit intended for colored hair. Chemicals in a regular perm kit may strip your coloring.
• Oftentimes, perming your own hair is physically difficult since you have to reach around to the back of your head to roll your hair in the rods. Ask a friend to help.

Now that you've determined the condition of your hair, have chosen a hair style, decided the type of curl you want, and have chosen a perm kit, you can begin to perm your own hair. Read the instructions in the kit thoroughly before you begin. If you ask friends to help, make sure they follow the instructions completely. Follow the after-care instructions to maintain your perm. Most manufacturers recommend using specially formulated products for permed hair. Also, most perm kits list a free telephone number to call if you need to speak with a consultant about the product.

Perming your own hair doesn't have to be complicated or difficult. Remember to research exactly the look you want, buy a good product, and follow the directions perfectly to achieve a great result.