Q: I recently, "attempted," to straighten my hair chemically with {brand name withheld}, the at home straightening kit. I hate
the results it has caused on my hair. It did not fry my hair by any means. It left my hair wavy, the same texture, and same amount of
frizz. This creates even harder to manage hair. I was wondering if there was a way to get my old curl back by perming. Is it safe to
perm chemically treated hair that was straightened? If so, how long will it take before I can perm it?
A: As long as the straightening kit does not use a hydroxide base, you can always have your curl restored via perming the hair. The
product you mention uses ammonium thioglycolate which is the same formula used in permanent waves to change the wave pattern of the hair.
As long as your hair is undamaged and you perform a test beforehand to make sure that perming the
hair won’t cause damage to the hair. This is done by taking a lock of hair and immersing it in the waving solution for 20 minutes,
rinsing and applying the neutralizer for 5 minutes then rinsing the hair again and drying it to view the results.
If the hair looks to be in reasonable condition after the exposure to the chemicals for perming
the hair, you should feel confident in having your hair permed to restore your curls.
