How Long does your Hair have to be to Get a Perm? Can you perm short hair?
Perms or permanent waves were hyped in the 70s and 80s, but we have been seeing them in different forms for what feels like forever. From major actors like Cher and Jon Bon Jovi to your mother, probably everyone knows how it feels like getting perm rods in their hair.
If you’re alien to the concept of getting a perm, it is a chemical process that breaks the bonds of your hair and alters them, so they are reset to take the shape of the curling rods that they are wrapped around.
After being in such hype back then, their demand suddenly became low, but now this trend is making a comeback. People are finding the perm to be a modern-day aesthetic, maybe because of its natural and “woke up like this” kind of look.
How long does your hair have to be to get a perm?
Probably the most asked question before getting a perm is how long your hair should be if you want to get a perm. Well, the length of your hair does not matter at all if you’re going to get a perm.
Whether a male or a female, if your hair is long enough to be wrapped around the curling rod two and a half times, it’s all the length that matters for a perm.
The only way in which your hair length can affect your perm is the size of the curls you want. If you wish to get a more wavy look or loose curls kind of look, you won’t be able to get that with shorter hair because the curling rod’s size will be more and it won’t fit in your hair.
The texture or the layering of your hair also doesn’t matter while getting a perm. The professional will use the size of the rods according to your hair.
The hair is coiled into short pin curls, and the chemicals are applied to it so that the hair can take the shape of the rods. Please consult your professional hairstylist to advise you on the perm treatments and texturizers whenever you’re in doubt.
Can you perm short hair?
I think now we have established the fact that even short hair looks fantastic with a perm. It was something that women did ages ago, but now girls with straight hair dream of having that voluminous curly hair look.
However, making short hair with perms look good is an art. Your curls can either end up looking like a bird’s nest or a cute retro-style curl with a fresh and youthful spirit. The best thing about short permed hair is that they are low maintenance.
You don’t have to think about styling them every day, and they don’t come in the way of your work too.
Getting a perm requires you to sit in your salon chair for a minimum of two and a half hours. It is a long process and requires to be prepped even before you start with the actual perm treatment. Perms in short length usually last for 3-4 months.
The hair is set in curls or waves through the perming rods and then treated with the perming solution to make it last for months.
There are many styles for short permed hair. For women who don’t want to waste their time fixing their hair every morning, they can go for a style that will keep their hair length to the head.
The curls should be loose and large enough that they don’t feel too tight on the head. It will look very natural as well. You can also mix tight and loose curls so that the hairstyle appears much more natural and attractive.
Other options to go for could be bobs and pixies. Short hair with perms can look amazing after styling them.
How short is too short for a Perm?
If your hair is so short that it can’t even be wrapped around the smallest-sized perm rod that your stylist has, then your hair is probably a little too short. These are probably 2-3 cm.
You can look in the mirror at your hair and gauge if you can get a perm or not. If you have fine baby locks or a lot of bleach and highlights, you probably shouldn’t go in for a perm.
You should also keep in mind that if your hair is already short, the perm will significantly reduce its size. After that, also your hair will be trimmed to give it a proper shape. So you should decide if you want a perm or not, keeping all that in mind.
You can also show your stylist some pictures for reference if you have anything particular in mind, and he can guide you if which kind of perm will suit your hair in reality or not.
Which length of hair is more suitable for Perm – Long Hair or Short Hair or Medium Hair?
It’s difficult to choose one kind of hair that would look best for a perm because if appropriately styled, every length looks terrific in a perm.
But if we had to choose one, we would say short hair looks the best because they are easy to maintain, and there are so many ways in which we can style short perm hair.
If you have short permed black hair, you can make it in a bob, and add some side partings or some bangs; it would give it a bouncy and voluminous look to your hair, leaving you looking effortlessly flattering and glamorous.
Beach waves are also a style that is in outrageous demand today. If you have fine hair, getting a perm would make them look thicker, and your hair will feel more bouncy.
How long does your hair have to be to get a perm for a male?
As mentioned earlier, the length of the hair doesn’t matter much while getting a perm. As long as you have hair of the size that can be wrapped around a rod and get a grip without falling off, you are good to go.
Generally, two inches of length is the minimum hair length for a perm for a guy because it is enough to be wrapped onto the perm rod.
The perm style depends on the length; for example, if you have 2-3 inches long hair, a super slim-sized rod can fit there, but your curls will be super tight.
So if you want rings that are a little loose, you can grow your hair for some time, at least till the ear, and then get a perm. The smallest size rod can fit in hair with a length of as little as 2 inches, while the largest rod, giving loose curls, can require a length of up to 5-6 inches.
People used to consider getting a perm and coloring their hair with services that only women can enjoy, but times have changed now.
Men can perm their hair too. When men started growing their hair, the obsession with this “curly fro” kind of look started. It led many men to get their hair permed too.
How much shorter does hair get when permed?
When people go for a perm, they don’t realize that getting a perm alters your hair length significantly. 25-30% of your hair length is reduced after getting a perm.
You would think if you have medium hair length, it will remain the same even after curling and styling your hair.
Still, it would surprise you to see that your hair won’t even touch your shoulders after getting a perm. A few reasons for this shrinkage are the hair length that is being permed, the curl size, and the tightness or looseness of the curls.
First of all, when your hair is permed, your hair is wrapped around rods to curl them so that will obviously reduce your hair length.
The size of the curl also affects the length because if you choose to get tight curls, your hair will be wrapped in a super small rod making your coils very compact, whereas if you want loose, beachy waves, your hair will be wrapped around a bigger rod giving you loose curls.
So the length with loose curls will definitely be more than the length that you’ll get with tighter curls.
All these factors reduce the length of your hair by up to 25-30%. But you can take it as compensation for all the volume you’ll be getting in your hair. The length gets converted into curls, making your hair look more voluminous.
Final Words:
Perming has become a one-stop solution for straight hair girls who want bounce and volume in their hair. It is all the rage these days. Women everywhere want styles that make their hair look more textured and voluminous while still looking natural.
The 80s perm styles have gone out of trend, but the modern perm styles can make your hair look effortlessly chic and make it look like you got a salon to blow out every time you go out of your house.
Hair is an integral part of our personality, and perming is a manageable and permanent way to get rid of spending time every morning styling your hair.
Hence the new generation is popularizing this method of hair treatment. As all the trends come and go, this too could fade out for some time, but this trend, as its name suggests, is permanent and is here to stay.
