Home Perms

[ElizaDoALot]

Has anyone ever tried a Home-Perm?
I'm tempted to try one as my hair is really thin and lifeless. I'm considering doing it at home as I will be able to control how long it stays on - I only want a loose wave - not a nightmarish frizz. I received such a nightmarish frizz about 10 years ago from a 'professional' hairdresser after I asked for the said 'loose wave'! Hence my query.

But will it turn out as I plan?
Are they reliable and easy to use?
If I did go down that road, where could I buy a one-use perm Kit?

 

[MandaC]

Back in the 80's and even through the 90's (ahem) and right into the noughties I actually had a real eighties perm. Got stuck in a real style time warp somewhere. My mam used to put them in with a home perm kit and rollers. They looked brilliant at the time, but would be completely out of date now and indeed were by the time I eventually decided to hang up my legwarmers.

My mam had a bit of a knack for putting the perm in, so it used to work really well. If your hair is thin to begin with, I would not recommend putting one in at all as they can break and damage your hair really badly. Usually if your hair is lifeless they wont stay in and you will end up with frizz.

When I eventually got mine cut(it was waist length, my other half said he was embarressed being seen with an 80's reject ), all of the hairdressers were fighting over who was going to get to cut it! I actually have a phobia of hairdressers and had not been for 15 years. Still am not great at going.

You could buy a home perm kit in a chemist(not sure if they are still available) but I think a better recommendation would be to go to a good hairdresser and get them to recommend a product to help with your lifeless hair.

I have no ill effects from the dodgy perm apart from a few photos that are best kept away from prying eyes. I am coming over all nostalgic now and can even smell the perming lotion!

 

[ElizaDoALot]

Thanks MandaC.

I've sort of heard similar things from other people/ websites etc.
So, will probably not be going down the perm road, so to speak....unless I hear something very convincing to the contrary.
I'll also speak to some hairdressers about any products that might help to liven things up a bit up there.

 

[pinkyBear]

hair is really thin and lifeless

Hi Eliza, I would recomend a really good hair cut - sounds mad bu my sister went to "Cowboys and Angels" and got an amazing hair cut and for a girl who has very thin hair they gave her a cut that really suits her...

So much so that I'm going to get my hair cut next time there as I am fed up with cr*p cuts...
BTW I have no connections to "Cowboys" - asside from trying to get an appointment

 

[jambr]

My mother used home perms for years and would still be using them but finds it difficult having arthritis now. Her hair is perfect still and she had very thin hair all her life. She is now 83. I think it depends on the size of curler you use the bigger curler for softer curls. Also I remember from my 80s perm days using a good conditioner helps keep them from going frizzy.
Hope this helps.

 

[justsally]

Hi,

Most decent hairdressers will do a strand test on a piece of your hair to see if it is suitable for perming. Why not consider having this done first, before you go any further.

Cheers

 

[ElizaDoALot]

That's a good idea actually.

But the weight of bad experiences is now leaning me towards just getting a good cut instead.
This is another problem as this can be a lot of trial & error which of course involves time, money and waiting for bad styles to grow out!
I did get a really good style by a male stylist about four years ago that suited my face (same story as Pinky Bear's sister) but when I went back a few months later no amount of mind-jogging, pictures, explanations could get him to re-do what he had done before - and since then I've been going from one bad sylist to the next. They don't seem to match the style that they cut - to the shape of my face or the texture of my hair! Bizarre!

PinkyBear- is that Hairdressers the one in South William Street?
Do you know the name of the person who cut your sister's hair?
(I really think the best way is by someone else's recommendation)