Curly perms

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the site and I have a couple of questions concerning "curly" perms. 

I've been relaxing my hair for several years now, and lately, I've been kind of sad because even when the relaxer has grown out, I notice my hair, at best, will be wavy.  Most of the time, by the time it dries, it's only slightly wavy at the ends.  I've been thinking of getting a curly perm to try and get the nice curls I use to have when I was younger....

Does anyone here have previous experience with them?  Is it more or less damaging than the straightening perm/relaxer?

Also, does anyone have recommendations as to what brands/where to get these curly perms?  I was told to get one specifically for Afro-American hair because the regular perms you buy in the grocery store wouldn't work because they're meant for European hair...

Gotta say, though, I love the site so far (so helpful!) and I've recently made some purchases, per your advice. Hope to see results that everyone else seems to be getting!