Digital perms (or other ways to rid myself of this shit hair)

[POPholditdown]

Just wondering if anyone has had one, or is a hairdresser who knows about them?

I have fine, flat straight hair which I am just sick of. I can’t do anything with it other than brush and leave it down. Unless I cover it in hairspray/sea salt spray but it’s then just a sticky mess the next morning.

I can barely keep it in bobble, it just slides out. No volume, so when I tie back, it’s just very flat on my head (Trunchbull-esque)

I can never get that nice ‘puff’(?) around the hairline that makes a bun seem much more relaxed and less straining (hope you get what I mean)

I was thinking of going for a digital perm, or asking about ‘texturising’ which I’ve seen listed, not sure what that is exactly.

I know proper perms used to be bad for your hair, not sure about these ones? They just add some waves and bounce, if I’ve understood it correctly. TBH at this point, I don’t care about damage if it will make styling my hair easier.

I hate leaving it down, as it looks unprofessional (on me) It just hangs there, no shape or body.

Because it’s so fine, any amount of product can be too much.

As a result, it doesn’t hold a curl for very long, whether I’ve used heat or not. So I’m not sure if a digital perm would even make a difference?

Hopeful bump..

I have some sympathy for you, mine is the same,i use rollers the velcro type when i wash my hair, i put a bit of styling spray on while damp, then rollers in, it does give it body and makes it look thicker,

I also have flat, fine and slippery hair and I also tried a perm for the same reasons hoping a curl would give some body and lift to it. The curls all fell out in 6 weeks. I can't be sure it was a digital perm i don't know what one it but it was done at the hairdresser's. I've just stuck to keeping it shorter with a blunt edge to make it appear fuller.

I was asking in Toni and Guy about this but they’d never heard of them - I think Japan is the only place. Who ever cracks that soft curl look will make a fortune.

I think I’ll have to cut mine short, too tbh. Can’t believe it lasted 6 weeks Sitranced Was it at least enjoyable whilst you had it?

I know you can get a permanent wave at some places here, I assumed (from photos) it was the same thing.

I saw ‘texturising’ on T&G’s list of services, I wonder if that’s something for flat hairers

I have used flexible rollers before, the easiest one to work with I found, but it just doesn’t last.

One way ticket to Japan it is, then!

My hair sounds like yours. It’s fine, soft, slippery, shiny. No volume, very flat. And in a ponytail it just looks scraped back. No texture at all.

I’m afraid to say my hair didn’t hold the digital perm. She left it on longer than it should normally have left it, but despite this it was dropping out after a couple of hours and had completely disappeared after a few days. Hair was dead straight again. I went for a second opinion elsewhere but apparently this kind of hair just doesn’t ‘take’ to perming chemicals.

The silver lining was that the chemicals themselves did change my hair structure so it was less slippery and it would actually hold a style for once. I was able to get a bit of texture into styles and this texture would ‘hold,’ basically because the hair strand was less slippery and a bit more ‘rough.’

What condition is it in? Do you colour it? Do you heat style it? When you say "fine" do you mean thin hair or fine textured hair but a substantial amount of it?

If you have fine textured, straight hair of a good amount, which is in very good condition (and uncoloured) then I might look into a digital perm. However if your hair is in less than perfect condition and already thin then any chemical can make matters far worse, namely breakage and even less hair to play with.

Some people have even finer (i.e. thinner) hair because they do so much damage to it, trying to get it bigger. Heated brushes, hot hairdryers, round bristle brushes, volumising sprays (these are THE WORST, they are liquid glue basically), colouring, perming, backcombing any more regularly than occasionally etc. In the long run they lead to more breakage = less hair = more processes = more breakage and so on and on.

I would try gentle heated rollers and root boosting products before any chemical process. Heated rollers lift at the roots and give a loose wave texture (using the bigger rollers) hence more volume without losing the length.

The silver lining was that the chemicals themselves did change my hair structure so it was less slippery and it would actually hold a style for once.

That’s something, atleast! The only thing that slightly works for me is sea salt spray, but it makes my hair feel horrible, like sticky straw and I have to wash it out as soon as I can.
I love when I go on a beach holiday, and my hair is full of sea salt. It looks so full and healthy.

SundayGirls It’s in an ok condition, may be in need of a trim but it’s always been like this. Even after a fresh cut. I do have quite a bit of it, but it doesn’t look like it if that makes sense. My roots in particular are just flat. It doesn’t have defined ‘direction’ if that makes sense, it just hangs down. I haven’t coloured in a few years. I have to be careful with products as it just gets bogged down very easily. Even conditioner, whilst it makes look more smooth and shiny, it makes it look even thinner.

The only example I can think of is Axl Rose, when he was younger. It’s like his hair.

Is it like Paul Weller has?

Like this! It just hangs down, not even a cow lick to frame my face a bit.

Honestly? I’d get extensions to thicken it. If you perm it it will either slip out really quickly, or you will just have thin permed hair .

Yup I feel your pain.
I just have mine very short, but can't say I am happy with it.

I think I’d still have the flat roots issue notumbongo. I might speak to a hairdresser about extensions though, when
I go next.

hugoagogo it’s frustrating isn’t it. I’ve just given up with trying with mine tbh, and have embraced the Trunchbull bun.

I am tempted to give heated rollers one more shot though, like SundayGirls suggested.

I have the same hair as yours! It's hugely oily too. About bra strap length. I get a normal perm once a year (with the rollers wound horizontally on the top of my head, and vertically around the sides, for volume) and then blow dry it straight with a round bristle brush, before creating big loose waves with GHDs.
The perm costs about £120 (digital perms are £300ish and don't last all that long)

It sounds like a mad amount of admin but it means I can wash my hair just twice a week and it has volume and will hold a style.

The only snag is finding someone with perming expertise- they don't teach it as standard at colleges and mostly where stylists do offer perms, the experience they've gained is on older ladies with very short hair. It's not impossible though.

Also if you do get a perm, you need to make sure they use the timings for non-porous hair, or it won't work well.

Happy to send you a pic of mine post-perm, post styling via email if you want to PM me 🙂