Perm For Curly And Wavy Hair?

by LT
(Atlanta, GA, USA)

Q: I'm African American and I have thick medium hair and I want my hair to be curly and wavy, what type of perm should I use?

A: Hi LT. Technically a perm will not make your hair wavy or curly but straight.

The perm, which is what most of us refer to as a relaxer is intended to straighten the hair by breaking the bonds in it that make it curly textured.

To get curly or wavy hair you're either going to have to:

1. Straighten your hair and then set and dry it with the curl pattern you want.
2. Get a dry curl or permanent wave (like Wave Nouveau Coiffure).
3. Use a texturizer (professionally applied).

You can possibly get the results your looking for by using a regular relaxer and "watering it down" with conditioner, applying and removing it quickly before the hair gets totally straight.

But it's a tricky procedure known as "silkening" or "telaxing" and I wouldn't recommend you try it by yourself unless you really know what you're doing.

Your best bet is to head to your salon and get a texturizer put in by someone who can monitor the processing to make sure it's done properly.