Perms!

Sounds like your teen needs styling advice rather than a perm?

A perm changes the internal structure of the hair to make straight hair wavy or curly, depending on the solution used and rod size. All perms will need some post shampoo products and styling to make the hair smooth, shiny and carry a style. It’s a misnomer to think that perming the hair means you just wash and go.

As she’s got wavy hair, then it’s more a case of getting the right cut, styling products and learning how to manage the hair. Firstly, find a knowledgable hairdresser. Someone who has completed advanced training and has plenty of experience, ideally. They can help advise your daughter what hair type she has (4 main types and 4 further sub-types) and then how best to care for her hair. A really in-depth consultation with an expert will be worth paying for as the information gleaned will last her a lifetime.

Hope this has helped?

Thick wavy hair can be hard to manage, a good cut with layers would help it to "sit" better.

Perms dry out hair and make it frizzy. There are loads of good products for wavy and curly hair. I use a low shampoo (elvive do a nice one in a pump bottle) it's a godsend.

WiseOldOwl wrote: »

Do hairdressers still do perms? My teenager has very think wavy hair and she thinks a perm might make her hair easier to manage. Thoughts? My hair is straight as a dye so i'm no use to her for advice.

There are lots of diff types of perms.

From the sounds of it your daughter would be looking for a stack perm, a partial perm or a straight perm.

A straight perm is basically the kind of perm a lot of black ladies use. They are a lot more gentler these days but still can be damaging. Its breaking down the bonds in the hair etc.

Also you have regrowth ....but if you get a stack straight perm or a partial straight perm (DONE WELL!) they leave your roots or part of the hair natural so it looks better while it grows out.

You can also get keratin straightening treatments that don't get rid of the wave totally. They are also not permanent so that can be an advantage.

Go to a specialist. A lot of places do perms and a lot of places that do them haven't clue really how to do them.

Plus water makes the hair go frizzy again ..if she gets caught in rain ..etc..also her hair might react diff to things after ..

I echo in what Minnie said ..the salon i worked at had a perm specialist. Because there are so few people who do perms ...everyone went there to get them. A lot hairdressers hate them because they are labor intensive and take a long time to do. You have to watch every step of the way and every stage is important and has to be done well. There are so many diff perms and so many ways to curl them.

I am not sure who specializes in them now though. But diff hair reacts to perming differently. What minnie said is true. Caucasian hair can take a dual action perm usually ..but afro caribean hair can't really take single action perms ...as a general rule.

I don't think i know of anyone that does it though ..that i would trust etc.

Things have moved on since the 80s though.

I wonder though if she thinks it through does she want to commit to a perm?

Faith wrote: »

Not sure if I’m misunderstanding, but does that mean it’s now possible to get a perm for different kinds of waves? Like could you get soft curls rather than really tight ones?

Sure

Its very popular. They can even perm a style into your hair like make the ends curl under etc. Perm your bangs into place.

I have no idea who can do it properly in Dublin though now.