I've posted about my newly wavy hair in the past & got a wonderful & overwhelming response from Mamasource Mamas! I picked up a few tips & it truly helped out. But I have a few more questions.
I had straight hair until after the birth of our third child. After our fourth was born, I cut 16 inches off my hair & discovered is was much wavier than I suspected. As it's grown out, it's been a bit unruly. I'm using a curl activator & curl gel with a diffuser to help shape it up. But the underside of my hair & the hair on the front of my head is still pretty straight. Lately I've had to curl the front of my hair (around my face) so it matches up with the rest of my head.
I'm considering getting a loose/body perm to try to get it all to even out. Does anyone have any experience with body perms & wavy/slightly curly hair? I've had them in the (ancient) past, but my hair was stick straight then & I wasn't happy with the results. Any advice would be appriciated!
Thank you, Mamas! I decided a trim would help out quite a bit. It did & I've been working with products that help out with my wave. I've had to curl the front pieces that are straight when I've worn it curly, but it only takes a few minutes to do. If I wash it at night, then I flat iron it the next morning & I'm good to go.
I think I'll skip the perm! Thanks again for all your advice!!
I have wavy hair and perms make me look like Annie (the movie) - YIKES! Just something to think about. I have found that having the right hair stylist who can cut my hair into a cut for my hair type is much better than any perm, straightener, etc.
I had wavy/curly hair when I first got pregnant, afterwards it kind of straightened. I had a perm, but didn't know there were different levels of perms & I got a "curly" perm & wound up looking like Annie (as someone else said earlier). The next time I got a perm, I asked for a "body" perm & it worked out great. That was probably 20+ years ago. As I have gotten older (and I have a 9 year old now), my hair has just gotten curlier & I no longer get perms. Your hair, since it started straight, might go back to being straight. The best suggestion is to get a good haircut for your hair. I now find it easier to just get a good cut with layers & just let it curl. I now do nothing to my hair after washing except use shampoo & conditioner for culy hair, scrunch with some gel & go. Sometimes I use hairspray to keep it from frizzing. My life is so much simplier than when I tried to curl it, or straighten it. Find a good hairdresser that can give you a cut for your hair. Being a mother of 4 and living on a farm, you need the simplicity the most!
maybe I can help- I'm a hairstylist and trust me you CANT get the same curl from a perm as you would a natural wave. It may help fill the void but you cant totally match. After babies the chemicals in your hair change and sadly you cant get the old back. If you need me to I can recomend products for you to use to help your curl.
Something similar happened to me after my second pregnancy. I always had very wavy/curly hair, after I gave birth the hair on top of my head started growing in straight. I did find a stylist that specialized in curly hair and was able to perm it to match the curl i had. worked out great. My hair still hasn't started growing back curly the way it was after 3 1/2 yrs. I would find someone who specializes in curly hair and see what they can suggest.
I've had wavy hair my whole life and never liked it when I was little because it was so unruly. As I've gotten older I have learned to appreciate it more. But, when I was in college I got an idea that I was going to enhance it a little by getting a body perm. Unfortunately I ended up looking like a poodle. Eventually it became more tame but it held for quite a while. Just be careful to tell your stylist exactly what you want so it doesn't end up more out of control than you want. Good luck!
i have wavy, almost curly hair & it also is not uniform around the front & back & underneath & from what i've seen & heard from others, that's very normal. my hair became more straight since delivering my two daughters. i don't know about perms & such, but i do know that wavy hair is difficult to make look the same! good luck! i have to straighten my hair most days...
I actually had VERY curly hair before I delivered and now it is just crazy. (curly in spots, straight in spots, wavy in others...ahh!) I would strongly suggest NOT getting a perm. You never know how your hair will react to it. I would suggest either getting a great flat iron and straightening it everyday or going to a good stylist and let her give you some suggestions. Mine suggests using the flat iron. :) Good luck!
A.
DO NOT get a perm. They are very damaging to your hair. They are permanent and you cannot know how your hair will react to it. My hair was curly all my life and after I had my baby it is similar to what you describe. I went the opposite way and use a straight iron. Invest the $ you would pay for a perm to get a good ceramic iron that will not damage as much CHI is great and they have them at target. Nexus makes a staightening lotion that gives hair straight "memory" making it easier to straighten your hair.
My suggestion is don't get the perm. I have had curly hair all of my life. The older I have gotten the curlier it has become. The perms never look natural. I would say just invest in a really good curling iron and curl the hair you need to and get some good hair products meant for Curly Hair. My hair is also straighter underneath. I have one particular spot that is board straight. Nothing you can do about it but curl it and being that it is underneath I just leave it alone can see it anyways. The only suggest I have is make sure that your hair dresser knows so that it (the hair being straight underneath) may be cut it a little shorter than the rest that way it won't stick out from underneath. Mine is usually cut about a 1/2 in to an inch shorter than the rest and you can't tell.
If I were you, I wouldn't get a perm. I would go to a good salon and get a really good haircut and the right products for your "new" hair. If you get a perm, you will have to keep going back for perms. The right haircut for your hair will be easy to keep up, and always (well, almost always) look good.
S.,
My hair is very similar to what you are describing. It is really wavy in the back and straighter in the front and underside. I have not had a perm since the sixth grade but I do wear my hair wavy and it is fairly easy to fix. I got a spray bottle that has a fine spray on it (more of a mist than a drench). I lightly wet my hair with this in the morning, add some mousse and scrunch, scrunch, scrunch. I don't like the wet, crunchy look, so I use a pic (sp?) to lightly loosen up the stiffness (once it dries) and then spray it with hair spray. If the front is too straight for me, I spritz it with more water. Works well for me. If you are considering a perm I would talk to you stylist before spending the money. I am not sure if the back would take better than the front resulting in the same problem you already have :)
I think the perm sounds like an easy solution! Go for it. If you don't like it, you can always go the opposite way and have all your hair straightened.
i had the same thing happen and i've also considered a perm, from what i know now that your hair has some naturual curl they should hold better, than they did on your straight hair. if it's just the underside of and front that is no longer curling it could be the length of your hair if it is now longer than when you first noticed the new waves. as mine gets longer i have a much harder time with it, right now it won't keep a curl but at the same time isn't straight and it really annoys me, i'm hoping if i can deal with it till it's longer it will calm down enough to be manageable and straighter. so another option would be to find a length where it curls uniformly, maybe try some layers so you don't lose so much length, and just keep it that length. good luck.
Hello S. C.
My sister's hair is exactly what you're describing, we like to refer to it as a hot mess!!!! On a more serious note, have you tried a flat iron. It can not only straighten the back of your hair, but you can use it to curl the front of your hair. I know it does'nt look like you can b/c it's flat but my stylist is awesome and this is what he uses!! Just another option, rather than getting a perm!!!! Wow, it's been a long time since i've heard the word perm! Also, i'd buy a small to medium sized one so you can easily use it on the front of your hair. Well, i hope this has helped a little.
Good luck,
T. B.
