Why have perms never made a comeback?

[Sooobooored]

I am watching Top of the Pops 1982 and reminiscing about all the hairstyles, most of which I had myself. Perms and big hair have never made a comeback and I’m not sure why.

Because they look terrible and all the chemicals aren't great for your hair?

They did fuck your hair up though. I love old programs that show life before hair serum was invented.

Do you remember the hair diffusers too?.

Perms are back in for lads, seen loads lately.

Yes I thought it was probably about how damaging they were for your hair but surely products would have evolved over the years.

Yes I did have a big diffuser!

I thought that perming solution would have evolved over the the years too. However, I went to my hairdressers the other day, and one woman was having her hair permed (it brought back found memories of the curlers, cotton wool around the head and the over head air dyers). But OMG! The fumes from the perming solution (an eye watering, over powering rotten egg smell) was the exact same smell that it was when I washed hair as a Saturday girl in my local hairdressers in the late 1990s.....

I don’t think that perms have come back into fashion due to people being able to curl their own hair, and would be costly for people who regularly colour their hair. Plus perms needed to be done quite regularly to maintain their curl.

I also remember my aunt would use the steam from a kettle to maintain her curls, I use to use hair mouse and dry my hair upside down using a hair defuser.

I'm desperate for a perm dunno why I just think I'll suit one. You can get relaxed ones that show nice waves etc but no hairdresser is willing to do it on coloured hair.

Not sure I can grow it all out then have a dowdy hair colour perm :(

I loved having big hair in the 80s!

I used to clip my hair back at work with one of those curves banana clips that made your hair look like a horses tail!

I have always hated the straightened hair look and when that came into fashion I was bereft!

Several kids in dd's year have had perms recently. She's in y10.

I wonder if it’s because almost everyone has their hair coloured these days. Maybe back when perms were popular, more people had virgin hair... these days, it’s too risky for a hairdresser to perform a perm on someone with coloured hair, especially bleached.

Yes I used to use the hair mousse that made your hair crispy. The volume you could get from a perm, the mousse, the diffuser and scrunch drying upside down was huge.

I've always wondered this. Love a perm - I've never had one and wouldn't dare, but think they look fab

Perms and big hair have never made a comeback and I’m not sure why.

Perms haven’t, but I am increasingly seeing lots of ‘big’ hair styles around - albeit more modern styles, than the big hair of the 80s.

I am really pleased to see it, after two decades of people straightening their hair into thin curtains.

I have naturally big hair that I have been taming into submission for a long time. Lately, I have been letting the wave out, and it feels good.

I would love to have a perm but I have to colour it so often because my grey roots come through in weeks. I wouldn't dare perm and colour

Well that would be good for a change after years of straightening.
I like the choppy waves that are in but I can’t do them myself despite trying.

Because fashions change . We now have fugly eyebrows and duck faces .

Agree with Major. They are in fir lads and I don't think it will be long before they're in for girls.

I was in hairdressers the other day and a woman walked in n and wanted to talk to someone about having a perm. The hairdressers were all really reluctant to engage and my hairdresser just rolled her eyes and said to me it wasn’t worth the effort as it never worked and most people were disappointed. The woman seemed to want one of those trendy wavy looks that most people can only achieve with straighteners or etc. She brought a pic in and it just wasn’t going to bed feasible apparently.

I wonder if it’s because almost everyone has their hair coloured these days. Maybe back when perms were popular, more people had virgin hair... these days, it’s too risky for a hairdresser to perform a perm on someone with coloured hair, especially bleached

That is true.

I had a perm from around aged 16 to my late 20s. They were horrendous for the 1st couple of weeks (too tight) then you had around 4 weeks where it was nice, followed by dreary weeks of straight roots with curly ends until you could have another one done.........

Must have been absolutely mad, thinking about it now

I teach so many boys with perms... apparently it’s a thing now.

Why can they hover a drone over Mars yet not create a perm that gives large gorgeous curls and lasts?

I had a perm done many years ago looked great and then had it redone and completely fried my hair!

Spiral perms. The 90s twist on it. Ideally, with a straight fringe that you made stand up and bend over.