By BR Kellie
Last year when we were going through the predicted trends for this year, one trend popped up every now and then. The return of the perm. There was headshaking in the office. Nope. No way. Nah-uh. Why would this eighties throwback grace us with its poodle presence again? Who would allow such a monstrosity to occur??
Then Kylie Minogue upped her hair game posting this image on Instagram of what suspiciously appeared to be a perm.
And more recently Mandy Moore stepped out with one.
So I guess at this point we have to surrender to the fact that the crystal ball trend gazers were right and the peIrm is back. So whom do we have to blame (or thank if you love a good perm, and to be honest I have a fondness for the spiral perm) for this look?
Well, the look originated in the 70s. 1872 to be exact. And, to be frank, the idea of getting hair permed this way scares the bejeesus out of me. Marcel Gateau created a perming machine, which involved heating tongs over a flame and then testing it on paper – if it browned the paper and didn’t burst it into flames it was good to go. Apparently the process was safe… as long as you didn’t get the tongs near your scalp.
Someone whose scalp didn’t get off lightly in the search for the perfect perm was the wife of German hairdresser Karl Nessler, who invented the spiral heat method. During his experiments she got to be the guinea pig and endured such mishaps as having her hair totally burnt off and getting some scalp burns. Cause for divorce if you ask me. Once the process was perfected, Nessler invented a system that saw hair wrapped in rods, which were then connected to a machine that could heat up to just over 100 degrees celcius. Once the hair was hooked up sodium hydroxide was applied and was then left to do its thing for six hours. Now once you get past the burnt scalp bit the process sounds ok… except the hair was wrapped in brass rods, which weighed nearly a kg each – and were then hung from an overhead chandelier using a weights system so the burning hot rods didn’t touch your head…
This style of machine was later replicated and improved on by Isidoro Calvette, who created perming machines for salon owner, Eugene Suter, while also creating his own perming machines. The design for Suter later created issues with Suter sueing Nessler for patent infringment in the US, with Nessler then sueing Suter for the infringement in the UK. Who knew the hair world could be so dramatic back in the day?
During the early part of the 20th century the perm-world got real, with further development of heaters, and then the realisation that a ‘reagent’ like borax or ammonia to speed up the perming process, while avoiding overheating.
As perming became more commonplace and more affordable, businesses went on to further innovate, with the likes of MacDonald inventing a steaming method, which saw the risk of overheating or electric shock disappear, although that old scalding potential was still there. Another company, Superma, created a method which dispensed with the machines and electricity and used water and the contents of a cotton pad to perm a person’s hair. Equipment also evolved with plastic becoming more mainstream, which had the bonus of not burning hairdressers fingers.
The fear of the burn dissipated in 1938 with the invention of the cold wave. Attributed to Arnold F. Willatt, it used no heat and no machines, instead chemicals were applied to rodded-up hair, that broke the bonds of the hair, then another solution was added which helped the hair reform around the rods to create the perfect curl. Sound familiar? It should do. This was pretty much the first step towards perms as we know them today. The main difference being the types of chemicals we use are now gentler on the hair and the process is shorter.
So what’s the deal with the 2016 perm? It’s not all about the tight ringlets we’ve seen in the past, in fact stylists are going for larger rods in order to create a more beachy natural curl. The result? Um. Well, I think it’s a matter of one’s personal taste, and whether the fear of the 80s still lurks in your heart. But to be honest, if my hairdresser could do for my hair what emma_minuette's did for hers, I'm on board.
So do tell… are you planning on rocking a perm? Have you rocked one? Did you get one and wish you didn’t? What’s your take on the modern perm? Chat away!
Horrid perm story from 1991. I wanted to look more like my bestie who had gorgeous spiral curls, so I got my waist length hair spiral permed. I remember walking out of the salon after 3 hours hoping I wouldn't be seen. I looked like I had an Afro. There really was no turning back after that. For the next year I had a spiral perm, then the following 6 months I had half straight to my ears and then curly from ears to lower back. I looked confused. Lol. However...I am very much on board with the curl trend now! Big hair is very in. But I use my ghd's just incase I change my mind tomorrow!