9 Different Types of Perms
Are you tired of your limp, lifeless hair? Don’t fret! Super-Perm is always at your service! Breathe new life into your hair by adding volume and increasing its shining factor with a perm.
The days of spending hours each morning blow-drying your hair are long gone. It might be surprising to learn about what this wonderful hair styling option can do today if your ideas about perms come from movies made between 40 and 50 years ago.
You can now choose from various perm styles, from tightly bound curls to cool-looking beachy waves that will give your hair the volume you want.
9 Different Types of Perm
We’ll talk about 9 different types of perm today, so you can pick the one that works best for you. If you’re going for the perms for the first time, you should know these things about perms.
1. Body Wave Perm
The romantic body wave style is simple, and natural, and adds volume to your hair. This style is best suited to longer hair because it brings life back into limp hair and gives it some natural movement and bounce.
It produces a highly natural-looking appearance and requires far less maintenance. A body wave is perfect if your hair is naturally straight and has trouble keeping a curl. This kind of perm will prevent your blowouts from flattening after a few hours.
However, you should avoid using a curling iron or a straightener because they can damage your newly acquired curls.
- Best For: Giving straight hair more volume and causing flyaway curls to stick together.
- What it provides: It offers wavy and volumized hair but does not result in tight curls.
- Technique: Long rollers are used in this style of perming, digital or hot, to create loose, natural, tousled waves.
- Post-care: It needs very little maintenance. However, you should avoid curling irons and straighteners at all costs.
- Longevity: Typically lasts three to five months. To extend the life of your hair, you can apply creams and serums before styling your hair.
- Cost: $40-$200
2. Spiral Perm
The spiral perm is the most well-known for getting tight curls. This style is usually best for healthy hair as it uses a powerful chemical solution to create the curls.
Each hair follicle has a curl from the root to the tip. However, you can request your hairstylist alter the size of the perm rods that she applies to your hair to create a variety of looks for your curls.
You should have at least eight inches of hair before getting a spiral perm because this style makes your hair curl up tightly. Over time, you’ll notice your curls looser, so you’ll need to buy hair products after perming to keep them shiny and free of frizz.
- Best For: Ladies attempting to rock a vintage look and have incredibly curly hair.
- What it provides: It can create anything from the loosest sausage curls to the tightest corkscrew curls.
- Technique: Cold technique is utilized to achieve spiral perm curls. The size of the curling rod determines the coil for the curl. For corkscrew curls, a rod is used to secure the rolled-up hair vertically around a rod before being uniformly placed on the head to create the desired curl definition.
- Post-Care: This style has moderate to high upkeep requirements. You’ll need some styling products to keep your curls shiny, uniform, and free of frizz because they tend to relax over time.
- Longevity: Usually lasts six months with proper care, like using neutralizers regularly.
- Cost: $45-$200
3. Spot or Partial Perm
Spot perms concentrate the curls or waves on a single area of your hair instead of covering your entire head.
You might think this is strange at first, but it is an excellent way to add some volume to the middle of your hair or make more volume if one part of your hair is thinning. You can also opt for the spot perm if you only have curls on one side of your head.
A skilled stylist can spot-perm the straighter areas of your curls for a more streamlined appearance if your curls are uneven. One of the most common types of spot perms involves perming the ends of the hair to create curves and give your hair movement around your shoulders.
- Best For: Ideal for people having uneven curls and changing direction randomly.
- What it provides: It can skillfully cover an area of thinning hair.
- Technique: Hairstylists typically use larger rods to make the perm look natural. Complex chemicals are used before curling your hair around the rod, allowing it to last for months. However, you may need to touch up more frequently than the body wave perm.
- Post-Care: Even though it requires little maintenance, you should condition your hair and then use a leave-in spray.
- Longevity: Spot perm also lasts for 5-6 months. But, due to the significant]`variations in the methods used for perms, you may need to come back for a curl touch-up more frequently than you would for a body wave perm.
- Cost: $30-$100
4. Root Perm
A root perm is identical to a spot perm because you have only one section of your hair permed. Instead of concentrating on the mid-shaft area or the ends, this perm only targets the roots of the hair.
The first two to four inches from the scalp or the hair roots are permed during a root perm. It employs the ceramic or cold method because it takes place close to the scalp.
This styling method is the best and most natural way to add volume. If your current perm is fading, you can use it to give your hair a little more curl. After a root perm, your hair can be easily cared for, but the results will only last about a month.
- Best For: People with thin and fine hair or hair that has grown out after getting a perm.
- What it provides: It swells the roots and adds volume, regardless of whether you have curls naturally.
- Technique: In root perming, the rod is positioned a few inches in front of the scalp using the cold method. Adding a lift to specific parts of the head can accomplish this. A skilled professional often joins previously created curls with newly created ones.
- Post-Care: Special products must be used to protect the parts of the hair that have already been permed from the perming chemicals getting into the ends.
- Longevity: Typically lasts from a few weeks to a month.
- Cost: $30-$80
5. Digital Perm
The digital perm is a new and exciting option for those who want loose, natural waves avoiding the severe chemicals in conventional perms. Instead, they employ infrared heat and chemicals that are more balanced to achieve perfect curls.
Digital perm is best for people with straight or thin hair, so don’t think your local stylist will offer it. You should be aware that a digital perm is an investment on multiple levels before you commit to it.
First, sitting in your stylist’s chair takes a long time. It takes several hours, so you should schedule your digital perm for the entire morning or afternoon.
Second, this is one of the most durable perms, frequently resulting in curls lasting up to a year. Before scheduling an appointment, ensure you want curls that last that long. Also, make sure you go to a salon of high quality. A digital perm performed by a lousy hairdresser is destined for failure.
- Best For: It is frequently suggested for people with flat thin, or straight hair. Digital perms started as a service for Asian hair, which is great for Asian hair’s texture.
- What it provides: It produces more loose and natural-looking curls when the hair is dry and doesn’t need much care. In general, digital perms will give you curls that look fuller and more natural than other types of perms.
- Technique: Digital perm is a type of perm that uses cream-like solutions to completely alter your hair’s structure and applies heat directly to the hair. A professional machine is needed to heat the rods and transfer the heat to the hair.
- Post-Care: Apply an oil or hydration cream after washing and towel-drying your hair. Apply soft wax or an out bath treatment cream for prominent curls.
- Longevity: Digital Perm curls last anywhere from six months to a year.
- Cost: $70-$110
6. Pin Curl Perm
The pin curl perm can give your hair structure and tight curls that can change your look. You can select the perfect curler size for your desired style.
While smaller curlers can give the appearance of a spiral perm, more giant curlers can produce beach-perfect curls. The fact that this method doesn’t use any harsh chemicals that could harm your hair is its most significant advantage.
- Best For: Women with short to medium-length hair.
- What it provides: It gives you the simplest perm you can achieve only with curlers and pins.
- Technique: After being rolled against curlers of varying sizes, the hair is pin-secured. To ensure that the curls stay in place, you should rest for approximately two and a half hours before applying the gel.
- Post-Care: Special products must be used to protect the parts of the hair that have already been permed from the perming chemicals getting into the ends.
- Longevity: Typically lasts from a few weeks to a month.
- Cost: $50-$210
7. Multi-Textured Perm
With the multi-textured perm, you can now have both tight and loose curls for a multi-textured look. This perming method will give you an effortlessly beautiful look if you have naturally curly hair with curls that vary in tightness.
Different perm rod sizes create textured, tight curls with a natural look. Because it uses two rods of different sizes to achieve the desired results, this type of hair perm is unsuitable for women with medium or short hair.
- Best For: Women with long hair benefit from its added bounce and texture.
- What it provides: It resembles a body wave perm but has more variety in each curl’s shape, giving it an effortlessly natural appearance.
- Technique: The stylist uses rolls of varying sizes to blend loose and tight curls. This hot perming method uses roller rods that come in various sizes to achieve your desired hairstyle.
- Post-Care: Sprays and leave-in conditioners for hair can keep your curls looking bouncy.
- Longevity: With the right styling tools and products for hair, these perms can last multiple months.
- Cost: $40-$250
8. Stack Perm
People with curly hair often complain that their curls don’t start at the root and instead begin in the middle of their strands. However, a stack perm that creates an au naturel look by first rebonding the hair and then perming the middle and bottom sections can ensure smoothness at the top of your hair.
- Best For: Suitable for individuals with unlayered hair and healthy locks
- What it provides: keeps the roots of the hair straight and curls the ends more, giving the appearance of layered hair.
- Technique: Stack perms are created using digital technology.
- Stylists often use two different-sized rods for a more voluminous look.
- The bottom layer is permed for added fullness, while the top layer is untouched.
- Post-Care: Occasionally, just a deep conditioning treatment to maintain your curls’ buoyancy.
- Longevity: This can last five months or more, provided you maintain your hair properly.
- Cost: $40-$250
9. Straight Perm
In contrast to all other types of perms used to create new curls, the straight perm is made to remove any existing curl.
Before using heat, washing the hair, and straightening it with a hot iron, your hair stylist will break down the bonds in the hair with a strongly alkaline solution. The stylist applies a neutralizing chemical at the end to ensure that the hair remains straight.
The straight perm was first developed in Japan. It uses different kinds of chemicals from other relaxers. If you don’t use heat to style your hair during that time.
- Best For: Wavy or curly hair of any length.
- What it provides: Curly hair is permanently straightened by weakening the cysteine bonds and altering the hair’s natural protein structure.
- Technique: Ammonium thioglycolate, which weakens keratin bonds in curly hair, is used to coat it. After that, a hydrogen peroxide solution is applied to neutralize your hair. Your hair is then wrapped around a hot iron to straighten wavy or curly hair permanently. After the procedure, a neutralizer is applied to your hair to restore its pH balance.
- Post-Care: If the hair grows out, you might need to upkeep it with spot treatments.
- Longevity: It should last at least four to six months if you don’t style with heat.
- Cost: $30-$400
Final Thoughts!
Here are the different types of perms you may choose from. So, will it be a boho-chic perm with loose beach waves? How about a pin curl perm for a tidy, tight mass of uniform curls? A digital perm for wholesome, supple curls that appear natural?
In any case, getting a perm from a professional stylist is always highly recommended. They will look at your hair, determine its type and condition, and select the appropriate perm for you. Have fun Styling!
FAQs
Do perms damage hair growth?
Perming your hair causes hair loss over time. Perms strip the natural oils from the hair, making it too dry. Also, it prevents hair growth, and your hair can split more easily. All of this can happen if you are DIYing perms at home. However, a professional perm done by a licensed stylist should not damage your hair or cause hair loss.
Which perm is less damaging?
The ceramic, or cold, perm does not use heat and uses an alkaline solution that is less harmful. The American Wave Perm is a cold perm that only changes up to 25% of the hair’s bonds, making the hair look and feel healthier and more natural.
What perm makes your hair curly?
The hot perm is an acidic process used to produce curls. Spiral perming is a type of hot perm that results in corkscrew-shaped curls. As it can make your hair appear shorter, people with shoulder-length or longer hair typically prefer it.
What is the loosest perm?
Body Wave perms are looser, milder, and more modern perm, perfect for adding a beachy body to your stick-straight hair.
What is a natural perm?
Natural perm is a cutting-edge, professional curling and smoothing system that uses far fewer chemicals to create natural, permanent curls. The body wave perm is ideal if you want natural-looking, low-maintenance waves.
Which perm lasts the longest?
The straight perm is a Japanese hot perm that straightens hair with heat (usually with a flat iron) and chemicals. Some people opt for a straight perm rather than another hair straightening method because of the lasting effects.
Do you cut hair before or after a perm?
You should cut your hair 24 to 48 hours after a perm. Your hair has yet to take on its new shape completely. If you curl or comb your hair Straightaway, the curl can be stretched and softened. Also, split ends can suffer additional damage when permed, but cutting them after will ensure they are removed.
Is perming good for thin hair?
If your hair is thin but in good condition, it should be able to handle the perming process without much trouble. However, you should avoid using chemical treatments if your hair is dry, showing signs of breakage, or actively thinning. Instead, you should nurture your hair and try to make it healthy first.
Does perm help hair growth?
Continued perming can causes hair loss, and it also stunts the growth of hair. Natural oils are removed during a perm, leaving it extremely dry. Your hair is more likely to fall out because of it. It also slows hair growth in addition to all of the other effects.
Which perm is best for thin hair?
A perm based on acids is better for people with thin hair. Although the formulation will take longer, it will be gentler on thin and fine hair, lowering the likelihood of damage. The spot perm might be your best option if you have thin hair or hair that is thinning.
