I'm not a fan of the perm.Have you tried a good hair straightener like Maxiglide it works really great.

I got the perm done 2 years ago to get that loose wavy look. I'll just say one thing, it does not come out how you expect it. It took forever to grow out and soon became a pain. Just from my experience. . .

I have an asian friend with permed and highlighted hair. Hers looks fine to me. After the initial perm, she looked like a poodle, but after about a year it's relaxed and turned into the most beautiful curls. I don't know whether this is due to time or just her hair getting longer.

Also, I have another Asian friend who permed her hair, then got it straightened, and has dyed her hair many times. She used to have the most beautiful, thick, dark, straight hair ever...it was very beautiful indeed. Now after all that chemical processing, she says it just isn't the same. It's not as thick or as healthy, and she hopes that after it's given some time to recover, it'll go back to its former lustrousness.

I hope that helps, and doesn't just confuse the issue more. :P

I've permed my hair twice, or technically 3 times cuz for the second one, the curls unloosened in like 1 day.... I went back to the salon cuz I didn't think it should happen so fast, and the guy agreed that something's wrong, permed me again and I got double damage (in addition to the dyed hair)... My hair became quite weak and I was able to easily break it apart as opposed to now where I find it can resist to more tension. Also, i find the process of getting a perm to be really painful and awkward, then the upkeep is too much for me cuz I'm a 'brush n go' girl. After two years of messing with my hair, I've found that my naturally dark brown (yes I'm asian lol) hair is the best. I no longer want to maintain/get a specific hairstyle, I just let it grow naturally to about shoulder length and get it trimmed à la kate moss lol

i'm asian and i have permed (or almost semi-permed) hair. and it's really not that bad, actually not bad at all. just make sure u do your research and pick a decent salon to do it at. and also be sure to show pictures of what you might want your curls to look like.

this is my real life style of my perm. *pics below*

for the 1st pic, that was the DAY i got my hair permed. notice how super curly it is. and that was NOT how i wanted my hair to look like... i want big curls/waves. but the salon person told me that they NEED to make it super curly because when you wash, it dies out. please ignore my worn out makeup... i was in the salon from 1 pm to 8 pm.

for the 2nd pic, that was the 3rd day (i believe) after i got my hair permed. i had already washed my hair. notice how much more subtle it is. definitely turning into the results i wanted.

3rd pic, this is like 2.5 months after. it really died down.. but you can still see it. it's more wavy than curly.

4th pic, 3 months after... sort of the same... but you get what i mean.


so yeah, sorry for not having more informative pictures, i was searching through my albums... haha.
it's been about 4.5 months since i got my perm. i'm planning to get a haircut realll soon because well... i'm so weary of it. trust me, having permed hair is a hassle.

hope i was informative.

My natural hair was wavy and for years, I always had a layered cut to it.

I had my hair permed for Christmas last year because I really wanted something different (almost everybody has a layered cut straight to wave hair anymore).... come to find out, Christina Aguilera had hers permed as well for the NYC New Years event. Which is cool! Its more like a 20's to 30's style curls.

I have to say it is quite high maintainence (time wise) for a permed hair.... unlike my old hairstyle which was a quick dry and go!

That's me in the pic. for the 2007 New Years' Party. And also Christina Aguilera's curls which I love!!!

Hi all,

I have been thinking about getting a perm for about a year now. It is very strange but I used to have super stright hair that would not even curl but in the past 5 years my hair has been getting more and more frizzy It is also starting to hold a curl but not all day.

I would love to have nice loose waves. Or like this photo below. I don't know who this girl is but I love her hair, her color as well.

Would this be a big curl perm and just on the bottom or a body wave?

Also do you guys think curly hair will make my big round face look even fatter? Right now I have long layers. It helps contour my cheeks
TIA

I have been perming my hair with digital perm method for 2 years now - three times. My hair grows pretty fast, so by the time I'm left with end curls, my top is all super straight. I love the curls and with digital, it's really easy to maintain. Just a few drop of Loreal Curl Serum, scrunch and go. If you want more define curls, use mousse. If you want straight, you can always blow straight. It's so versatile. With the perm, I look 'softer' and cuter and makes my big face looks smaller!

HC1871,

If your face is broad, big or puffy - soft perms will look really good. Initially, the curls may look too curly, but with digital perm, you can manipulate the curls by losening up the curls with some serum - I have used serum + straigtener gel and the result is wavy curls (never comb!!)

From someone who has wavy hair and would kill for stick straight , shiny hair like asians have, why why why do you guys want to mess your hair up?!? You guys have gorgeous hair. It takes me an hour to blow dry and use a ceramic iron. Don't get me started if it is high humidity out! I guess we always want what we don't have.

I'm Asian and have had both chemical straight and chemical perms done before. I've noticed that Asians usually have fine hair, and the chemicals used can be quite harsh. In general, I try not to get a chemical done within 6 months of each other and after it, I use Indian oil on my hair once a week and conditioner everytime I wash. You can also get treatments done on your hair to help it heal. It really depends on your own hair type.

IMO a perm is only good if you have lots of hair and it's quite long.

Originally Posted by HubbaWubba

From someone who has wavy hair and would kill for stick straight , shiny hair like asians have, why why why do you guys want to mess your hair up?!? You guys have gorgeous hair. It takes me an hour to blow dry and use a ceramic iron. Don't get me started if it is high humidity out! I guess we always want what we don't have.

Have you tried a Japanese hair strightening? It's a permanent chemical hair strightening which lasts 6 months, great results you won't have to kill anyone for I've done it twice before.

Originally Posted by Excess Baggage

HC1871, If your face is broad, big or puffy - soft perms will look really good. Initially, the curls may look too curly, but with digital perm, you can manipulate the curls by losening up the curls with some serum - I have used serum + straigtener gel and the result is wavy curls (never comb!!)

Thanks Excess. I'm going to call and see if Yoshi does digital perm. My stylist is Japanese he is great with asian hair. He always told me I should do a perm but I kept putting it off.

my advice is if you're going to do it, go to a good place and pay top dollar. I've had it done twice before, once at a really upscale place and once at an average place. There was such a huge difference the second time I got it done my hair was so fried. If you can resist the urge, I would definitely stick with cool cuts, cos in the long run it will screw up your hair.

Go to a JAPANESE SALON who is real Japanese hairstylist. Well, I live in San francisco, I go to yamamoto hair on Sutter St. I've done Japanese body perms and color with him for 6 yrs. He's the best. My hair never goes damage, yesss. His perm is superb, so natural, just like japanese girls in the magazines. His layering hair cut is magnificent, even other salon asked me where did I get my haircut. It's very define. Ok, sorry I sound like promoting..... !!! hehee... I wouldn't recommend hair straightening, it damage your hair no matter how good it is. Unless it's super tiny curly hair that U're born with. believe it or not... My perm last almost a year. I don't know what solution did he use on me. For maintainance I like to use curling iron or hot rollers, your hair look cute and stays. I get perm only once or twice a year (rarely). I have straight, fine asian hair. My hair turns flat the next day. :( Perm help me a lot in styling, cos I'm a very hi maintainance girl. Get Helen of Troy curling blow dryer in blue n white. Or Vidal Sassoon curling iron in large barrel, they don't damage your hair like Hot Tools, cos it's not too over heated. I never got split ends anymore eventho I use VS curling iron almost everyday. Takes a little longer, but worth it. Hot tools is super hot but faster.

Heys..i need advise..

My hair is a lil bit too curly and dry..and because of this, i cant let down my hair..it looks ugly thx to split ends..but then i dont wanna rebond cos super str8 hair wont suit me..but then i like wavy wavy..will it work for me if i do digital perm? like maybe rebond halfway, then curl ? will it look nice ?