Perming was common in the 80s and 90s and this trend has recently started coming back if you are into this trend let me help you with how to go about it if you have color-treated or bleached hair.
What does perm stands for?
Perm stands for permanent wave and perming your hair means using a chemical process to alter the texture of your hair and help you create either waves or curls. It is a process suited for those with fine and thin hair. Usually, for women with straight hair, if they go to a stylist they are suggested this for giving their hair some bounce but going through this process, requires putting some harsh chemicals and curling rods into your hair.
Can You Perm Bleached or Color treated Hair: Is It Safe
Yes, it is usually safe to perm bleached or color-treated hair but it is still not recommended to do so because your hair has already gone through one chemical process and when you perm you are putting your hair through another chemical process. Combining these two processes may lead to frizzy hair or split ends or even the breaking of hair cuticles which are the outermost layer of hair shafts or even changing the structure of your hair. Another thing that may happen is that perming colored hair may cause the color to lighten.
However these days there are special formulas that have been created for perming colored hairs which are expensive but milder than normal options. If you still want to perm your bleached hair please do consult a hair stylist and be aware of damages that may happen to your hair. You can even do this process at home just take care to have a gap of a couple of weeks between bleaching and perming.
Bleaching , Coloring or Perming First The Correct Order for Your Hair
The Correct order for the process is that first, you bleach your hair then you color it and then you leave it for at least two weeks and then you perm your hair the reason for this is that new solutions exist for perming color-treated hair and you should ask your hair stylists to use them
How to Safely Perm Color-Treated Bleached Hair at Home
- Before you start the process purchase some perms which are specifically for bleached hair as well as some curling rods
- First thing first you should wash your hair completely with a clarifying shampoo and if possible use a shampoo that doesn’t have sulfates this will make sure that you will preserve some moisture in your hair during the perming process. Also, dirty hair is not able to take perms so washing the hair is necessary
- Dry your hair completely and ensure that you brush them so that all knots are detangled
- Part your hair so that all the sections are uniform
- Use a comb to take a stand of hair and wrap it along the curling rod and repeat the process along all the sections of the hair
- While your hair is curled along the rods pour the perming solution on your hair
- Leave your hair for 5 to 10 minutes as per the instructions on your packaging
- Start unwrapping your hair along the curling rods and if you don’t see any waves then leave them back for a couple of more minutes
- After a while, you will start seeing S-like waves, and when you see that you can start rinsing your hair with warm water without removing the curling rods
- After this, you should dry your hair with a blow dryer also you should apply the neutralizing solution on the rods
- You should wait for 10 minutes for the neutralizing solution to stay in your hair and then you should rinse the hair completely to wash out all the solution preferably using warm water
- Only after this, you should remove the rods from the hair also do not brush your hair and wait for a couple of days before shampooing your hair
Things To Do Before You Perm Bleached Hair?
Before you perm your bleached hair we suggest that you do the chunk test and if your hair passes the test only then proceed with the process. In the chunk test, you have to dip your hair into a water container and if you see that your hair has fallen to the bottom then it means your hair is dry and damaged and you should not perm your hair. If your hair doesn’t sink then your hair is fine and you should continue to perm your hair.
Helpful Tips For Perming Color-Treated Hair
Here are a few tips to ensure that you have good results
- Always keep a timer nearby so that you don’t overprocess your hair and can follow all the instructions in the packaging
- Take care that you don’t perm your hair if it is already dry or damaged as fixing it before perming will lead to better outcomes
- Be gentle with your newly permed hair and stay away from heat and try using only your hand to detangle the hair for the first few weeks.
- Adapt a protein treatment and moisture treatment for better results
How To Care For Your Permed And Dyed Hair
After you perm your hair that is already color treated you will see that your hair is dry and dehydrated so you should follow the following tips to help your hair
- You should start using sulfate and paraben-free shampoo in order to moisturize your hair
- Start Applying Hair masks as well as deep conditioners a couple of times a week in order to moisturize and soften your hair and keep the hair hydrated
- Start going for hair spa sessions at least twice a month with a stylist
- Always be gentle with your hair while combing and start using a wide-toothed comb or a brush that is gentle when you are detangling your hair.
So just to reiterate it is safe to perm your color-treated or bleached hair if you use solutions specially made for this but it is still not a recommended choice. It is also suggested not to perm if your hair is either dry or damaged. Bleaching as well as coloring the hair anyways exposes your hair to chemicals and weakens your hair and perming is also the same. Once you have bleached your hair don’t immediately go for perming the hair give at least a break of a couple of weeks before you perm your hair so that your hair can recover from the chemicals applied to it.
