H E A LT H + B E AU T Y
let's get curly the return of the perm and how to care for curls S TO RY BY L I E S E L S C H M I DT
Once upon a time, no one looked at you sideways when you walked into a salon and asked for a perm. But alas, the perm fell out of vogue along with baggy jeans, leaving those of us with stick-straight hair to look upon curly heads with envy while we tortured ourselves with curling irons or—conversely— obsessed over taming our manes into perfectly straight curtains of hair. As with all trends, however, perms have once again made their way into the style-watch—this time with the added benefit of techniques that have modernized and streamlined the whole process. “Traditional perms, as we all recall from the classic Legally Blonde, use a chemical called ammonium thioglycolate to break down and reassemble the hair's structure to create curls on hair that otherwise would be straight,” explains Lee Wilson, Stylist, Director of Events and resident curl expert at Salon deZEN. “The hair is washed, rolled onto perm rods and then processed for a long period of time both in the chair and in the shampoo bowl. Traditional perms are stinky, uncomfortable and have a high risk of getting the recipient soaked with water at the shampoo bowl. The perm itself—and
sometimes the smell—can be expected to last around three months depending on the size of the curl. The new perm method we offer uses a different chemical entirely, which has eliminated the stinky sulfuric smell of traditional perms. It includes a pea protein complex to make the hair healthier as it processes. We also remove the rods prior to rinsing, so that you don't have to sit at the bowl with uncomfortable rollers in your hair.” So why the return in popularity of perms? “Perms are in again because they create natural-looking, consistent curls or waves that can add volume and make the hair significantly easier to air-dry,” says Wilson.
"anyone can have awesome volume, beachy waves or perfect curls." - lee wilson For Wilson, curls aren’t just something she does—they’re a passion. “My interest in curly hair began about the same time as my interest in hair in general,” she says. “I grew up in the time of flat irons and stick straight hair and never loved how puffy my hair looked. Once I started working in salons and learned that my hair was naturally wavy and just needed a nudge, I became obsessed with helping others harness their true natural hair potential. Ten years and countless hours of education later, here I am at Salon deZEN, making Alexandria curlier, one head at a time.” Fortunately, you don’t have to have a specific hair type to be well-suited to perms. “Perms are great on any hair type as long as the hair isn't significantly damaged already,” Wilson notes. “Because perms are so customizable, we can use them to create soft and wispy pixies, wavy French bobs and textured long locks, so any length of hair can be permed. Even colortreated hair can be permed.”
S A LO N D E Z E N • 1 1 8 N FAY E T T E S T. • 7 0 3 . 5 4 9.1 4 0 0 • @ S A LO N D E Z E N
82 • VIP ALEXANDRIA MAGAZINE
