Perm (hairstyle)

"Permanent wave" redirects here. For other uses, see Permanent wave (disambiguation).
First Prize won at the Hairdressing Fashion Show London, 1935, using an Icall permanent-waving machine. The hair is shorter even than in the 1920s, revealing the ears and neck. The colors were achieved by adding pigments to the setting lotion.
Afro permanent on a male resident of Miami Beach in 1972

A permanent wave, commonly called a perm or permanent (sometimes called a "curly perm" to distinguish it from a "straight perm"),[1] is a hairstyle consisting of waves or curls set into the hair. The curls may last a number of months, hence the name.

Perms may be applied using thermal or chemical means. In the latter method, chemicals are applied to the hair, which is then wrapped around forms to produce waves and curls. The same process is used for chemical straightening or relaxing, with the hair being flattened instead of curled during the chemical reaction.

  1. ^ Alma Ruddock (July 23, 2018). "Lets Talk Curly Perms, Are They A Real Alternative To A Relaxer?". Black Hair Information.