How to Take Care of Permed Hair

What should I not do after a perm?

Wait at least 48 hours before wetting your hair. Avoid washing or wetting your hair for at least two days after the perm—three if you can manage. Washing your hair before the curls are locked into place can partially undo the treatment. In corner cases, you might want to wet your hair intentionally to achieve beachy waves, but check with your stylist first. Think of this waiting period almost like a curing process—your hair needs 48 hours for all the bonds in your hair to be completely reformed.

Minimize styling for the first week. Using hair accessories or even brushing newly permed hair can cause breakage or make it set into an odd position. Get by for a few days by combing and positioning your hair gently with your fingers, or with a wide-toothed comb in the shower. Dyeing or bleaching your hair is particularly damaging. It's best to wait two or three months after the perm before trying something like this, to give your hair time to recover.

Avoid heat treatments. Your hair's permed now, so abandoning your curling irons and straighteners shouldn't be much of a loss. Avoid them to keep your perm, well, permanent! Even a blow dryer can get hot enough to damage your hair and affect the perm. If you still want to use one, let your hair air-dry 50% of the way, then finish with the blow dryer's diffuser attachment. Loosely permed, wavy hair might get away with a normal blow dry, but hold the dryer at a distance to avoid flattening the waves.

How often should I wash permed hair?

Try shampooing as little as once a week. It's a surprising fact that over-washing your hair can actually make it more vulnerable to damage and cause it to build up grease more quickly. The texture of curly hair slows down the spread of oil from your scalp, so you'll likely need to shampoo less often than when you had straight hair. Perms also damage your hair, which means it's best to go gentle on it and wash only as often as you need to.

Take a conditioner-only wash as needed. If you need to wash your hair more often to stop it becoming a mess, try skipping the shampoo for some of the washes and using a conditioner only.

How do I wash permed hair?

Shampoo less, condition more. Permed hair needs less shampoo than straight hair, and is more easily stressed by overwashing. Conditioning after every wash is a good habit for maintaining your hair's health.

Comb out tangles while your hair is still damp. Brushes are hard on permed hair. Try a wide-toothed comb, instead. Work gently from the bottom to minimize breakage.

Consistently use a leave-in conditioner. Add this to your routine in addition to the conditioner you use in the shower. The leave-in product will help keep your hair moisturized and the cuticles sealed, addressing the damage perming can cause. A leave-in conditioner can double as a detangler, making your hair easier to comb.

What are the best types of products to use for permed hair care?

Use products meant for curly hair. There are shampoos and conditioners marketed specifically for perms, but just switching to products for curly hair should be fine. After all, the goal of these products is to keep your curls light and avoid frizz, and that's what both perms and natural curls need.

Try protein-rich and moisturizing products. Perms can damage the proteins in your hair, which can make it both brittle and quick to lose moisture. Products with added protein and hydrating ingredients can help restore strength and shine to your hair, and keep your curls frizz-free for longer between treatments: Check shampoo and conditioner ingredients for anything containing the words protein, keratin, collagen, amino acids, or cystine bis-PG-propyl silanetriol. A standalone "protein treatment" is much stronger than protein-rich shampoo and a good choice if your hair is showing signs of damage. If a moisturizing leave-in conditioner doesn't do the job, try a hair cream or hair oil. Heavier creams can work better, but may also weigh down your curls. Experiment to find a balance.

Demystify the ingredients label. Too often, the front of the product label just tells you the company's marketing plan. The ingredient list can be more helpful, and you can use this guide to cut through some of the myths and jargon: Alcohol is often blamed for frizz—but the story's a bit more complicated. "Fatty alcohols" are an exception whose chemical structure makes them perfectly fine to use on curls. Put the specific alcohol on your label into a search engine along with "is it fatty?" before you throw out that bottle. Silicone (found in many ingredients ending in -cone or -oxane) can build up over time and weigh down curls, but can help with conditioning. If you can't find a silicone-free alternative you like, just use a clarifying shampoo once in a while as a reset. Sulfate-free shampoo is a common recommendation for permed hair. But honestly? The effect on most people's curls might be too small to notice, at least according to one dermatologist.

How do I sleep with permed hair?

Put your hair up at night. Just like natural curls, permed hair benefits from being kept up while you're asleep, so it's out of the way while you toss and turn. Any method that leaves the back of your hair smooth and restrained will work, such as a loose top bun, or a "pineapple" (a high, loose ponytail gathered at the top of your head). If your hair is too short to gather it all at the top of your head, make two or three smaller buns or ponytails on the top and sides. Restrain your hair fairly loosely, especially at the front where the curls will fall around your face. A tightly twisted scrunchie will create more dents and curls, and you already paid good money for the hairstyle you wanted! If your hair tends to climb out of a scrunchie overnight, try a hair clip. A clip with a flat bottom will be more comfortable to sleep in, and a clip with a rubber interior is more likely to stay in.

Sleep on silk or satin. These fabrics cause less friction against your hair than cotton, so you'll wake up with less frizz and tangles. If you don't have a silk pillowcase, a silk scarf wrapped around your pillow (or loosely around your hair) is sometimes a cheaper option.