Puffy Hair After Perm

Woman with semi wet hair wearing a black turtleneck — Photo: Starik 73/Shutterstock

Q: Hi, I just got a perm on Monday, and I waited until Wednesday morning to wash my hair. My hair dresser told me that it is a loose curl perm, so she used bigger rods. Well, I followed her instructions on how to style my hair. I came out of the shower and put it in a towel for 10 or so minutes, but then my hair gets so thick that it looks like it needs to be combed through, so I used my pick.

Then I flipped my head upside down and put gel in it, and I scrunched it. Then I put the blow dryer on the low setting and squeezed pieces of hair while I scrunched it and when I was done it looked horrible. Half of my hair took the scrunching, and it was really big and tall, very puffy. I don't know what to do. If I don't comb through my hair, it's a mess, and if I do it's a mess. Please help.

A: Okay, the things I'm not hearing you say in your routine are critical here. When you've shampooed and conditioned your hair, after rinsing (using cool water to help compact the cuticle) you should use a dry towel to blot and squeeze the excess water from the hair. At this point, you may wrap your head in a towel for a short while if desired. The important thing to remember is to never "rub" your hair with the towel.

Next, you need to spray the hair with a leave-in conditioner and detangler as well as an anti-frizz serum and comb it through the hair. Start by using your fingers, then switch to a wide tooth comb as the hair is more easily managed.

At this point you can apply your favored styling product and invert your head finger-combing the hair outward to maximize the lift. Use your hair dryer if necessary, but only if you have a diffuser attached.

As your hair dries naturally, you can use light mists of scrunching spray to lift the hair as much or as little as you want in the root/scalp area. By avoiding using the dryer too much and making sure to use the leave-in spray and anti-frizz serum, you should maintain a smoother look to your curls and get the results you want.

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See also:

Hair care

How to towel dry hair