QuoteReplyTopic: Help! Posted: May 05 2007 at 11:56am
I had frizzy large curly hair for a long time and I had always wanted straight hair.So about 7 or 8 months ago I had a japanese perm to make my hair straight.My hair looked great but now my new hair is growing and of course it's curly.So right now I'm supposed to go back for a retouch to make the new hair straight! But I honestly don't want to go.I want my curly hair back.It's hard to explain,but I just wouldn't be myself without my curly hair.So my question is will I have to wait for the perm thingy to grow out or is there something I can do to either get my curly hair back or speed up the process? I never colored my hair by the way.
Sadly, making complete changes is often a slow growing out process. I know how damaging texture changing chemicals are, so I don't think its common practice to go get a perm over straightened hair. It would probably ruin your hair.
Try wearing it in styles that mask it until it grows out. Maybe when its damp, pull it back so the large curls of your roots pull straighter to mask them until they grow long enough to just leave. Wearing ponytails or updos can mask the length too for once the curlier part is longer. You could also try sleeping on foam rollers to curl your damp hair and see how that comes out when its dry. It may work, or maybe not, you'd have to try.
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I've heard so many bad stories about the Japanese thermal reconditioning treatment! Naturallycurly.com had a big write-up about it when it first became popular. It seems the majority of women who have it done regret it later - hating the curly roots, looking like a freak with half curl/half straight hair, having to cut it all off when deciding to go back curly, etc.....
This is a good question and one that I hear all the time because it is one of those perpetual hair questions that never seems to have a good answer.
It is also one of the most frequent questions I receive to AskKaren because of the curly hair "root regrowth" which can be so challenging to deal with.
And yes...Susan and HairBraider are completely correct in their comments. Once naturally curly hair has been chemically altered in any way it weakens the hair tremendously. You should never ever apply more chemicals on top of already chemically treated hair. You risk major breakage and I have hundreds of emails to prove it.
This is even more so for curly hair which is more fragile and can become even more dry than non-curly hair. Applying a curl enhancing perm to the regrowth can definitely backfire and potentially cause breakage.
If you want your natural curls back...the best thing to do is bite the bullet and use tricks like Susan suggested to wait for your natural curls to grow back in.
Susan has some great suggestions that really work well. I would suggest trying them to see if they help.
Also...rag curlers applied to the straightened sections of your hair with a good setting glaze, gel or lotion and slept on over night will usually curl even the straightest hair.
One other option that someone just told me about. They had a similar experience to what you have had and they started wearing clip-in extensions that were pre-curled to the same texture of their new root growth. It was a good transition option.
With clip-ins you can just roll the length of your hair into a big bun, pin it flat to your head and then pop the clip-in extensions so that it matches your existing root curls.
Some people with this challenge use curling irons on the straightened hair but again the constant use of heat can make your length more prone to damage and breakage.
That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger or drives you totally insane. :-)
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