Permanent Waving

Perming is one thing that can actually alter the texture of your hair. A perm can make it bouncier, wavier, curlier. Today's perms are very different from the old-fashioned ones- so you can achieve a really easy-to-manage style and keep your hair in good condition.

Modern permanent waves - cold waves- are based on presses which alter the structure of the keratin inside the hair shaft. The cortex of the hair is where the action of perming takes palce. It is made up of tiny cells packed closely together. They are formed of ''micro fibrils' which are intertwined together by sulphur bonds, all important to the process of perming.

There are two basic stages in perming. The first loosens the sulphur bonds, which form the internal links in the structure. The second joins them together again in a predetermined shape of a wave or curl.

After the hair is shampooed, the perm lotion is applied. This opens the cuticle of hair slightly and some of the sulphur bonds are detached. Hair is then put into a different shape by being wound onto a perm curler. More lotion is applied to the hair and then it's left for the "development" time. During this process, a certain proportion of the sulphur bonds will part. Hydrogen molecules from perm solution "cap" some of the individual sulphur molecules, while rest of the re-align into their new shape. The perm is fully developed when approximately 25 to 30 percent of the bonds have parted.

It is here that accurate timing is vital and the state of the perm must be checked regularly because some hair types will develop more quickly than others. It is also here that the hairdresser's skill is essential for he or she has to recognize the exact amount of curl or movement has been achieved. If the perming solution is left on for insufficient amount of time, for instance the finished perm will be too loose and will drop quickly. If it's left for too long, the perm is "over-processed" and the hair may become fragile and frizzy.

When the perming solution has developed for the right amount of time, the hair is rinsed thoroughly with curlers still in place. The second, and equally important stage in the perming process, then takes place with the application of a neutralizer. What happens is that oxygen released from the neutralizing solution and each atom joins chemically with the two atoms of hydrogen. The action of neutralizer causes sulphur bonds to close together again, allowing the hair to keep the shape it's given by the curlers. The hair is finally rinsed very thoroughly and then it's ready to set, tonged into shape.