I Permed My Hair! - From 4a to 2c (Pics)

whiteoleander91 thanks the roots and curls got a little "fluffier" the next day

getoffmylawn Yes if you get Tressa most of their perms process at room temperature and stop at a certain pH to not over process. I got one that didn't because I thought my hair would be more resistant but it wasn't and I should have gotten a lower pH perm that would stop processing.

It did burn somewhat after I had in on for longer than 10 minutes, but I should have followed the directions better because i shouldn't have waited to neutralize for 25 minutes. That was my fault, but the burn was nowhere near like a relaxer just an itch with irritation while I was under the dryer.
 
It's been about a week since the perm. Here are some update pics. My hair is completely dry in the photos. I just shampooed my hair yesterday, then left in Sauve Coconut conditioner in my hair and combed it.

picture.php


picture.php


picture.php


I've been doing some more research on perms. I think that the thioglycolate chemical in the perm tends to wear off the hair over time. So I don't know if my hair will get curlier or loosen over time. Anyone else have experience with putting thioglycolate on their natural hair and if it wears off or not?
 
Last edited:
Ahhh!! I love it! It definitely looks thicker in the pic u posted this morning, FABULOUS!

Ive been debating what to do with my hair, cause I love the health of my natural hair, but Im kinda over the time that it takes to detangle, etc. (Im a DENSE 4B) I wonder how this would work on my hair......hhhhhmmmmm.... Im currently 18mths post (I texlaxed a couple years ago after 3 years natural and it was a nightmare cause I didnt take care of my hair after) The last time I had a curly perm was when I was 15 and I LOVED it, mostly cause it was so easy to care for and it grew so fast. Maybe Ill be a guinea pig for the kinkier textures who are interested in WW curly perms for their hair.
Ill be tracking your progress, keep us updated please!


ETA: If the perm eventually wears off, and it has to be re-applied to all the hair, then I wonder is it really doing any type of lasting damage?? In essence would it be similar to a BKT minus the heat?? OOOOOOOOOhhhhhhhh, My spidey senses are tingling...... :grin: research time!
 
Last edited:
sunbubbles said:
Ahhh!! I love it! It definitely looks thicker in the pic u posted this morning, FABULOUS!

Ive been debating what to do with my hair, cause I love the health of my natural hair, but Im kinda over the time that it takes to detangle, etc. (Im a DENSE 4B) I wonder how this would work on my hair......hhhhhmmmmm.... Im currently 18mths post (I texlaxed a couple years ago after 3 years natural and it was a nightmare cause I didnt take care of my hair after) The last time I had a curly perm was when I was 15 and I LOVED it, mostly cause it was so easy to care for and it grew so fast. Maybe Ill be a guinea pig for the kinkier textures who are interested in WW curly perms for their hair.
Ill be tracking your progress, keep us updated please!


ETA: If the perm eventually wears off, and it has to be re-applied to all the hair, then I wonder is it really doing any type of lasting damage?? In essence would it be similar to a BKT minus the heat?? OOOOOOOOOhhhhhhhh, My spidey senses are tingling...... :grin: research time!
Click to expand...

I also loved the curly perm also, because my hair grew very fast. It did break off, because the ends kept being done again, however I did use a perm for Caucasian hair and it worked very well, I only did the roots, didn't bother with the perm rods. I shall also research this as well.
 
Your hair is still the bomb! I love both looks and the good thing is you know you can always go back natural if you want to.

Thanks for sharing your pics- keep us posted.
 
trinity8mod8 said:
I hope posting my first experiences with perms will help other naturals who might want more options or are thinking about cutting their hair. I definitely will make a list of dos and don'ts after dealing with my hair like this for the next few months :look:
Click to expand...

i think i liked your before hair better, the after one looks nice as well, very shiny too.

well it has certainly opened my eyes to the possibilities for my texture because sometimes i find my hair is TMDW. I would like to use a perm that will help me retain most of my texture as now i'm a 4b going 3b wont hurt i think. Also i would love to know how long that perm lasts.

I've considered many times going to miss Jessie's for a silkener but i'm not brave enough yet n i dont know anyone here that has tried it.
 
SUNSHINE BABY said:
i think i liked your before hair better, the after one looks nice as well, very shiny too.

well it has certainly opened my eyes to the possibilities for my texture because sometimes i find my hair is TMDW. I would like to use a perm that will help me retain most of my texture as now i'm a 4b going 3b wont hurt i think. Also i would love to know how long that perm lasts.

I've considered many times going to miss Jessie's for a silkener but i'm not brave enough yet n i dont know anyone here that has tried it.
Click to expand...


SUNSHINE BABY
From what I understand, the "silkener" is just a relaxer with added conditioners left on for a very short period of time. A texturizer that they charge $$$ to apply.
 
trinity8mod8 I love your results! I think you have more versatility now. You can keep your neat curls the way they are or scrunch them out to give you more volume. (Personally I like big hair LOL)

Like a few other posters said...I had NO idea we could do perms. LOL

I have a couple of questions if you dont mind...

Is this a healthier alternative to texlaxing?

Can you still straighten your hair? (like flat iron or roller set)

This must be done on natural hair correct?

TIA
 
Last edited:
greenandchic said:
@SUNSHINE BABY
From what I understand, the "silkener" is just a relaxer with added conditioners left on for a very short period of time. A texturizer that they charge $$$ to apply.
Click to expand...

Thanks ms green and call a fancy name, SMH, plus everything they do requires consultation of $75, too much if u ask me. I've been side eying if for years now but never had the guts to try and to be really honest i wouldn't trust noone in my hair with chemicals unless its a fellow LCHFer that i trust.
 
SUNSHINE BABY said:
Thanks ms green and call a fancy name, SMH, plus everything they do requires consultation of $75, too much if u ask me. I've been side eying if for years now but never had the guts to try and to be really honest i wouldn't trust noone in my hair with chemicals unless its a fellow LCHFer that i trust.
Click to expand...

I've been side eyeing them since they were called "Curve Salon" back in the day. :lol: I was intrigued about the silkener (may have been around 2002) until I learned it was really made out of. :nono: Here is a thread about it from 2011. Sorry to hijack this thread!
 
This all makes me very curious. I'm a fine 4b with cottony hair and ZERO and I mean ZERO curl definition. I have to manipulate my hair with so much shingling and fistfuls of product to get just a little definition. All that causes breakage or extreme SSKs, which result in more breakage.

I would consider doing a test patch on my crown which is the most sensitive.

My worries would be that my hair is so fine that it would appear way too thin with a full process and the fragility of a demarcation line. I was never able to stretch a relaxer.

A plus is that it doesnt appear you have to worry so much about overlapping.

It would be easy now to do it as my hair is just above TWA. ANd if I had to BC again from this it wouldnt be too big of a loss.

I will consider this option with the lowest pH. Thanks OP!
 
sunbubbles :lol: at spidey senses
yeah I was sick of detangling my hair too. I'm still trying to look up how long perms last and what tightly curled hair looks like after it supposedly wears off. I have only found reviews from WW who say their perms lasts anywhere from 2 to 6 months before their hair is back straight. In another thread I found out about the Rusk thio relaxer and when I looked it up it says it is reversible so I think the same is true for curly perms because it is the same chemical used.

From this source: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/all-about-rusk-anticurl

Valerie thanks

let me know what you both find out in your research! :)
 
Lynnerie thanks I will

yuhlovevybz yeah I will be posting everything about perms that I can find in this thread because when I did a search about this topic I only found a few threads, but not with much information about the process and maintenance

SUNSHINE BABY thanks I will update if I think it's starting to wear off

greenandchic oh thanks for the info I had never heard of a silkener before
 
blackindia07 said:
trinity8mod8 I love your results! I think you have more versatility now. You can keep your neat curls the way they are or scrunch them out to give you more volume. (Personally I like big hair LOL)
Click to expand...

blackindia07 thank you, yeah I really wanted more versatility for my wash-n-gos. In the photos I combed my hair really straight so that it would lay down more and I could get bigger waves in my hair, but I usually just finger comb and separate my hair into smaller sections and "scrunch" it when I want it curlier with more volume.

I have a couple of questions if you dont mind...

Is this a healthier alternative to texlaxing?

Can you still straighten your hair? (like flat iron or roller set)

This must be done on natural hair correct?

TIA
Click to expand...

I've never texlaxed my hair so I don't know if it's healthier and I didn't know how to take care of my relaxed hair properly a few years ago so it always broke off. However, if this treatment does wear off over time then I would say that it is healthier because that means you haven't broken down all of the bonds in your hair. But I will have to get back to you on whether or not that happens for me.

Yes you can still straighten your hair with a flat iron. I actually got the perm that said that regular straightening of the hair is okay and won't disturb the curl pattern, but I rarely straighten.

Yes you shouldn't perm over previously relaxed hair because I have found out that the chemicals are not compatible and it will break off some or all of your hair. I think some women still do though, but you would probably have to moisturize your hair like crazy. Also, perms take better on virgin hair. But if you have permed your hair you can maintain the style with a milder perm that specifically says "for previously permed hair."

Here is a chart of the types of perms available from Tressa, which is the brand that I got:

View attachment Tressa Perms.pdf
 
DarkJoy your welcome, yeah if you have concerns definitely start with the lowest pH perm because it causes the least change in your hair and probably will wear off faster.
 
WOW your hair looks so good :blush:!! (Beautiful before and after) Makes me want to do one! lol :drunk:
Just curious though... How many boxes did you use?
How many rods? In small sections?
 
gforceroy said:
WOW your hair looks so good :blush:!! (Beautiful before and after) Makes me want to do one! lol :drunk:
Just curious though... How many boxes did you use?
How many rods? In small sections?
Click to expand...

gforceroy thanks I only needed 1 box for APL length hair, and I still had maybe half the bottle of the wave solution left over. I used 22 7/8 inch rods. I originally bought six of the perm rod packs at Sally's and I returned the 2 packs that I didn't need to open. Yeah my mother-in-law did small sections. You can kind of see them in the first "after" pictures before I separated the curls. You should make the parts the same width as the perm rods.
 
Last edited:
Love your before pictures, your curls were bangin' best of luck with the new style, keep us posted, I know how it feels to want a change. I've been natural, relaxed, texlaxed, colored and back to natural smh...
 
Gorgeous head of hair before and after. And thank you for sharing and updating. It's s very informative thread. Wish you luck with your new journey.
 
blueberryd thanks I'll probably flat iron when I reach BSL, hopefully soon lol

BayAreaDream yeah I'm just enjoying the journey. I didn't want to be stressed out about my hair anymore so I knew it was time for change

aquajoyice thanks, in the very front and around my nape I have a looser curl pattern that probably was 3c because now those areas are less curly than the rest of my hair

Lita thank you :)

TruthInLove :blush::lol::look:

ronie thanks now I at least feel better for others that there is a more informative thread about curly perms. I don't mind being a guinea pig lol
 
Honestly, I like your hair natural but you have to do you LOL. Post pictures when you straighten.
 
Thio is the chemical used in Japanese Staigthening system. I've seen the stylist in that article use it without gloves on tightly coiled, kinky, curly hair. I noticed its used as frequently as a every 3 to 12 months, and it's not recommended to process the roots. It's permanent but you keep alot of your elasticity. I think you can even just curl your ends after you've done the staight perm, not sure. I've been looking into thio also. What color where the rollers you MIL used? I like your results. hth
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Islandgurrl
Aphogee Hardcore Treatment - When can I use it?
Replies
1
Views
910
JJamiah
JJamiah
G
Can u have healthy permed hair?
Replies
3
Views
2K
Cheleigh
Cheleigh
classi123
SHE PERMED MY HAIR FROM ROOT 2 TIP!!!
Replies
20
Views
3K
classi123
classi123
IntoMyhair
I relaxed my hair. Why does it feel like straw.SOS
Replies
12
Views
12K
tuffCOOKiE
tuffCOOKiE
Hairsnob
Wave Nouvau/Waving up Permed Hair????
Replies
6
Views
2K
Hairsnob
Hairsnob
Back
Top