Thinking of getting your hair permed? Or did you recently get your hair permed? I know what you are thinking, how soon should you wash your hair and what happens if you wash your hair?
This is common question and we have expert answers to all your concerns.
But first, let us take a look at what it entails to get your hair permed, some of the things you need to know before getting your hair permed and how to take care of permed hair.
What Happens If You Wash Your Hair
Read our guide to what happens if you wash your hair below…
Perm are chemicals applied on your hair to change the appearance of the hair, for curly hair, perm straightens the hair while for straight hair, perm helps to hold in curls for a longer period.
Once the hairstylists have applied the perm chemical, the hair is easily styled or shaped using rods or rollers.
Types of Perms
Cold Perm
Cold perm is the traditional method used to perm hair and takes approximately 2 to 3 hours.
The hair is soaked in an alkaline hair chemical. The hair is then sectioned and rollers are placed on the hair to create ring-like curls. With time the curls relax and take a more natural form.
Hot Perm
Also known as the digital perm, in this process, the stylist applies relaxing treatment that alters the bonds in the hair.
In the digital perming process, the curls are achieved through hot curling rods. The thickness of the curling rod determines the size and shape of the curls.
The hair is then placed under hot rollers that help change the temperature, in digital perm wet hair does not form curls, thus important for the hair to be dry for best results.
The hot perm may take 3 to 4 hours depending on the length of your hair. This process is also more effective for people with thick hair and is considered the safest method in maintaining healthy hair.
Perming your hair requires long term commitment. Owing to this, it is essential to find out the best routines as well as products to ensure you do not cause damage to your hair.
How to Take Care of Permed Hair
Before perming your hair, ensure your hair can withstand the chemicals and treatments.
Perming weak and unhealthy hair may cause breakage and hair loss, which you need to avoid at all costs. Find out how healthy and how well your hair will react to the chemicals.
Avoid Chemical Treatments after Perm
If the hair is in good shape, then go ahead and perm it, but avoid any chemical treatment after the perm.
It might be tempting to color or highlight your hair. Using dyes might weaken your ends, causing hair loss. Let your hair rest from any chemical treatments for 2 to 3 months before using more chemicals.
Treat and Nourish Your Hair
What happens if you wash your hair after a perm?
After a perm; your natural hair bonds are broken, meaning your hair needs a lot of care to restore its natural strength.
Despite perm being a great way to change your look, perms can permanently damage your hair. Ensure you regularly moisturize your hair with protein-filled products.
Deep Condition Your Hair
One of the benefits of deep conditioning often is maintaining moisture in your hair. After perming your hair, you are prone to feel dry.
This is because the hair is subjected to heat during perming, which may cause severe dehydration to your hair.
To avoid this, it is recommended for one to deep condition, either once a week or once every two weeks.
Bedside moisturizing your hair, deep conditioning is also attributed to providing healing properties to damaged hair, giving luster to the hair and improve hair elasticity.
One of the deep conditioners you could try out is EverCreme Deep Nourish Conditioner, this conditioner is sulfate-free, nourishes dry hair and most importantly helps to remove dirt and is gentle on colored hair.
Important Tips
Remove excess water from your hair during deep conditioning, with excess water on the hair the conditioners slide off as a result not penetrating the hair follicles.
Rinse the conditioner with cold water. Coldwater helps to close the pores ensuring the hair retains more moisture.
Use Light Products
Perming your hair breaks the hair bonds. Using your ordinary hair products may weaken your hair. For instance, if your virgin hair is curly, then using light products may not provide the best results. But when it comes to the same type of hair while permed using the same heavy products will not only damage the hair but will cause dirt and product build-up.
Caution avoid hair products with sulfates, sulfates strip hair off its moisture, making it dry and brittle.
Untangle the Hair before Styling
Avoid hair breakage by carefully detangling your hair, now that you have your hair permed you may need to buy a new comb and brush.
For permed hair, the wooden wide toothed comb wand the soft brushwork best in removing knots after washing.
While still wet, comb your hair with the wooden comb, this comb helps to ease any knots without causing breakage, after combing apply your products and let dry for a few minutes. Comb with the wooden comb and follow up with the soft paddle brush.
Avoid Het on the Hair
What happens if you wash your hair? Well, this method helps to blend the hair products evenly, re-activating and re-defining the curls.
Avoid heat styling tools, after perming your hair, your hair might feel easier to try out new styles.
Heat styling tools and elastic accessories may not work for your hair. Instead, opt for lighter styling accessories such as butterfly clips.
The perm does it for you, and you can now achieve chic yet simple hairstyles with-out using harsh accessories that pull on your hair.
Regularly Trim Your Hair
Another way to take care of your permed hair is regular trimming. Trim every 6 or 8 weeks for best results. Trimming your hair removes the damaged hair and split ends that give your hair a rugged look.
How to Wash Permed Hair
Now that you know how to care for your permed hair. To the big question, what happens to your hair if you wash it after a perm?
The simple answer, uneven curls. The whole idea behind getting your hair permed is attaining more permanent curls for straight hairs, or more manageable curls for curly hair. Washing your hair after a perm beats the purpose of the perm
Experts recommend waiting from 2 to 3 days before washing your hair.
After waiting a minimum of 48 hours, it is now safe to wash your hair.
Step one, find out the right products for your permed hair, as earlier on mentioned, products used on your virgin hair will no longer be useful with your permed hair. Find out the best products to avoid any damage.
Step two, using sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners gently scrub your hair. Rubbing too hard might cause tangles. One great shampoo is the Curly Hair Solutions Silk Shampoo, this shampoo has a rich formula designed to leave your hair clean, shiny and hydrated.
Step three, rinse your hair and apply a conditioner.
Step four using the right comb, remove any knots as you apply other hair products.
Benefits of Having Permed Hair
When poorly maintained, a perm can destroy your hair. However, the pros of having your hair permed outweigh the cons. Below are some of the benefits of having permed hair.
New Look
Permed hair allows you to enjoy a new look, your ordinary and virgin hair is great, but why not enjoy new hairstyles.
Has Convenience
With permed hair, you do not have to worry about styling every morning. Permed hair allows you to enjoy and simple yet elegant hairstyles.
Permed Hair is Easy to Manage
With the right knowledge and products, all you need to do is nourish, moisturize, comb gently and style as desired. However natural hair can be more demanding with hair either getting frizzy or curly and requiring more attention.
With natural hair, you will need to blow dry every time to wash to style it, while with permed hair, you can achieve curls without heat.
In addition, it is advisable to avoid blow-drying permed hair, to avoid dryness.
Final Run Through at Some Essential Pointers.
Before perming your hair always ensure it is in a healthy state, remember to use different and lighter products on permed hair. Avoid using chemicals on already permed hair. Deep condition once a week to attain and retain moisture. And most importantly wash your permed hair after 2 to 3 day.
Bottom Line on what happens if you wash your hair?
So, what happens if you wash your hair?
Permed hair is a great way to achieve a new look, the grass may not always be greener on the other side, but when it comes to hair, you do not have to shy away from trying out different styles. If you have straight hair, why not enjoy curly and bouncy hair?
And finally, use silk head wraps and pillowcases to preserve moisture and prevent breakage. Now that you know what it takes to get healthy and beautiful, you can comfortably get your hair permed without worry or doubts.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide to what happens if you wash your hair!