Besides turning your hair into beautiful curly waves, there’s a lot more you can achieve with a perm. If done correctly, a perm can add volume and bounce, enhance straight cuts with a touch of layering, transform natural curls into neat ones and give life to dry limp locks.
A perm can do so much more, transforming your dry, tired curls into beautiful magic. In this era of advanced beauty techniques, creative styles, sophisticated products, technology, and changing trends, finding the correct type of hair perming for your hair can be daunting.
If you are not sure which one of the many different types of perms is the ideal choice for your hair type, facial features, and even complexion, don’t worry. We have compiled a list of all the different types of perms to help you settle for the best.
Perming Techniques
Before we explain these different types of perms, there are two different ways of perming which we believe you need to learn about.
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Hot Perms
Hot perms required a formula with around 4.5— 7.0 pH of pure water. The formulate should be acidic, like a black cup of coffee. This acid causes the hair’s disulfide bonds to break, forming a curl.
Part of the process of creating a hot perm is applying heat to the hair, hence the name hot perm. Hot perms are also known as acid perms or digital perms.
The digital term refers to the sophisticated equipment that’s used to create a hot perm. Hot perms are ideal for previously treated hair that grew thin or damaged as a result.
It’s also the perfect choice for busy ladies with no time for occasional hairdos or maintenance. Since it’s versatile, a hot perm can be used to create different hairstyles. The only downside of hot perms is that if done to the root of the hair, it may singe your scalp.
To avoid this, your hairstylist will not give you a full hot perm which means you’re likely to end up with less volume and less lift.
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Cold Perms
These perms used alkaline chemical with an 8.2 to 9.6. pH or the exact pH of baking soda. Cold perms are also known as ceramic perms. With cold perms, the chemical ammonium thioglycolate causes the disulfide bonds in the hair to break to produce wavy curls.
A neutralizer is then applied to return the pH to its normal condition. This results in the hair creating a new, curled shape. Unlike hot perks, cold perms can be done up to the hair’s root, ensuring hair lift and volume.
Cold perms are the traditional means of styling hair and have been in use for a long time. They are ideal for people looking for tight, more robust, and well-defined curls.
The only disadvantage of cold perms is that it can only create a single style which is the right spiral perm. However, you can adjust the shape and size of the rods if you want to create tighter curls or sausage-shaped curls.
Best Types of Hair Perms
Although there are many different products, equipment, and techniques used to create perms, there’s, however, a lot more to it.
With hot perms, you can create several different types of perms depending on the thickness and texture of your hair, your facial shape, and features, and you can even use them to cover damaged parts of your hair.
Check out these incredible 25 types of hair perms.
1- Body Wave Perm
At the top of our list is body wave perms. These types of hot perms have grown in popularity in recent years, with more and more ladies rocking them.
Body waves are loose, natural-looking waves with a romantic flair and turn out neat, stylish, and with a thick volume. These types of hot perms are perfect for straight or flyaway curls but are generally ideal for long hair.
If you feel you have limp hair, you can try out a body wave perm to give it life and energy and make it bounce. For this particular perm, you will need to work with larger rollers to get the best results and retain your hair’s natural glow.
A well-done body wave perm can last up to five months and maintain the same wavy, romantic look.
Read More: Wedge Haircut Ideas
2- Partial Perm
Contrary to popular belief, partial perm isn’t the same as spot perm. The two types of perm are actually different. The idea of a spot perm is usually to curl up or increase the volume of a specific area on the head.
This is generally done to make up for lost, damaged, or thinning hair. On the other hand, a partial perm is usually done on the entire hair.
You need to be aware of these differences whenever you are choosing a specific type of perm to help you settle for the right style that matches your facial shape and features and matches your looks. As the name suggests, a partial perm is done on certain parts of your hair.
For instance, you can perm up your front curls while leaving the hair at the back of your head unpermed.
However, the most common type of style used for partial perms is perming the lower ends of the hair while leaving the rest of it unpermed to create a unique yet stylish wave.
3- Multi-Textured Perm
Ideal for a natural yet sexy look, multi-textured perm works best with longer hair. Therefore this type of hairstyle is not ideal for you if you have short or medium-length hair. If you are keen on maintaining a natural look while rocking your long curls, then go for a multi-textured perm.
There’s a way this unique hairstyle allows your hair to bounce and curl together, giving it a natural look. As a hot perm, the multi-textured perm uses rolls of different types and sizes to create a unique wacr of tight and loose curls.
However, there are creative and innovative ways of achieving a perfect multi-textured perm without using any rolls. This one of the hot perms styles should be done by a professional to ensure that you are with the best hairstylist, especially if you are going for your first multi-textured perm.
4- Straight Perm
Straight perm is sometimes referred to as Japanese straight perm or reverses perm. This type of perm uses more potent chemicals such as potassium hydroxide (KOH) to enable the hair’s cysteine bonds to break, hence removing the curl.
As a hot perm, straight perms are washed then straightened out with hot iron. A neutralizer is then applied to restore the hair’s pH by being dried as a final touch.
This type of hair treatment allows your hair to stay straight and neat for a long time, even with naturally wavy and curly hair.
However, as is with any type of perm, you’ll need to do some occasional spot treatment as your hair grows. Japanese straight perms use a special kind of relaxer that’s more effective than the standard relaxer or straightener.
However, this relaxer is only available in select beauty parlors and cosmetic stores, so its effectiveness remains doubtful.
Moreover, there’s a common misconception that relaxing or straightening hair grows longer and faster. However, this belief isn’t confirmed, and straightened hair will only look longer when it’s done. Straight perms don’t make hair grow longer or faster than they do naturally.
5- Stack Perm
Stack perm is another type of hot perm that is almost similar to partial perm. The idea of a stack perm is to leave the top up to the middle of your hair permed and natural while perming out half of your hair up to the tails to create lush and curly waves.
To create a sexy touch, you can do some rebinding on the top of your hair to improve its smoothness. To perm out the middle and bottom sections of the hair, use a variety of rod sizes to bring out a natural and unique curl.
A stack perm creates several wavy layers that add fullness to your look and is well suited for people whose hair has never been cut into layers.
Typically the natural curls on people with wavy or curly hair are often seen halfway down the hair; stack perms are ideal for creating that wild illusion, sane as body wave or partial perm.
Stack perms also require little maintenance, which entails an occasional deep conditioning treatment.
6- Root Perm
Typically root perms are sometimes confused with spot perms. This is because both perms share some similarities in style and technique.
However, root perm, as the name suggests, involves perming the hair from the roots or only the first to four inches of hair from the scalp. Since this type of hairstyle is done close to the scalp, it belongs to the cold or ceramic perm technique of perming hair.
Root perm is best done on previously permed hair which has grown out and needs to be repaired or given a new touch. It’s more sensible to perm out the roots of your hair instead of the whole head if you have hair that grows faster.
Perming only the first few inches of hair closest to the scalp helps you avoid damaging all of your hair by perming it repeatedly.
This is why root perm is more popular with moody people. However, root perms are also ideal for people who need a bit of hair lift at the roots to increase hair volume, whether they have natural curls or not.
That’s why women with very straight and shiny hair prefer root perms since they provide hair lift at the scalp, which allows hair to bounce a little instead of glued down. Like most modern perms, root perms are best done by a professional, especially if you have natural or artificial curls.
This is because joining those existing and new curls together is a delicate job that requires a combination of art and expertise.
However, the good thing about root perm is that they don’t need any heavy maintenance, and you can rock the same hairstyle for a month or two until your hair grows out again.
7- Spiral Perm
Spiral perm is a cold or ceramic perm hairstyle. It uses a cold technique to create springy and bouncy curls that fall comfortably in place when pulled or released.
You can create different types or sizes of spiral perms by working with rods of different styles and sizes.
Whether you are looking for tight corkscrew curls or loose sausage-like curls, you can play with different techniques and rods to create your preferred style.
spiral perms work best for ladies with natural or artificial curls or people looking for something retro-like. A spiral perm isn’t ideal for long or short hair as it works best with hair that is at least 8 inches long.
Another good thing about a spiral perm is that it wears out gradually, after about six months, making it ideal for busy ladies or those who prefer to do their hair once in a while.
It will, however, require regular maintenance to stay neat and beautiful so ensure you have the proper maintenance products.
Read More: Pixie Undercut: 22 Trendiest Hairstyles
8- Spot Perm
Spot perm is another curly perm, otherwise known as partial perm due to the similarities between these two perm types.
Spot perms entail perming a specific section of the head just as a partial perm.
If done right by a skilled hairdresser, a spot perm can do magic to your hair and transform your looks.
Spot perm is perfect for people with curly hair looking to experiment with different types of curly perms.
9- Volumizing Perms
Traditional hair perming involves applying a neutralizer with the hair curled up around the styling cords.
The volumizing perms are much similar to this technique, the only difference being that the rods must be removed first before applying the neutralizer.
The result of this perm type is improved hair volume and relaxed hair 8bstead of curls. You can do volumizing perms with any hair length, but they don’t last long since they are not curly.
They’re ideal for people with hair tired of regular blow-drying, hair spraying, and curling.
10- Finger Waves
This type of hair perming has both vintage and classic lol to it, given its wavy appeal.
To achieve the ginger wave perm, let your hair dry naturally after shampooing, then use a serum with argan oil to achieve this natural and vintage look.
11- Short and Bouncy
Short and bouncy perm is well suited for short hair and requires little effort to achieve and maintain.
Simply wash, and air dries your hair, then apply gel or mousse, and you have a perfect short and bouncy perm.
12- Pin Curl Perm
The curl perm is a retro-style type of curly perm that is sometimes called the pin curl. It is popular with Hollywood beauties, including young Shirley Temple and Geena Davis, who usually sported this style during the 1990s.
It’s a perfect solution for increasing the volume of thin, lank hair. It’s also easy to style on the go since it requires little effort to create and maintain.
If you naturally have curly hair or if you recently got a body wave, you can simply run your fingers through the curls to style and separate them—this type of perm results in bouncy, loose curls that have lots of volume and movement.
13- Gentle Wavy Perm
If you are looking to create a natural wavy type of curly perm, then gentle Wavy perm is the way to go.
To pull this perm type, you can use large perm rollers to create unique and gentle waves which increase volume and movement while maintaining that natural look.
To avoid frizzing the hair and achieve the best results, allow your hair to air dry after treatment.
Gentle wavy perms are perfect for highlighting long wavy hair.
14- Classic Updo
A classic updo is a simple type of hair perming style that you can do yourself at home.
It entails trying your hair into a ponytail then twisting the hair to cover the crown of your head before securing it with pins.
You can then arrange individual curls to cascade down the crown of your head. If there are still loose curls hanging around, you can secure them with hair spray.
This type of perm is best on previously permed hair.
15- Loose Wave Perm
As the name suggests, loose wave perms are wavier than they are curly. They also look natural and cannhe created with large rods.
If you have thick or medium hair, you might want to try out this perm type as they are perfect for adding glamour and subtle to long and medium-length hair.
16- Mohawk Perms
Mohawk perm is a unique and daring hairstyle that requires courage to rock. Not only is it super chick, but it’s also cool and easy to style.
Just combine a root perm with a mohawk, and you’re good to go.
17- Soft Ombre Perm
Soft ombre perm is a perfect perm type for office look and formal events and looks best on round faces.
Soft ombre perm adds more volume and curls to your hair, making them both wavy and elegant.
18- Permed Pixie
For women with short hair looking for style, elegance, and sophistication all in one class, permed pixie is the style to choose.
Permed pixie is a type of curly perms with spirals and bouncy waves.
19- Shaggy Perm Hairdo
This is for women with medium-length hair looking to enhance their visual appeal and increase their hair texture.
A shaggy perm hairdo is a type of curly perm with straight tresses and curly hair around the forehead, which is both elegant and sexy.
20- Bushy Perm
A comeback of the 80s hairstyle that’s popular with young women today, the bushy perm is all about shampooing and letting your hair air dry, then styling it out.
Perfect for ladies with curly or previously permed hair.
21- Burgundy Short Perm
Otherwise known as Rihanna perm, this hairstyle uses a particular bob and spot perm to bring out an edgy yet rockstar look.
Just add a bit of color and style, and you’re good to go.
22- Rough Partial Perm
This is another type of partial perm with a blend of rough edges, straight roots, and curly hair tails that brings out the babe in you.
Only rock this if you dare or if you don’t mind being a rockstar wannabe.
23- Hot Root Perm
This type of hair perming is excellent for people with thin hair looking to increase hair volume and elegance.
This type of hairstyle creates a neat and effervescent look that ultimately brings your messy hair into submission for several days or weeks.
24- The Carrie Bradshaw Perm
Inspired by Sex and The City, perms that were previously unpopular and outdated are making a comeback, thanks to Carrie Bradshaw giving them a life of their own.
Wild and unruly blond curls are now to die for, and young ladies can’t have enough of it.
25- Over 40 Perm
26- Red Head Perm
A Word from Beauty Lies Truth
As you can see, there are so many ways you can style your hair with different types of perms. Some of these perms are natural and easy to style with easy-to-find products and absolutely no skill.
However, for some perms like root, partial and multi-textured perm, you’ll need the skilled touch of a professional. Permed hair is a classic way to add glamour, style, and elegance to your looks.
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