Once you get your perming done, the first thought that comes to mind is how can I sleep tonight with my perm and will my sleep ruin my permed hair?
Obviously you cannot be up for the entire night like an owl. You definitely need to sleep and the good news is you won’t even ruin your perm with it!
But there are some do’s and don’ts to it that you will come across in this article.
Excited?
Yes, this article will help you learn the ways to sleep with your permed hair without ruining it anyway.
Why is the first 48 hours so important for your permed hair?
You have done the perming with lots of hope and a desire to look beautiful and have of course spent a huge amount behind it. So you would not want to damage it for some lack of information that your stylist must not have told you about.
The first 48 to 72 hours are very crucial for any type of hair styling process with chemicals. First of all you need to be aware of the process and what’s the work of the chemicals that you are putting in your hair.
Table of Contents
What are the different stages involved in perming?
In perming, 3 steps are involved, viz.:
Step 1: Softening:
In the first step, the perm lotion is applied in order to swell up the hair cuticles and then the lotion enters the hair cuticles.
Step 2: Moulding:
Once the softening is done, the perming lotion changes the hair structure bonds into sulphide bonds which then changes its shape according to the perming tools applied.
Step 3: Reshaping and fixing:
In the final step, the perm lotion is removed and a neutralizer is applied in order to fix the hair in the new shape and structure. The neutralizer works by depositing oxygen in place of hydrogen and reforming the broken down disulphide bond.
Now, the reason why the first 48 hours is the most crucial for your perms is that though the stylist washes off the neutralizer from the hair before leaving you from the salon.
Yet some amount of neutralizer do stay in the hair and keep working to bond the hair in the new shape and if you mess with the new structure of hair with sleeping or washing off with an inappropriate shampoo, the neutralizer won’t do it’s work or will set the hair in a different shape.
How to sleep with permed hair in the first 48 hours?
The first 48 to 72 hours is the most crucial once you are done with your perm. You had already spent a huge amount of your salary behind getting those licious curls and now you just cannot ruin it due to sheer negligence. You need to protect and maintain your curls.
But you cannot be awake till 2 to 3 days straight, right? And believe me you don’t have to do that as well. Just change your normal pillow case to a satin fabric one and you will be left with no worries.
The satin fabric allows the curls to move freely and also maintain its curly texture. The other thing that you can do is, just tie a loose bun at the top of the head because that will prevent the rest of the hair from scattering around while you sleep.
After tying the hair, wrap your head with a satin cloth (in case you don’t have a satin pillowcase).
Does sleeping in hair ruin perm?
Yes, sleeping on hair will definitely have some effect on your permed hair for the first 2 to 3 days. The mistake is not with sleeping, but with the fabric of the pillow you are sleeping on.
Most of us usually use a cotton pillowcase and the cotton creates a friction between the hair and the fabric when you turn your head from side to side while sleeping and the hair gets rubbed into the pillowcase.
The friction causes breakage of the restructuring process of the perm and creates frizz in the hair which then is likely to ruin your perm.
What not to do after you get a perm?
While sleeping the right way is utmost crucial for your curls, there are also a few don’ts that you need to pay heed to after getting your perm done and I can’t let you go without knowing about them:
- Do not wash your hair for the first 3 days even with only water after getting a perm
- Do not use harsh shampoos that contain chemicals because that will restructure your perms. Instead use a sulphate free shampoo that’s suited for chemically treated hair
- Do not use a dryer to dry your hair for the first week
- Do not use any styling iron for the first month or at least 2 weeks because heat can break the perm bonds
- Keep your moisturised with a hair serum that will eliminate frizz from the hair
See you soon!
Just a little knowledge can save your permed hair from getting ruined and I am just here to save you from that!
Stay tuned with me for more information on hair and skin care and styling tips!
Till then…..
Keep it simple, keep it fashionable!
