Tips On Natural Hair Without A Perm

Tips on Natural Hair Without a Perm

For any hairdresser, seeing a grown woman with natural, unchemically treated hair, (i.e., straightened, dyed, bleached or permed) is like finding a diamond in the rough - almost impossible! If you have natural hair that has yet to be tampered with, and wish to give it some pizazz, there are techniques you can try in the privacy of your very own home. Simulating the look of a perm or other wavy hairstyle is easy and will save you a visit to the salon.

Importance of Avoiding Perming

Although regularly styling your natural hair may take some dedication and effort on your part, it is probably best that you don't perm your hair. Perming hair is an expensive, outdated, foul-smelling-- as well as a damaging process-- for your hair. When your perm grows out, your roots will be flat while the rest of your hair will remain a completely different texture as a result of the remaining permed hair on your head! More popular during the 1980s and early '90s, women have since found other, less damaging ways to texture and add body to their hair.

Curl It Up

If your goal is to have small, tightly-wound ringlets, select a curling iron that has a barrel diameter of ½ inch or less. For medium sized curls or "banana curls," use a ¾ inch to 1 inch diameter curling iron. For large curls or waves, use a 1 ½ to 2 inch diameter curling iron.

After washing and conditioning your hair use a hair gel, cream or mousse that is designed for curly or wavy hair. If your hair is already damaged, you may wish to use a heat protecting product.

Dry you hair and then separate it into sections (use larger sections for a more natural, wavy look and smaller sections for more smaller curls). Curl each section for about 30 seconds. After you have curled your entire head of hair, spay it with a holding spray to keep the look in place.

If you feel you curls or waves are too dramatic, you can soften the look by applying some finishing crème onto your hands and running them through your hair to loosen up its texture.

Waking Up to Waves

If you don't have time to curl you hair and still crave that extra body, trying braiding your hair (while it is still damp from the shower) before going to sleep and then taking the braids out in the morning to reveal an instant wavy style. Make sure to apply a product like gel or mousse to the hair before braiding (but not so much as to leave a mess on your face or pillow). This technique will result in a more crimped look rather than curly look if had a curling iron been used. However this technique is significantly less damaging to your hair and takes less time to complete

Tags: your hair, curling iron, curls waves, diameter curling, diameter curling iron