rodolfo mixedFirst of all, perform an honest hair check. What condition are your tresses in? “If your hair is too damaged, then we wouldn’t recommend a perm: “Your hair has to be in a good condition in order for the curl to come out pretty.“If you’ve highlighted or dyed your hair in the past month, you’ll want to give your hair some downtime before committing to a perm, since chemicals weaken the hair. (In fact, some stylists suggest that “virgin” or untreated hair hold perms best.)

Make sure to use conditioner regularly while you’re giving your hair time to recover. Also know that perms tend to lighten hair color. We always recommend going to a specialist. Perms require good timing and know-how, and you don’t want to end up with a horror story you can’t undo. At the salon, your stylist will let you know which perms options are best for your hair. Consider what type of look you’re after. With cold perms, the traditional method, your hair is soaked with an alkaline compound before it’s tightly wound into smaller curls and ringlets set by rollers. This creates a tighter pattern with a digital perm would. But, as with all perms, the waves will relax and become looser over time.