Perms and Body Waves: In some cases the lack of body in the hair is more pronounced and the hair needs significant
restructuring to add body. Many women find that getting a perm or a body wave is the best answer in this situation.
The perm could be done as part of a style choice, such as a woman who often likes to wear her hair
in a curly style choosing to go ahead and get a spiral-wrapped perm. (She can always straighten the hair with blow-dry styling and/or
the use of a flat iron as desired.) There's little need to worry about the kinds of hair horror stories from your mother's and grandmother's
day, because advances in hair chemistry have produced much safer and gentler perm formulas, including at-home perm kits that are
self-timing for those women who prefer to do it themselves. The only drawback to choosing to include a perm-based style is the
cost of maintaining the style - typically six to twelve weeks.
A body wave is essentially a permanent wave that is wrapped using the largest perm rods possible for
the length of the hair being permed. The goal of the body wave isn't to add a specific wave pattern, but rather to add to the structure
and substance of the hair, enabling it to better hold a style. There are even perm formulas available today that contain an additional
'restructuring' step where a protein-rich solution is applied and allowed to saturate the hair while the cuticle layer is open. These
'protein-restructuring perms' make excellent products for performing body waves and can result in hair that is in better condition than
before it was permed. Body waves also demand less in the way of maintenance, needing to be repeated much less frequently than traditional perms.
So, if you feel that your hair suffers from a lack of body, there's no need to accept it as simply
the whim of genetics. There are many options available to improve the body in your hair, from simple grooming tips to restructuring
treatments. You can have the hair you always wanted.
