perm question

Any help on this subject would be appreciated.

I have straight, shoulder length hair & recently tried curling it with rollers (about 3/4" thick ones.) It looked so great (very full & after a few hours loose & tousled in a Brigitte Bardot-ish kind of way) that I decided to get a body wave to try to make this style easier to do everyday.

I thought my hairstylist and I were on the same page, but my hair came out simulateously too curly and not curly enough. Instead of circular curls, or loose S shaped waves & body, my hair is very flat with tight S waves -- so tight they are almost kinky (but still very flat.) The hairstylist used pink rollers -- am I correct in assuming they were too small?

Is it possible to get the loose, wavy, tousled Brigitte Bardot/Farrah Fawcett look with a perm/body wave, or is this only doable with rollers? And if it can be "permed" in, should I try to get a better perm now, or would that be too damaging to my hair? Is there any option other than letting this grow out? My hair was previously untreated.

Again, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!!!

Pink rods are too small for a body wave. White rods should be the smallest size used for a body wave unless your hair is very fine in texture.

I would not recommend getting another perm for at least three months unless your hair is in excellent condition and course in texture.

While body waves are great when first done, they quickly drop their shape. If you get a month out of a body wave it`s doing good. Average hair looses 20% of the permed curl in the first two weeks. 20% lose of a body wave doesn`t leave much curl. Of course, there are exceptions, some loose more while others loose less. There is no way for a hairdresser to know how much curl will be lost after a perm if they haven`t done your hair before. This is one good reason to find a stylist and stick with them for awhile. He/she will get to know what your hair can and can not do.

Just because you get a perm doesn`t mean you will not have to do anything to your hair to get the look you want. I have natural curly hair and still have to use styling aids to control the look I want to achieve and control the ever present threat of a frizzy hair attack!

I highly recommend Redken Fresh Curls, all four products in the line - shampoo, conditioner, spin control, and curl boost. I can`t say enough about this product. It`s absolutely the best product line on the market for curly hair, be it natural or chemically processed. If you want your hair to feel and look natural, this is the product to use. It doesn`t make the hair stiff or leave it feeling gummy. It`s not cheap but it`s worth every penny.