Ask Karen - August 2006

Dear Karen,

Just this past Saturday evening I made an awful, awful mistake. I went to the salon and got a chemical perm treatment. May hair is very thick and it is currently about 1-2 inches past my shoulders. I'm in the process of growing it out because I really want to have long hair again. I just wanted something a little different and easy to style and I figured waves would be easy because I could wet, scrunch with a little product and go. I showed them pictures and what I wanted and I specifically said I did not want a spiral. (I have had them in the past & my middle school day's). My naturally straight hair is typically hard to style because it's so thick and heavy so it takes too long.

Anyway, the stylist wanted to cut (layer my hair) because I have barley there long layers and she did not think my hair would hold a perm. I told her I have had perms in the past and my hair actually holds curl very, very well, so much to the point that I was able to blow dry it straight and then it would go back to being just a curly as ever when I washed it. So she did not cut it but she insisted on using a "slightly" smaller rod. She used pink & white rods and told me the pink were larger and would give me the wave I wanted as opposed to a tight curl. I did not really know about the colors of the rods so I let her roll away.

Well, the perm was finished and I looked like a chia-pet poodle!!!!!! I was thinking, well maybe it fall a little overnight. So I paid and went on my way. I got home and my finance hates it! I kept trying to play with it to see if I could wear it in a way that did not make me look like a poodle but no luck. So I figured, since they say NOT to wash hair straight away, I would wash AND deep condition it that very night.

I washed it twice, deep conditioned it then blow dried it straight. When I woke up the next morning I then did a 45 minute Hot Olive Oil treatment on my hair and the washed (for a 3rd time now) and when I got out of the shower my hair was just as curly as when she took the rods out!!! See I told you my hair holds curls well! Plus my ends are totally fried and damaged. It looks like they were burnt up with a lighter.

I did not know how else to undo this. So I called another salon - a higher end salon where I should have gone in the first place! They fit me in for an emergency appointment. They said that because my hair was completely damaged I had to get all the permed hair completely cut off. They also said that I would need to undergone some deep conditioning treatments until my hair was restored from the perm disaster.

So, do you think that he is being honest? I'm so scared of keeping totally fried hair but at the same rate, I don't think I can wait for this awful perm to grow out either. What to do?

Please give me any and all advice you may have. Should I get all the hair cut off or try to still recover from the perm by conditioning treatments?

Regretfully,

Amanda

I am so sorry to hear of your recent perm disaster. Based on what you have told me, it does sound like, at the very least, your ends are very damaged. When the ends become as compromised as you describe, it does limit your ongoing styling options.

While it might be possible to undergone a series of special conditioning treatments, it is unlikely that other than spending a lot of time and money that you will achieve any significant recovery to the ends. Once hair is damaged to the extent that you describe, it is unlikely the damage can be reversed. In that case, it is always best to have the damage trimmed off.

Is the second hairdresser telling you the truth about having your ends removed and undergoing deep conditioning treatments? It would seem likely that the hairdresser is providing you with your best options at this point.

At this point in time you may wish to step back, take a deep breath and wait a few days to weigh your options before moving forward and getting the permed hair partially or completely removed. While it is probably best in the long run to remove all of the damage, you may want to just take a little time to think about what feels right for you.

Whether you want to have all the damage removed at once or in a series of trims is one option to consider. If only the ends are damaged, it would be relatively easy to trim just a few inches. However, if your hair has been damaged completely from the roots to the ends by the perm, you may want to access how to remove the majority of the damage without removing the bulk of your hair.

Discuss the various options with a hairdresser you feel comfortable engaging in your hair recovery operation. Discuss the pros and cons of cutting a portion of your hair or all of your hair. You may also wish to ask for a candid discussion of how deep conditioning treatments might help you bridge the long term recovery gaps.

Finally, you might also wish to discuss hair extensions as a possible option to utilize while your natural hair is growing back. Keep in mind that you need at least a few inches of your own hair in order to attach extensions. Last but not least, wigs and headgear are always a great option for covering up hair that has suffered from any type of challenges.

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