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Original poster

would you have a perm?

13 replies

ThatVikRinA22 · 12/02/2011 15:55

20 years ago i had a perm...i have poker straight fine hair so it gave it body and oomph...

when they went out of fashion i stopped having them and have had straight hair ever since...i have a graduated bob now that is quite short - yesterday DD curled my hair with a curling wand for a night out - big waves - not tight curls,

ezquara.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/gwyneth_paltrow_curly.jpg

like this piccy of gwinnie, and i loved it - DD said it made me look younger and everyone commented on it on the night out...
i am seriously considering getting it permed - would you have a modern perm or are they just too 80's?
im nearly 39....i remember them the first time round! what do you think style gurus?

OP posts:
cabbageroses · 12/02/2011 16:01

I used to have perms for "body" as I have poker straight hair. almost without exception the dried my hair and did nothig for me- I think the last one I had was in my late 30s- 15 years back. They also disguised what were in fact poor cuts.

If you want curls, I'd suggest you use rollers and loads of products and keep the curls for special occasions.

I now have my hair just above my shoulders in a choppy bob with the ends flicked up- think Lulu- and it is really well cut.

So- my advice is no.

HalfTermHero · 12/02/2011 16:07

Vicar, I have never had a perm but I love my hair after I have curled it with a babyliss curling wand. I also toy with the idea of a perm - surely it would give body and oomph, just like the wand does?

In reality though, I just don't think I can face it. Everyone coming up to me after and saying 'OMG - you got a perm??!' I would feel like an 80's retro freak show Grin. If they came into fashion however, I would be to the hairdresser like a shot!

Original poster
ThatVikRinA22 · 12/02/2011 16:17

it just suited me far more with curls! it made me look thinner and younger, id heard perms these days are much more "modern", even the rollers are different - and i just want waves not curls as such...

my cut is fantastic - i go to the Mark Hill salon, its my one luxury - ive had my share of bad hair cuts, and its the one thing i refuse to compromise on!

i know exactly what you mean halftermhero...it would feel weird asking my hair dresser but im tempted to just bite the bullet because it suited me - but then again they always look bloody awful when they start to grow out...

OP posts:
HalfTermHero · 12/02/2011 16:23

Well it sounds to me like you should go for it. If you do then please do us some before and after shots (you can blank your face out if you want!). I would love to see a modern day perm. I agree that waves are more the loook that I like too.

earwicga · 12/02/2011 16:30

I don't think perms use the same chemicals as they used to 20 years ago. If not then go for it.

HollyBollyBooBoo · 12/02/2011 16:34

I was going to ask that...what happens when perms grow out? Do you have straight roots and curly ends or does is just sort of all relax at the same time and the curls just go IYSWIM?

You don't want to do something so permanent that if you don't like it you have to spend an eternity growing out or spend more money reversing the procedure (if there is such a thing?).

Will it really produce curls like Gwennies or will you still have to curl it but the perm will help with keeping it in place and giving it body?

HalfTermHero · 12/02/2011 17:07

I love how Gwen has her hair in that link. Vicar, if you can find a hairdresser that can recreate this with a perm (and you be the Guinea Pig!) then post the salon name and address and I will get one too. Am willing to travel, lol!

StarlightPrincess · 12/02/2011 17:47

IMO perms never look 'natural', if you see what I mean. That's why I get so offended if people ask me if I've had one! Grin

I think you're better off sticking to heated rollers or curling tongs.

DonaAna · 12/02/2011 18:02

I've had several perms in the past few years. I also had those in the 80s, so I can say that products have changed tremendously. These days, I'm not doing anything frizzy. I have fine flyaway hair and a perm (with the biggest possible curlers) gives my fine hair body and makes is more manageable. (My hair is so fine that I cannot normally use conditioner if my hair is untreated - even that weighs it down. All products do.)

Usually, my hair is at its curliest for a week or two after perming. After that, the curl is less pronounced but some of it will stay there for ever - and I like how it gives some volume and also lightens it a shade or two. To get Gwynnie's hairstyle, I would need to stick in some extra curlers, but with a perm, this type of curl would last much longer (days rather than just minutes or hours). For me, a perm is a low-maintenance way of styling my hair - getting the same results would mean daily blow-drying which is much harsher on my hair.

Highlights also gives my hair some body but as highlights only affect a tiny part of my hair, a perm gives better results (and needs to do only every 6 or 9 months).

Original poster
ThatVikRinA22 · 12/02/2011 18:24

i think i might have word with my hairdresser as im there next week,

not sure if it would harm as my hair is coloured...but the best perms i had in the 90s were herbal...think i had a couple of those in the early 90s but i know from watching stuff like 10 years younger that perms have altered dramatically since the early days!

DD is all for me having it and she is 13...she wouldnt be seen dead with me if i looked embarrassing!

OP posts:
pissovski · 12/02/2011 19:57

I have a perm (and have done for many years) approximately once a year. I just let the curl grow out, getting a trim when necessary. My hair is straighter than straight and fine

Many people who have only known me since I started having perms didn't actually realise my hair was permed until i told them. My trick is to have the done on the largest size rollers and not to have them rolled to the root, but it stop it at about 1" off (think they call it a 'baggy wind').

I don't know if it possible to have the sort of curl you want (a la GP). Ideally that is what i would have! What i have found is that it is so much easier to style it like that and have it hold the style.

HelenBa · 13/02/2011 00:27

I asked my hairdresser about a big curl perm as I thought it sounded fab and she basically said don't bother, if you want it to last you still have to go tight apparently. Would love someone to say she was wrong though...

greedygreedyguzzler · 22/02/2011 12:28

Oooooooo I want a perm, so I wanted to know if you ever got one?

Have you seen the 'digital perms'? If I had loads of money that is what i would go for!

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