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

Shadiyah

Shadiyah

Well-Known Member
trinity8mod8 said:
VeryBecoming It looks really curly and defined. Because I just finished the treatment at 1 am this morning, I didn't want to brush through it and disturb the curl pattern while it is still air neutralizing. I will post more pics after I rinse the deep conditioner out tonight and comb through it.
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your hair looks great but please be careful with that chemical this was my weakness for over 10 yrs and about every 5 yrs I had to cut my hair off because it was falling out. now my hair is 3b but was like a 3c do not and I mean do not brush your hair at all. you may find later you will brush your hair right out your head. just style it like you did when you didn't have it in your hair and it needs a lot of moisture. but finger do everything. and do not straighten your hair.

but it will look nice if you take care of it.
 
Theresamonet

Theresamonet

Well-Known Member
Shadiyah Did you have a double process or single? Why do you think it made your hair fall out, since it's supposed to be gentler that SH relaxer? Are you saying the chemical permantly changed your hair type? And why do they suggest not brushing a perm? I thought it was to prevent frizz.

TIA.
 
Shadiyah

Shadiyah

Well-Known Member
Theresamonet said:
Shadiyah Did you have a double process or single? Why do you think it made your hair fall out, since it's supposed to be gentler that SH relaxer? Are you saying the chemical permantly changed your hair type? And why do they suggest not brushing a perm? I thought it was to prevent frizz.

TIA.
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Theresamonet no it didn't change my hair type. and it made my hair fall out because my hair can not take chemicals but I never wanted to listen to that I would just keep doing it and it was never over processed I made sure I did it myself someone always helped me but I had control over how long I sat with it on not some stylist who would have me sitting too long because she had others to work on. because it weakened my hair when I brushed it into a ponytail or bun I started brushing my hair right off my head. not saying you are going to have this same type of experience I just wanted to let you know.

I was telling you about my hair type as to why I did it and the first place. my curls use to be like cork screws so tight and I wanted them to hang. but this last time I cut my hair from it in 2008 my hair was straight and when it grew back in it grew in with a looser curl. It maybe from age. I was using that chemical on and off from my 20's to my 40's when I found out about all the great products they now have for out curly hair and I got it through my head this last battle and the thing is the last time it didn't take long for it to fall out my hair was so thin you could see through it because every other hair was broken off and that only took about 2 months. I was a fool because I knew from the last time in 2002 and I had not done it since then but I don't know what happen that one day I decided to go for it in 2008.
 
trinity8mod8

trinity8mod8

New Member
Shadiyah said:
your hair looks great but please be careful with that chemical this was my weakness for over 10 yrs and about every 5 yrs I had to cut my hair off because it was falling out. now my hair is 3b but was like a 3c do not and I mean do not brush your hair at all. you may find later you will brush your hair right out your head. just style it like you did when you didn't have it in your hair and it needs a lot of moisture. but finger do everything. and do not straighten your hair.

but it will look nice if you take care of it.
Click to expand...

Shadiyah thanks, yeah you are right it is always good to be gentle with your hair. When I stopped relaxing my hair and started learning how to care for my natural hair I had to be extra gentle because I have very fine strands that will break easily. When I was natural it would take me a couple of hours to do any style because I always separated my hair into small sections and detangled very slowly and methodically.

With my permed hair having a looser curl pattern it only takes a few minutes to style but I am still gentle and I use protein conditioner to help strengthen it more. I also do hot oil treatments every week or two weeks now because I found that it helps keep my hair very moisturized. I comb it with a medium tooth comb, mostly to remove shed hairs because my fingers don't do such a great job like they did when my hair was natural. I used the Denman brush sometimes with my natural hair, but I think that it is not necessary and I favor combs over brushes. You are right I don't think that permed hair needs to be brushed.
 
hannan

hannan

Well-Known Member
I loved your before picture and was a little skeptical but I see it looks pretty curly dried too. Great job! :yep:
 
yuhlovevybz

yuhlovevybz

Well-Known Member
I'm really tempted...I would do this just to give my ends a more uniform pattern and then just let my hair grow on its own.... But my hair is sorta fine so idk...
 
PureSilver

PureSilver

Well-Known Member
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PureSilver

PureSilver

Well-Known Member
Maybe you could ask the Mods why it showed up there?

To each her own and maybe some1 out there wants beach waves
 
yuhlovevybz

yuhlovevybz

Well-Known Member
^ I wasn't offended that it was there, I just thought it was funny. I actually liked the results, but was scared when they shaved it off at the end.
 
trinity8mod8

trinity8mod8

New Member
kimpaur if you are considering getting a perm, but have reservations you should wait for like 6 months. I wouldn't want you to be dissatisfied with the long term results. In a couple of months I can post what it is like handling the two different textures or any other changes that I think might be helpful for you.

hannan thank you

yuhlovevybz that's exactly what I was thinking for why I wanted the perm. Having looser ends and then just growing it out or perm every couple of years or so.

SUNSHINE BABY and yuhlovevybz thanks for the vids, yeah in the first vid her hair did end up looking wavier rather than curly. A lot of women just want the wavy look for added body. Acid perms make soft waves and alkaline perms make tighter curls. Also if your hair is already tightly curled, I don't think you will have to worry about straight or wavy ends because your ends will still retain some of their curl. I waited 15 extra minutes with my perm on, but my ends still are curly.

And I think the blonde in the other video used spiral rods for the perm. :)
 
yuhlovevybz

yuhlovevybz

Well-Known Member
Oh ok...I was thinking of using an acid perm since I've dyed my hair a few times in the past, but I definitely don't want my hair to be too loose or straight. Are there gentle alkaline perms?
 
kimpaur

kimpaur

Well-Known Member
trinity8mod8 said:
kimpaur if you are considering getting a perm, but have reservations you should wait for like 6 months. I wouldn't want you to be dissatisfied with the long term results. In a couple of months I can post what it is like handling the two different textures or any other changes that I think might be helpful for you.

hannan thank you

yuhlovevybz that's exactly what I was thinking for why I wanted the perm. Having looser ends and then just growing it out or perm every couple of years or so.

SUNSHINE BABY and yuhlovevybz thanks for the vids, yeah in the first vid her hair did end up looking wavier rather than curly. A lot of women just want the wavy look for added body. Acid perms make soft waves and alkaline perms make tighter curls. Also if your hair is already tightly curled, I don't think you will have to worry about straight or wavy ends because your ends will still retain some of their curl. I waited 15 extra minutes with my perm on, but my ends still are curly.

And I think the blonde in the other video used spiral rods for the perm. :)
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Thanks so much! I think you're right, waiting is best. Kinda OT, but I'm just getting bored with my hair.
 
PureSilver

PureSilver

Well-Known Member
I'm gonna wait till probably another 2 years before i think about doing anything to my hair and in the mean time research as much as i can about caring for my hair, products and maybe trying a few styles because i have only worn my hair out 4 times and i'm almost 3 years natural.
 
trinity8mod8

trinity8mod8

New Member
yuhlovevybz yeah the Tressa brand I bought had gentle alkaline perms with pH's of 7.7-9.5. I got the second strongest perm they had at pH 8.5, but they also had ones with pH 8.2 and 7.7 which would be gentler. But there are other brands you can look for as well with alkaline perms like Quantum and One 'n Only. I mainly looked at the reviews for each of the brands to make my decision because you really won't know which if them is the gentlest and gives the best results unless you have used them before. Also if you are worried about your hair being too loose you could leave the alkaline or acid perm in for only half of the recommended time.

kimpaur your welcome. It's funny because I am actually the least bored with my hair when I am able to just comb it and let it dry. When I have to actually style it with straightening, twist-outs or buns I get extremely bored and tired of my hair. Even if it looks nice lol. I don't know if you are like me or completely opposite but I just like wetting my hair and letting it air dry. I did that for most of my life with my relaxed hair so I guess I am just use to wearing it like that. Even when I was a little girl I got so upset when I had to sit down and wait for my mom to finish styling my hair :lol:

SUNSHINE BABY Yeah it is good to research things first. In the two years that I had been natural I was always looking up information about my hair type. Getting the products down was probably one of the most challenging things to do. Wow 4 times, I didn't start wearing protective styles until maybe 8 months after my BC. But even then I couldn't really stick to them. I had so many SSKs though :nono: until I began trimming. So it sounds like you are doing the smart thing lol
 
Curlykale

Curlykale

New Member
trinity8mod8 said:
Anyone else have experience with putting thioglycolate on their natural hair and if it wears off or not?
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Hi! I've done exactly that for 14 years, with medium perm rods (now I'm natural). No, it doesn't wear off. My natural 3c/4a roots blended well with the rest of the length, but I had to do the roots evry 3-4 months because of tangling where the natural and processed part meet, on the back of my head (I wasn't good at detangling at the time).

Re-processing the entire length (perm rods would force you to do that) gave me breakage. For this reason in order to prevent damage, when my hair stylist did my roots she mixed the perm solution with flour in order to thicken it, and applied it as a relaxer, without touching my length (so that I could grow my hair, which reached armpit length) smoothing and flattening the roots with a small comb (so that the flour mix would dry straight).

Everytime she left me under mild heat for 15 min or so before rinsing and and neutralizing, this way my curls came out more defined or my roots more straight. Once a year she did the full length again with perm rods, in order to maintain the curly look, and cut about 2 inches from my hair. Any loosened curl became springy again, although results in elasticity varied, but the look was overall the same.

My hair stayed at armpit length which was fine by me especially since I had basically no shrinkage, then I went natural in order to grow it longer among other reasons.
 
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trinity8mod8

trinity8mod8

New Member
Curlykale thank you for weighing in with your experiences with perms and sharing another root perm technique.

I'm happy to hear from someone else that the results don't wear off. I was getting a bit confused about that before. I hope the two textures are not too difficult to manage for me. I have found that using protein conditioner, especially one with keratin and silk helps to soften the hair at my roots and it is detangling pretty easy for now and laying straight so I hope it keeps working.

I don't think I would be able to perm my roots 3-4 times a year. My hair is really fine and I am pretty sure all of my hair would fall off after the second time :lol: I was thinking of no more than once a year and if I did I would probably use plastic wrap or Block It end wraps to protect the previously permed hair like in this vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25y5EIbI4Ug

I use HOTs to help keep my hair shiny right now, but I may look into those gloss treatments. Thanks again for all of your input. Everybody is adding so much useful information to this thread :)
 
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trinity8mod8

trinity8mod8

New Member
Theresamonet it's been a little over a month since I put the perm in. I only have about .75 inch of new growth, maybe an inch in the front which always grows faster than the rest of my hair. My new growth is blending in pretty well. I took some pics yesterday and today that I will post later once the battery is done charging.

It is still easy to detangle so far. Here are a few things that I have learned:

  • Braid outs look great the first day but rebraiding again or bunning makes your hair too straight.
  • Use protein conditioners more than moisturizing conditioners.
  • Use a detangler or leave in conditioner before combing.
  • Use butter on your hair at least once a week to prevent frizz and keep your hair soft.
  • Scrunch hair after detangling.
  • Your scalp will get oiler during the week.
  • Your curls will look best after you shampoo because product buildup makes your hair a little less curly. But I still only shampoo once per week.

That's all I can think of for now :)
 
Theresamonet

Theresamonet

Well-Known Member
trinity8mod8 said:
Theresamonet it's been a little over a month since I put the perm in. I only have about .75 inch of new growth, maybe an inch in the front which always grows faster than the rest of my hair. My new growth is blending in pretty well. I took some pics yesterday and today that I will post later once the battery is done charging.

It is still easy to detangle so far. Here are a few things that I have learned:

  • Braid outs look great the first day but rebraiding again or bunning makes your hair too straight.
  • Use protein conditioners more than moisturizing conditioners.
  • Use a detangler or leave in conditioner before combing.
  • Use butter on your hair at least once a week to prevent frizz and keep your hair soft.
  • Scrunch hair after detangling.
  • Your scalp will get oiler during the week.
  • Your curls will look best after you shampoo because product buildup makes your hair a little less curly. But I still only shampoo once per week.

That's all I can think of for now :)
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trinity8mod8 So you haven't experienced any breakage at all thus far? Does your hair feel more fragile? Have you ever been relaxed? How would you say the two processes compare, as far the feel and strength of your hair goes?

Sorry about all the questions. This week I went back to stressing about whether I should relax or perm or texlax. And you're my only source for perms on Afro hair right now. :lol:
 
trinity8mod8

trinity8mod8

New Member
Theresamonet said:
trinity8mod8 So you haven't experienced any breakage at all thus far? Does your hair feel more fragile? Have you ever been relaxed? How would you say the two processes compare, as far the feel and strength of your hair goes?

Sorry about all the questions. This week I went back to stressing about whether I should relax or perm or texlax. And you're my only source for perms on Afro hair right now. :lol:
Click to expand...

I haven't experienced breakage, but I can tell that my hair is definitely more fragile. That's why I try to be very gentle handling it. As long as you comb your hair with conditioner the extra fragileness shouldn't be a problem. I had been relaxed for most of my life, but my hair is not as fragile now as it was when I relaxed. My relaxed hair would have lots of breakage, especially at the ends and I would have hair all over my shirt a lot of the times. I don't have any breakage like that so I know my hair is much stronger being permed instead.

I am experiencing more shed hairs than before. When I was natural my hair shed a lot too, but the hair didn't always come out when I combed so I would get a lot of tangling. But now the shed hairs come out easily, so it doesn't get tangled and at first I was concerned because it was more than when I was natural. But I realized that none of the hairs where broken or short and that it was just the normal process going on and not breakage.

It's fine, I don't mind answering questions.
 
greenandchic

greenandchic

Well-Known Member
trinity8mod8 - I would kill for .75" in a little over a month. I don't even average .5, LOL.

Do you plan on having long hair for the long term or are you going to keep it this length?
 
trinity8mod8

trinity8mod8

New Member
Theresamonet yeah I've read descriptions of what the retouch process should be like but I couldn't find the videos. I found a vid for using end wraps that block the perm from penetrating to previously permed hair, but that's it.

greenandchic well I've been taking MSM, Biotin, Horsetail and garlic pills for about 2-3 months so I think that helped because it usually is .5 inch a month.

I have been planning to grow my hair to at least waist length for my short term goal, but for the long run IDK. I keep thinking to myself that I never should have BC'd because the experience of having short hair has really taken its toll on me lol. Even though my hair is extremely easy to manage now I still find myself being dissappointed sometimes. I kept visiting the "why do you want long hair" thread and even though I liked everyone's responses I couldn't think of a good reason for myself. I can't help but think that as soon as I get to WL and straighten my hair and take pics that I am going to chopped it all off :lol:

I like the look of long hair but actually growing it out is upsetting me lol. I might just maintain my hair in a pixie cut and start wearing wigs after I am done proving to myself that I can grow my hair to what I would consider long. Sorry for the long post I have just been feeling really upset lately that long hair may not be what I thought I wanted and I have invested so much time to even get to APL :perplexed
 
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