Keep Your Hair Straight with a Perm As a Black Girl
Black people have interesting hair. It is naturally thick and curly. But not all of them are happy with that...according to the media, if your hair is not straight, you're not pretty (which is not true). So, read on to find out how to get a proper, painless perm and care for it yourself as a learning experience, not to mention spending less money than a salon would charge you.
Steps
- Detangle your hair. Wash it, blow it out, then straighten it a little with the blow dryer or a hot comb (NOT a flat iron!). Then, trim off any split ends.
- Put your hair in a bun/ponytail and leave it alone for at least 24 hours. This allows the scalp to heal, as opposed to skipping straight to the perm and applying so much pressure to the hair in one day. A perm will not get along with an aggravated scalp (learned that the hard way...)
- Right before you start perming, use Vaseline or other petroleum jelly around your hairline and on your ears. This will keep any chemicals from getting in your eyes or onto your skin.
- Use a good relaxer. Lye-free would be the best choice for your hair. Lye is a very strong chemical that can cause a burning sensation on the scalp.
- Wash out the relaxer, and then use a regular shampoo. Rinse real good, as any residue might cause problems.
- Use a good conditioner that will protect your hair from breaking.
- Blow-dry your hair. Blot excess water with a towel. You should already be able to see how different your hair has become.
- Spray your hair with the glosser to make it shine, then blow it out again.
- After at least 24 hours, flat iron your hair. The glosser is already in your hair, so it won't get damaged.
- Every day, use a hair cream on the ends. If you don't keep a perm moisturized, especially the ends, your hair will dry out and break off.
Tips
- After washing, rinse your hair with cold water to make it shinier.
- Try not to touch your hair too much. You can transmit germs and other nasty things from your hands to your hair.
- Brushing your hair will eventually make it dull. Use your fingers or a wide-tooth comb.
- Make sure that all sections of your hair receive an even amount of time with the relaxer, or else some parts will come out straighter than others.
Warnings
- Make sure whoever is perming your hair is wearing gloves.
- You are permanently changing the make-up of your hair. That's why it is called a "perm". Make sure this is what you really want.
Things You'll Need
- Blow dryer
- Hot comb
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Scissors
- Petroleum jelly
- Lye-free relaxer
- Relaxed Hair Potion (for best results)
- Heat-protectant hair glosser
- Daily moisturizing hair lotion
- Towel
- Comb
- Gloves
- Flat iron
