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How to Care for Digital Permed Hair

By Tiffany Moore

There’s simply nothing to beat gorgeously loose, soft bouncy curls tumbling down freely over your back that ooze traffic-stopping sex appeal and femininity.

For some girls, it can mean spending oodles of time trying to create waves with a curling iron or hot rollers. However the frequent use of these seemingly harmless heat styling tools can wreak major havoc on delicate strands, causing them to weaken and fall out faster than normal.

If you love long curly hair and are very tempted to swap your naturally straight baby fine locks for a head of romantic waves that curl into ringlets at the end every time you see those coiffured-to-perfection celebrities on TV and glossy magazines ads, then here’s something that is well worth your attention and every penny spent – digital perms (affectionately called digi perm or shape-memory perm).

Digitally permed hair sported by the likes of Korean actresses such as Song Hye Kyo and Lee Da Hae, as well as Kate Middleton and Kristen Stewart is stirring up sizzling hot excitement in the world of hairstyling for very good reasons.

Unlike old-fashioned perms that can often contain moisture-zapping chemicals and demand serious maintenance on a day-to-day basis, digital perms are much more gentle on the hair. Fans of the high-tech digital perm treatment say that it actually “thermally recondition” the hair, making it softer and smoother to the touch with a healthy shine.

In addition, digi perm is also ideal for those struggling with frizz. It tames and relaxes frizzy, flyaway hair into more manageable and natural-looking gentle waves.

What’s more, the other big advantage of digital perm is, it is surprisingly very easy to take care of. I am talking about just adding an extra step to your normal hair care regime and changing the products you usually use to style your locks.

How to Care for Hair After a Digital Perm

By and large, there are two important pointers to keep in mind when it comes to caring for digital permed hair. First, never comb the springy curls as it will cause them to lose shape and become uncontrollably frizzy. Second, always apply product – gel, mousse or wax – to make curls hold their shape better for longer and look more defined.

Very importantly, wait 2 or 3 days to shampoo your hair after having a digital perm. This is due to the fact that permed hair is very fragile and needs time to adjust to the new treatment. Doing so will also help your newly created voluminous curls to last longer (usually 4 to 6 months) and not turn out to be the ultimate hair tragedy.

Once the 48-hour wait time is up, you may wash your mane as often as you like or whenever necessary. Always use a shampoo or conditioner specially formulated for permed hair that will thoroughly cleanse hair without drying it out. I like Kerastase Nutritive Bain Oleo Curl Definition Shampoo and Human Heart Nature’s Avocado and Seaweed Mositurzing Conditioner because they worked exceedingly well for my hair type (dry and prone to breaking) and won’t dry up my digi permed curls.

Alternatively, look for shampoos and conditioners that have more levels of moisturizing ingredients to soften and hydrate permed hair, such as almond oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, or Vitamin E.

Shampoo and rinse as usual. Next, pour a generous amount of conditioner onto your palms and finger-comb through your curls to detangle, making sure that every hair strand is thoroughly coated with conditioner. Leave it on for 1-2 minutes and rinse off.

If your curls are small or medium-sized, simply towel-dry by gently blotting hair ( rubbing hair around too much causes frizzy as hell curls) with a towel, and let dry naturally. This helps keep the curls bouncy, neat and nicely intact.

For larger curls, you can use a blow-dryer. But, remember excessive heat is not hair-friendly so avoid as much as possible unless you desire more body, more volume and more glam in your hair. If you choose to blow-dry permed hair, only blow-dry until hair is almost 85 percent dry or you risk having crazy frizzy hair and split ends.

Also, do not attempt to brush or comb through your curls otherwise it will loosen the curls and make them go really wild – unruly, messy and extremely hard to style.

If you wish to comb hair that is not permed, like your bangs and hair near your scalp, then I suggest you use a wide-toothed comb or styling pick. Regular combs and brushes will pull on hair strands, leading to split ends and breakage.

When your hair is dry, it’s ready to style. Apply a small amount of styling product of your choice – mousse, foam, wax, gel, etc – onto completely dry digi pemred curls and use your fingers to gently rub in so as to retain their shape. Then twirl waves around your index finger and curl them inward to add more bounce to curls.

Next, lightly tug at curls from right to left, or scrunch for compact wavy style. If you prefer a sexy tousled, natural look, simply run your fingers through curls to loosen them and create movement. Additionally, you can also rub in a tiny bit of sweet almond oil to moisturize and make digi curls ultra smooth and glossy.

To maintain eye-ctaching big curls for a long time, it’s a good idea to pamper your locks with hot oil treatments and deep conditioning cream applications once a week. They will saturate the hair cuticle and help strengthen weakened hair strands from the inside. And, don’t forget to trim hair ends every 4-6 weeks to keep it healthy and avoid split ends.

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