Below you can see a simple diagram showing the basics of wrapping a spiral perm. There are,
however, a few things you should know about spiral perm wrapping:
The difference between a spiral wrap and the standard perm wrapping method (called the
croquignole method) is found primarily in the resulting curls. Standard perm wrapping involves taking a wide, but thin segment of
hair and wrapping it around a thin rod so that the hair forms layer upon layer of hair. The longer the hair is, the more layers are
made and the thicker the rolls are. Because the roll gets “thicker” as more hair is wrapped, the curls tend to be tighter at the
ends of the hair, and looser nearer the scalp.
With spiral perm wraps, the hair is divided into differently shaped sections. Usually these
are square segments, but they can be any shape (for example, triangular or free-form) in order to prevent roller marks. While spiral
wrapping can be done on most lengths of hair, it is generally done (and with best results) on long hair length. The hair is wound
around a longer perm tool while the tool is held at an angle to the length of the hair. Because of this, the hair winds around the
tool and only partially overlaps the previous layer of hair as you wind it up the tool’s length. This creates a more uniform coil
of wave in the hair regardless of the length, and is often preferred by women with longer hair types who are looking for curl rather
than body from a perm service.
When wrapping a standard perm, you generally work from the top of a section of hair to the
bottom, wrapping a segment (or slice) at a time. When you wrap the Spiral Perm you have to think in the opposite direction. The
hair-wrapped tools are going to require a place to lay or hang from the scalp, and therefore you have to work from the bottom up
when wrapping a spiral perm. Generally speaking, the hair is sectioned and the sections are lowered partially while the hair is
wrapped in segments from one side to the other. The segments above are wrapped and allowed to lie on the lower segments.
Spiral perm tools may vary as newer designs and ideas come into being, but the most common
spiral perm tool is a long, slender rod of a bendable material with a mechanism for attaching the ends securely to one another. Some
newer models of spiral perm rod are made of rigid plastic but are themselves spiral in shape. This is one to minimize the apparent
length of the tools, without reducing the amount of hair that a rod will wrap.
As with any perming service, the thickness of the tool will determine the size of the resulting curl.
