Perm Hairstyles: Curl Types and Expert Tips

The year is 1987. Bon Jovi is blasting on every radio station, “Dirty Dancing” is in theaters nationwide, and the only thing people want more than the numbers of Jon and Baby’s personal choreographers is their curly perm hairstyles. Fast forward to today, and a lot has changed since then: the top 100 list, “cool” dance moves, and especially the state of the perm. In fact, the look today is a lot more modern. (Just ask Jimmy Fallon.)

“The original perm was done with bare tongs that fit together, which were heated on the gas stove,” Philippe Depeyrot, co-owner of Salon Bisoux in Washington DC, tells PS. “The treatment has come a long way, from hours upon hours on a machine that could burn a person to quick and painless.”

Now, the style is back and bigger than ever — but the techniques and formulations have been fine-tuned to make it easy to get whatever kind of curl you’re looking for: kinky coils, beachy waves, or even just some added body and bend. In fact, even people with the straightest or finest of hair can find a little texture in the treatment. Then, the biggest tweak in its comeback is its name.

“Manufacturing companies, however, are now facing a dilemma: the renaming of the perm,” he said. “They decided to rename the perm the form service and then reformulate the chemicals to make the process of this style safer and friendlier than ever.”

No matter what you call it — body wave perm, digital perm, S-curl perm, or what have you — we’ve got the answers to all your (not-really-burning-anymore) perm questions right here.

What Is a Perm?

At its most basic definition, a perm is a hair treatment that uses electric heat and/or chemicals to give the look of curls or waves in naturally straight hair.

What Different Types of Perms Can People Get?

Technically speaking, Depeyrot explained, there are three types of perm methods: alkaline, acid, and exothermic. The latter two are part of the “hot” perm treatment process, which means the solution is applied before heat, which then breaks the structural bonds in your hair that make it easier to mold into a curl. A “cold” perm uses alkaline (which contains ammonium thioglycolate — remember “Legally Blonde”?) to break the same bonds in your hair, and tends to cause slightly less damage than the former.

However, there is also what’s known as a “vegan perm.” Created by Janine Jarman, founder of Curl Cult, vegan perms are perms that don’t use any animals or animal byproducts in their formulas or testing. “The Curl Cult perm is vegan, paraben free, and sulfate surfactant free,” Jarman tells POPSUGAR. “We use amino acids to reshape the hair (unlike ammonium thioglycolate that was found in perms of the past), reason being it’s much safer for the hair, client, and stylist, as well as produces healthy, natural-looking results. Additionally, it has pea proteins in the perm, a super-effective vegan protein that helps protect the hair and bonds during the process.”

Regardless of which type of perm you get, when you get to the salon, you might learn that there are specific perms with different results depending on the size of the rod your stylist uses. The “body wave” perm, for example, is a looser curl technique that gives you that beachy, straight-from-the-sea effect. “Spiral” perms use longer perm rods to create tighter ringlets, like what you’d expect from Shirley Temple, whereas “pin-curl” perms involves using curlers and pins to make the hair appear wavy and bouncy. The key is to talk with your stylist about the look you’re after so they can walk you through the process that’s best for you.

What Hair Textures Work Best With a Perm?

When it comes to hair textures best suited for the treatment, anyone with fine ends can get volume and body from a perm; people with medium or thick hair can get texture and shape. As for hair types? “People with straight hair get volume and shape (or curls); wavy hair types can balance the curl throughout the hair; curlier types can reduce the intensity of the curl or rebalance the coil,” says Depeyrot.

Your hair length doesn’t matter as much, but there are other factors when considering whether you shouldn’t get a perm: “It is not recommended that people with extremely curly or frizzy hair get perms,” he says.

Can You Perm Color-Treated Hair?

If you dye your hair, you might want to check with your stylist before opting for a perm. In most instances, Depeyrot recommends you don’t color yours for at least two weeks before or after the treatment, but also that it “depends on the chemical in the hair color and therefore the choice of the perm type.”

What Can You Expect at Your Perm Appointment?

The amount of time you spend in the salon chair depends on a number of things, but you can expect to be there at least a few hours. “It can be a long process depending on the texture of your hair, the style of perm you want, and the type of hair you have,” says Depeyrot.

During the treatment, your stylist will apply either the hot or cold perm solution to break the bonds of your hair, followed by a neutralizer to “re-bond” it. Then they will use a specially selected-size rod to mold the curl shape. Just be forewarned: “The process can be smelly, the chemicals used in the perm can emit odors or in some cases burn the scalp,” he says, which is all the more reason to book an appointment with a seasoned pro.

How Much Does a Perm Cost?

While “the cost depends on where you go to get it and the skill of the person administering it,” says Depeyrot, you can expect a high-quality perm to cost up to $150 — if not more. As a good rule of thumb, salon prices tend to be (but are not always) higher in bigger cities, and if you’re going to a highly skilled hairstylist, that often bumps up the cost, too.

How Long Do Perms Last?

Who could forget the courtroom scene in “Legally Blonde” when Elle argues: “Isn’t it the first cardinal rule of perm maintenance that you are forbidden to wet your hair for at least 24 hours after getting a perm at the risk of deactivating the ammonium thioglycolate?”

Depeyrot adds that, to fully set the curl (and therefore extends its longevity), it’s actually best to wait to wash your hair for at least two days, and don’t comb it for the first 24 hours. Once you do that, it’s all uphill from there: “A perm should last about six months give or take — the healthier and faster your hair grows, the shorter it will last,” he says.

The more you stay away from heat and condition your hair to keep it moisturized, the better your curl will hold.

How Many Touch-Ups Will You Need?

Maintenance depends on a few things — how healthy your hair was, if it’s color-treated, the works — but most experts recommend you book touch-ups every two to three months, or as soon as you start to notice the curls fall.

Kelsey Castañon is a Brooklyn-based writer, editor, and content strategist with more than 13 years of experience in publishing. She is currently the senior content director at PS, where you can find her stockpiling (and reporting on) everything from skin care to wine.