I want a perm! Mid life crisis?

[heyok]

I mean do they even exist anymore?

I have long hair, but being mum, nurse, etc etc my hair is constantly stool to the back of my head in a bun.

Want volume. Love that mad curls look, abit like this?

Anyone had one recently?

Try the curly girl method.
You may have natural waves in your hair and with the right products and styling you could get your bounce back.

Curly girl method?

Im currently half way to growing out my 'pretend' blonde hair so my natural grey can come through. Its partly because my hair has always looked really nice styled with a perm in it, I can handle it really well, but blow drying is something I still haven't mastered after 20 odd years. I blood hate blow drying.

I had a loose perm a few months ago. It was great for the first month or so but became so much hassle as needed washing every morning because of all the products you have to use. Ironically now I'm having to straighten what was perfectly straight hair all the time!

I dry it straight when I can now it's growing out. I wish I knew how much upkeep curly haired girls had to go through. But it was more of a wave than a curl which I was a bit disappointed with as well.

I've always found curly hair so beautiful.

I got a digital perm some years ago and it looked fabulous - beautiful defined curls, no poodle vibe whatsoever. As a pp said, didn't last too long though, started dropping out in matter of weeks.

I only re-trained in hairdressing a few years ago in my 40's and perming was an optional unit so I chose it and did basic perming and then advanced perming on my level 3 but I was the only one as all the youngsters chose the hair extensions option which didn't interest me at all.

There are lots of different perming products and winding techniques to create different effects depending on hair type but you might have to shop around to find someone who knows what they're doing if you don't want to end up with a granny perm.

Tip: ask the hairdresser if they know the difference between a spiral, hopscotch and piggyback wind? (Brick and Directional are the basic winds that you learn on level 2.)

I've been looking for a hairdresser who can perm too- it doesn't seem like many do it at all now. I just want to give my thin long hair more volume and interest. I've got this photo of what I would like of pinterest. People seem more to be suggesting I ask for a 'digital' or 'spot' perm.

I’d be worried about whether modern day hairdressers can ACTUALLY perm since they haven’t been doing it for so long! I had beautiful perms in my late teens but now at 45 I’d love another but am terrified of someone doing it and my hair out! I suppose I’ll have to wait for others to be trend setters or guinea pigs!

I had hair that had a slight wave and held a curl well, but was mostly what you would call straight. I then had a perm and it turned my hair curly. Now I have to maintain my curly hair, which I don't do, so I end up with "crazy hair" that's frizzy and sticking in a million directions.

Imagine waking up, your late, you just need to run a brush through your hair to look presentable, well forget about it. You can't. So instead you have to stick it in a ponytail or bun or whatever and you'll still have hair sticking up everywhere...

@ticketstub ths is tonged . I think most of the pics that come up when you google perms are actually tonged or set . I have curly hair and it's curly from the root and even when you perm you can't just perm the bottom it has to be wound up on your head before they put the solution on .

I had my bobbed hair permed in the 80’s in the hope of looking like Francesca Annis........................tragic

@sportyfool thanks for the info, I wouldn't mind have that sort of big loose curl from the top of the hair. Do you know if there's a specific curl I should be asking hairdressers about to get that effect?

I think this is something I would actually do on myself if I wanted it again. I don't think many hairdressers now would have a clue how to do it.
We used to perm our own hair as teenagers in the early 90s and it was really extremely easy to do. Youtube will probably give you a good idea of curling patterns and what colour of rollers to use for the size of curl you want. We would use something like this. www.amazon.co.uk/Pin-Up-Full-Head-100ml/dp/B001IONQ1W/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?keywords=perm+pin+curl&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1520781482&sr=8-1
Guy Tang has a couple of perming videos on his channel. I have to watch him on mute though as I find him so irritating. I've actually just realised that one of the girls from your photo is from the 2nd video.

Loved my perms back in the 80s. Had curly bobs. The ‘shag’. Loved it. It did take a LOT of conditioning to keep it nice.

Then in the late 90s I persuaded my hairdresser to do a perm. It was not a good look. I looked a bit like Maggie Thatcher but darker. Mistake was having it when my hair was too short really.

I spoke to my current hairdresser about it recently and she advised against it. I think it’s true that hairdressers are just not as experienced in perms now.

Watching this with interest, I would LOVE a perm! I have below shoulder length very fine hair which looks lovely tonged but doesn't appreciate the heat styling. So it seems the key is to call round hairdressers and see who has the experience in perming? I'm in the South East - any recommendations??

My hair is just below shoulder length, thick and very straight. My hairdresser, who I've been going to for 14 years suggested she set it on big rollers last time I was in. Just for a change. So I said, why not, and I loved the result! It was so glamorous yet natural. So she said, consider having a soft perm some time. She is an older lady who trained in the 70s, so is a dab hand at the older stuff as well as being bang up to date.
I'm still considering it, as I worry I won't be able to manage it.

Those of you that want that loose curl it's really really easy to do with tongs . The tongs themselves are only about £25 and if you use hairspray it will stay for a few days if you don't brush or wash it ...

@ticketstub .. you would need to ask for them to use large rollers or winders ( not sure what the actual term is as I'm not a hairdresser ) but the smaller the roller the smaller the curl so the opposite is also true .

I probably wouldn't go for a perm. I use babyliss secret curl, my hair is fairly straight but I never wear it straight. Heres a picture. You can go very ringlety or loose waves with it.Excuse the rollers on the top of my head 🤣

You’ve got lovely hair,that’s a really nice look. Did it take long?

Interested to hear people's opinions on this. I'm forever curling my hair with tongs and ghds and would love a permanent solution. But I have't heard of anyone getting one since about 1993. Do they still exist!?

Lipstick, thanks, 💐 and no, about 15 mins,,,but I'm used to doing it go be fair.

Well clearly you’re a dab hand,it’s really nice

Thanks, it's actually really easy to do, it's a great tool.

I tried the Curly Girl method today on the back of this thread - at the grand old age of 43 I've discovered I have wavy hair!

I really liked it - particularly as I hate blowdrying my very stubborn hair. It was nice to go along with nature rather than trying to fight it.

Ha! My 85 year old mum could be raking it in - the Queen of the Home Perms.

I loved my 1985 BIG HAIR perm. Secretly I am so ready for that style to come back in again.