Hair - McMinnville,OR

I had that problem for awhile. Made you feel like a french poodle, eh? I used to work as a receptionist in a salon and something that helped me greatly is Matrix Biolage Smoothing Shine Milk. They use it specifically for perms sometimes. It's a leave in conditioner that smells great and worked great, at least for me it did. A little spendy, but it lasts quite awhile. My hair was below my chin (after I had the perm) and this stuff allowed me to keep it manageable without the use of other products. Hope this helps!

jojoba oil

I get it at the health food store and use a few drops daily or slather it on overnight before washing in the morning. It works better than the hundreds of expensive salon products I've tried.

Curly hair is MASSIVELY different from straight hair. My friends who have gotten perms LOVE them while the chemical is still holding the curls together, and then they turn into "poodles" because they don't know how to take care of curly hair, and their stupid stylist neither taught nor warned them about the amount of work involved. I usually end up doing a demo in a bathing suit... but here are the highlights:

1) NEVER brush it dry. Ever. Period.

1.5) ONLY brush it wet, with conditioner in it, in the shower. I know. Straight hair breaks more when it's wet, so you don't brush it wet. With curly hair, it breaks dry, so you brush it wet.

2) Do your *major* styling in the shower (aka part, hair direction, etc.). Then get it wet one more time. At this point you have to treat your hair like many guys holding a baby for the first time. Like you're juggling and afraid to touch it. Stress ball type movements.

3) DO NOT run your fingers through it

4) DO NOT rub your hair with a towel. (Although you can "squash" it with a towel, the moment you step out from the shower you have to be REALLY gentle with the curls, or they unform, which creates massive frizz no matter how much product you use.

5) DO squeeze out a LITTLE by scrunching it.

6) Product:
- Depending on your curl diameter and how strong the curl is, we all use different products. More on this at the bottom for my personal favs for 1/2 inch to 1 inch curl

7) SLATHER on the product(s) of choice. It has to absolutely saturate ALL of your hair. It will NOT make your hair look flat or greasy. It WILL keep the curls together -aka no frizz or poodleness-, and glossy. They'll be soft only if you use expensive product. Your choices with anything under $25 are boingy and crisp or crunchy. It's better to overkill on the product at first and then back off. You can ALWAYS scrunch away any extra product so it's not crunchy. Nothing to be done about frizz from too little product.

8) "Form" the curls as you use the product. Take some and twist around your fingers. Scrunch, smooth, and move them around. But (again) do NOT run your fingers through them, unless you need to turn one big curl (like at your temples or on your crown) into two or more. It works best if you work with the curls that formed while wet (aka one never has the same curls twice, they all form differently). Any styling needs to happen BEFORE you blowdry it.

9) IF you choose to blowdry (in the heat, I air dry for natural air conditioning) you have 2 options, but both require patience. Blowdrying curls usually take a minimum of 10 minutes and as long as 30:
- Diffuse... diffuse with your head upside down for big curls that start from the root/ aka lots of volume, or rightside up for for face shaping or because you're irritated at being bent at the waist muttering that you hate your hair and are seeing spots.
- Towel behind your hand (upside down for volume, right side up for control)... hairdryer on the LOWEST wind speed in one hand. Your damp towel you used to dry off in the other hand. Put that towel behind the area you're aiming your dryer at. So hand, damp towel, hair, hairdryer. The towel protects the curl by "holding" them and keeping them from being blown apart.

8) If you choose to air dry... STYLE NOW with the product step and then leave it alone. Put it up or leave it down. Pin it, clip it, whatever. It will dry how you style it as long as it's not being blown all over. (If you're active like me, pile it on your head... do NOT comb or pull into a ponytale, but kind of pile into a ponytail. When your head starts feeling "tight", you're almost dry... so take it down... shake it out. Again. DO NOT try to run your fingers through it.

((Fingers through hair is a compulsive straight hair thing to do. People with straight hair are *always* doing it. You can't with curls. At all. UNLESS you're in the shower. Period. The number of times I've had to "Ah-ah!" to my friends with new perms is MAYBE 20 times when they're first styling it and twice and hour afterward. To move it around, make a claw shape with your hand, grab a LOT of hair and move it, and pull the "claw" out from the exact same space it went into. Never, never, never, run your fingers through your hair.))

9) Voila. At this point you have phenom curls. Now. DON'T MESS WITH THEM. Don't brush, finger comb, or pick. AVOID putting up and taking down (as in only, only, only, do it once if you want them to stay perfect. If you don't care about frizz and tangles, put up and take down as much as you please).

10) And when you're just SICK of the curls (or you want someone to be able to run their fingers through your hair, or you want to wake up not looking like the bride of frankenstien -we all do honey, those of us with curl- wake up "scary" more often than not) learn how to blow it out straight. But if getting the curl looking decent takes 10-30 minutes... be prepared. Blowing out straight takes 30-60 minutes. And then the MOMENT it gets wet (sweat, rain, shower, swimming, humidity, kids' squirt gun, steam from cooking), the curl comes back.

My fav products:

Cheap:
- Garnier Fructis Curl Construct Mousse ($4)

Not Cheap:
- Bumble & Bumble Get Straight Gel (it does NOT make curls straight) ... PLUS ... as in put the gel in first, THEN Bumble & Bumble Grooming Cream. ($25 each).

- Prive Gel ... MIXED WITH... Laminates gel. 3/4s Prive to 1/4 Laminates. In the palm of your hand and swirl with your finger. Makes them turn opaque. ($25 each).

MMMMmmmmm... Last piece of advice: Embrace the wild. Curly hair can get a little nuts sometimes. I've mentioned before that I've modeled. The "fast" way to have models deal with curls is to blow them out straight and then use various sized curling irons for a natural "look". But I've had them style my natural curls themselves. Sitting in a chair for 3 flippin hours until each on was a perfect 1/2 inch wide ringlets. Nightmare. Which is the only way you'll ever lose the "wild" from curly hair, so embrace the wild... but you NEVER have to embrace frizz.

try a light oil in your hair, jojoba oil is great, you can find it in your healthfood store, there is also an oil called wonder 8 oil, its a little thicker, only use a drop, you can sometimes find it with the ethnic hair care products. it smells awesome. put a little oil through your hair while its still wet, then just air dry. if your hair is thin it might weigh it down too much, but give it a shot. you can use either on your skin if you dont like it for your hair

Moroccan Oil and don't mess with it once you put the product in your hair. Your hair is drying out so you need to use a good quality product that will add oils back into your hair.

Use a heavy product like frizz ease, and avoid combs. Just use your fingers to de-tangle and shape curls, and than let it air dry. If you still do not like it you can get an at home perm kit, put it on and comb hair straight until it stays, than rinse right a way. It may cause some damage, but may be better than trying to cut a perm short, which would just make it more curly and frizzy.

I don't know if maybe you already do this, but the best advice I got with my last perm, was not to brush it at all. To get any tangles out, you run your fingers through it in the shower when it is wet. But then do not comb/brush after your shower especially after it has dried. Just scrunch up the curls with mousse after your shower when your hair is still damp and the curls look so much better! Worked great for me. And no, I definately wouldn't cut it. If anything, maybe get a different style or something? But don't cut short!

My aunt who was an old fashioned home remedy type person had me put mayonnaise on my hair and sit with a hot towel over it for an hour.
You can image how disgusted and disbelieving I was as a teenager with a problem perm.
Washed out the mayonnaise after the hour was up and there was my own silky hair.
I never got another perm.

Have you tried the infusium 23 serum? You said you'd tried all kinds of things, but I've never heard of this serum NOT helping with the frizzies (it's applied to wet hair before drying). How about a Vo5 hot oil treatment? The frizzies are usually caused by lack of moisture and chemical damage. Anything super rich and moisturizing should help.

Also try some styling wax or pomade on dry hair to smooth your curls into what you want them to be. Yes you're going to have to wash it more frequently (my hair is usually dry so I only wash it every few days) but it'll be worth it if you can achieve the look you're after.

If nothing else works, you can always go back and have them straightened it back out and give you a cute short cut until the last of the chemically damaged portions grow out. If that happens then at least you've learned something about your hair!

Best of luck to you!

Hi S.,

I got a perm about four weeks ago and wasn't having major frizz issues until recently. Maybe it's the weather? Anyway, I've found a couple of products that have been my savior...
1. Lotus Shield Shampoo and Conditioner by Avon
-This is a new product that Avon recently put out and that coupled with,
2. Lotus Shield serum
-has made my hair WAY less frizzy. The serum is amazing! You only get a little bottle, but you hardly need any at all and it makes my hair less frizzy for almost three days! I also use...
3. Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine serum
-My hair has been so out of control, that I can use a whole palm full of this stuff, but it's awesome because it makes my hair not frizzy and keeps it curly without the crunchy feel of gel or mousse.

My hairdresser put layers in my hair which helps add curl and I get tangles out in the shower and barely pick through when I get out, which also reduces frizz. I don't know about cutting it short, it seems like the more weight your hair has, the less frizz...? Good luck! Here's a link to the Lotus Shield
http://shop.avon.com/shop/product_list.aspx?level1_id=300...

I put mousse on mine while it's still wet and rarely have frizzies.

Put a bowl of ice water (not just cold water, but actual ice in water) in the bathroom when you get in the shower... When you get out, use a washcloth dipped in the water and starting at the tips, scrunch your way to the roots. The ice water seals in the curl. I use garnier fructise (sp?) curl care mousse, and then a little bit of hair spray to finish. (My hair is super thick and naturally VERY curly, like a perm) This combination helps with frizz (doesn't eliminate altogether, but helps a lot) without getting "gunky" or feeling stiff... I HATE feeling product in my hair.

I'd consult your hair stylist (if you have a good relationship with him or her, and trust their opinion on your hair). I've messed up my hair *plenty* of times (to the point where several different people have made me promise never to cut my own hair again... lol).
In these situations, I usually have a little "transition" hairstyle I give myself (ponytails, clips for bangs, headbands, etc.), and I just wait it out.

I had one perm I really loved, but it did make my hair frizz, too. My hair stylist did tell me that perms really tend to damage your hair - she recommended that I curl my hair with pins/curlers myself, if I really want curls once in a while...

You don't mention how long ago you got the perm. Chances are you just need a trim, approximately 1/2-1" off the ends. That should cure the problem. If not, then try a deep conditioning treatment. You should be able to get one at your local salon and they are not expensive. It sounds like the ends are just dried out; however, if it was overprocessed, the trim won't do much to alleviate the problem, and deep conditioning will help some. (I am a hairdresser, by the way!)
Hope this helps!
P.

Long and frizzy is better. More styles to choose from. Movement. And the frizz will calm down and you still have your hair. And my husband told me that he likes my hair without a perm better so I decided not to get them now. I do color my hair and like that.

I have naturally curly hair which I know behaves different than permed. One of my "tricks" to tame the frizz is to use a little bit of leave in conditioner and a litle bit of liquid gel on my hair while it's still wet. My ratio is about 3 parts conditioner, 1 part gel. Just work that through before any kind of styling.

I have naturally curly hair that is fine and I agree with Riley. Never run your fingers through your hair. Until she mentioned it I never really thought about it being a straight hair thing. I don't run mine through but I've always been curly. Moisture is definitely needed. One poster mentioned Avon Lotus shield and I completely agree. The serum lasts for a couple of days before you need to reapply. I've noticed a big difference right now. If I don't use it my hair is worse. Good luck.