The ’80s perm is back and almost no one can remain indifferent to its spell.
But, be careful!
Before getting a perm, you need to consider a few things.
Because a perm can cause damage to your hair, and even cause hair loss if things are not done right.
Do you want to know how I know that?
Sadly, from personal experience.
Six months ago my friend Lily, and I decided to get a perm.
Do you have a friend who you would run to the end of the rainbow with? Do you have a friend who knows all your secrets, even those you don’t dare to think about?
That’s the type of relationship I have with Lila.
And we also shared our continued dissatisfaction with how our hair looked.
- In my case I had curls that were neither one thing nor the other. They were not defined curls, and if that weren’t enough, the roots looked dull and flattened and at the tips, the loops formed.
- In the case of my friend, her hair was straight. And she was absolutely bored of her appearance.
That is why we thought that a perm would benefit us both.
Because in my case, it would even out my curls and achieve greater definition. And in the case of Lila, she would achieve a more wild look, which is what she wanted.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t get an appointment in the same hair salon on the same day. But since we couldn’t wait any longer, I took the appointment at my usual hair salon, and Lila took it at a hair salon near her house.
And that, that little detail, changed the course of history.
Because it is not the same thing, to get a treatment as delicate as a perm in a salon where you have known the stylists for a long time, than a salon that you have never been before.
Do you want me to tell you the truth?
Lila should have ran from that hair salon. Because as she walked in, something wasn’t right. It lacked good hygiene, you could tell they had not swept the floor for at least a day because of the amount of hair on the floor.
But besides that, the stylist didn’t even look at her hair. She sat her on the chair, and without a word, began to apply the product.
Lila tried to tell her that the smell of the product was unbearable, and that she felt her scalp was burning.
But nothing happened. The stylist, at some point Lila thought she was a robot, continued with her work, as if my friend did not exist.
When the stylist finished, the curls were there, and everything seemed fine. My friend’s hair hadn’t started falling off yet and was happy with the results. So she felt bad, because she thought she had misjudged the stylist.
But everything changed after ten days.
A dark cloud could be seen above my friend’s head, without her being able to do anything to stop the coming tsunami.
I received her desperate call, and since I couldn’t understand anything she was saying on my cell phone, I ran to her house.
Her mother opened the door for me, and without saying a word, she gestured with her eyes that Lila was locked in her room.
When I opened the door, I found her curled up on the floor. Her face was marred by all the tears, and in her hand, she held tightly several locks of hair.
The perm had weakened her hair, to the point that when she would brush it, a lot of hair, more than the normal amount, would get stuck in the brush.
But, what had happened?
- My hair looked perfect after getting the perm. I hadn’t noticed any hair loss, or split ends, neither had it gotten dry as a desert.
- On the other hand, Lila’s hair was ruined. As ruined as her mood.
In addition to hair loss, to the touch it felt rough, dry, fragile and brittle.
After two hours of Zen therapy, I convinced her to visit my stylist to help us understand what had happened.
Do you want me to tell you what we discovered?
Then read on, and I’ll tell you:
- What precautions should you take after getting a perm if you want to avoid hair loss
- How to recover the health of your hair after a bad perm
And finally, I will also tell you how Lila regained confidence in stylists.
If you are about to get a perm, wait until you have read the following, because it can be a turning point in your life, and in your hair.
Tabla de Contenidos
How to prevent hair loss after getting a perm
I told you that I was able to convince Lila to go to my hairdresser’s salon. My poor stylist practically received us with the loving open arms of a mother. I had already told her Lila’s situation.
The first thing she did was invite us to sit down, so that Lila would be relaxed.
And there, the explanation began.
- The chemicals used in perms contain sodium hydroxide, which has a pH factor of 10 to 14.
- That way it can penetrate the hair shaft, changing its structure. However, it can penetrate the scalp simultaneously and cause chemical burns.
- We must also bear in mind that each hair is composed of multiple layers, with an outer layer that forms a protective sheath around the delicate inner layers.
- Perms can damage the outer layer and cause the hair to dry and detach.[/su_list
Do you want to know what the worst part is?
Once the damage is done, it cannot be repaired.
Once the hair follicles become damaged, they will leave a scar and this will result in permanent hair loss. Luckily, this was not the case for Lila.
We both shouted with joy. The damage was not permanent.
But, the products in a perm can also produce thinning of the hair, which leads to breakage.
Because it is a treatment that reduces moisture in the hair, it can impact the strength of the hair shaft, leaving it weak, brittle and prone to breakage.
Throughout our discussion, we discovered what had happened to Lila's hair.
Her hair was weakened by the continuous dyes that that she had applied before the perm, but the stylist had not even bothered to study her hair and see if it was healthy.
Engrave it on your mind, as if it was that tattoo that you always wanted to get: TO BE ABLE TO GET A PERM YOUR HAIR MUST BE IN PERFECT HEALTH CONDITIONS. [/su highlight]
And Lila's hair was not. The stylist should have recommended her to get an intensive hydration treatment for 15 days before performing the perm. That way her hair would be strengthened, and in better condition to withstand the chemicals in a perm.
A good stylist should evaluate the condition of your hair and decide if your hair is strong enough to endure all the products that will be applied.
After observing Lila's hair, my stylist determined that low quality products were also used, and even dared to think that they had applied a perm solution that was not compatible with dyed hair.
Could Lila’s hair be fixed?
In the short term, no. And that followed a flood of tears.
In the long term, yes. And that was followed by a group bear hug, the kind that saves your life.
This is what Lila did to restore the health of her hair after her perm.
How to stop hair loss after a perm
The first thing my stylist did was to remove her split ends. That way Lila’s hair would retain moisture better.
She also recommended to get an intensive hydration treatment once a week.
Don't complicate things. Coconut oil, or even olive oil, are excellent for recovering the natural moisture of the hair.
Of course, she forbid her to use the hair dryer, for at least a month.
Believe it or not, my stylist suggested taking great care of her diet. In case you didn't know, you are what you eat. Therefore, she recommended eating foods rich in vitamins A, B, C and B12.
You don't know what foods contain these vitamins?
Take note: pumpkin, carrots, kiwi, oranges, seafood, eggs, nuts, broccoli, spinach, almonds, nuts and fish.
Do you want to know what happened to Lila's hair?
After six months, I went with her to my hair stylist and she bet on a perm again.
When it was over, we all ended up in a bear hug again, because her curls were exceptional, and a month later she hadn't lost more than the normal amount of hair.
And now you know. If you want to get a perm, but you want to avoid hair loss and deterioration, the most important thing is to start with healthy and strong hair.
And of course, a professional stylist.
Have you ever had a bad experience with a perm?
