Curls, curls and more curls! That’s what every girl is dreaming about these days! While some of us flaunt natural curls, the others struggle to create even small ‘waves’ on their hair. This is where Perming can help! Perming develops curls on your otherwise straight hair by altering its structure. Even limp and thin hair can magically transform into a voluminous curly mane.

Since it is a chemical process, it makes sense to learn about the procedure and the caveats involved in perming before getting it done. To simplify things for you, we have put together some information about Perming types, techniques along with some important tips for permed hair.

What is Hair Perming and How Does it Work?

Hair Perming is a chemical process that alters the structure of your hair ‘permanently’. The procedure involves wrapping small sections of hair with rods, followed by a chemical application. This results in tight curls to loose waves, depending on the type of perm. The results last for about 5-6 months, based on the care and maintenance.

Types of Perms

Perming is not a one-size-fits-all process! You must choose the right type to suit your hair texture, volume, and expected results. Here are some of the popular perming types you must know about:

1. Spiral Perm: If you dream about tight curls, then spiral perm is the best perming type for you! Hair is split into thin sections and wrapped around thin rods which are placed vertically. The stylist gives you the option to choose the curl size and tightness using different-sized perm rods.
2. Pin-Curl Perm: Pin-curl perm is an ideal perming type of short, thin hair to add some volume. Pin- curls are created on chemically treated hair by twisting sections of hair and securing them with pins. Once the process is complete, your plain hair transforms into a bouncy mane.
3. Spot Perm: If you have uneven textured hair that looks half straight and half curly, you can go for spot perm. In this type of perm, curls are created only in specific locations of hair instead of the entire mane. For instance, if the top section of your hair looks flat and the lower half is curly, Spot perm lets you even out this look by curling only the ‘straight’ area.
4. Body Wave Perm: This perm is ideal for people who prefer soft, beach waves to tight curls. Stylists use large-sized rods to create long curls that bounce and move along with you. These body wave curls usually have a short life compared to other perm types.
5. Stack Perm: In stack perm, only the middle and the lower sections of hair undergo the perming treatment. The idea is to add more volume and texture to hair without taking away the natural look. The perm uses different size rollers to achieve the desired look.
6. Multi-Textured Perm: Multi-textured perm works well for people with long hair to give some volume boost. Stylists use varied-sized rollers and wrap to create different types of curls on the hair. The result is an impressive, natural-looking curly mane!
7. Root Perm: This type of perm helps you achieve more volume in the root section. The roots get a ‘lift’ with a perming treatment strategically done in the area.

Different Perming Techniques

There are two major ways to perm hair – Hot perm and Cold Perm.