Digital Perming

Overview of Digital Perming.

The process of digital perming, often called a hot perm, originated in Japan in the late 90's and has recently become popular in Western salons. The digital perming technique is being used by top stylists around the world to give women the natural looking curls that they crave.

The digital perming process involves the same heating practices as with an Ionic perm and promises to give you beautiful beachy-wave hair or boho-curls without having to use a curling iron everyday. In the salon, the time and temperature to be used is digitally controlled to within 1°C, ensuring that the perfect curl is achieved every time.

Digital perming is only available in a limited number of salons due to equipment, training and experience requirements, so be sure to seek out a trained professional to have your digital perm done.

Why is it new and fashionable to have a digital perm?

Throw away your old hot rollers, the digital perm is an easy to maintain alternative to your at-home curling tools. This new perming technique has been seen on the likes of Victoria Beckham and The Duchess Of Cambridge amongst the many other celebrities who now rock those effortless curls.

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Now, almost anyone can have those beautiful soft movie star waves by visiting their trained stylist. It's a low-maintenance, flirty and fun hair style that looks just as good with a pair of jeans as it does for that formal night out on the town.

Digital perming is taking the salon world by storm after traditional perming techniques have become notoriously known to damage hair and limit your style options whilst being seen as very outdated.

What is different and special about it?

A digital perm, or a hot perm, is different from the traditional cold perm in that it uses heat to set the curls. A digital perm yields a bigger, softer, more natural looking curl while a cold perm tends to produce tighter and smaller curls that begin higher on your head.

A digital perm treatment is much gentler and healthier for your hair than cold perming as the chemicals used aren't as harsh. Importantly, after receiving a digital perm, the hair usually retains it's new shape for a longer period of time. On average, with a digital perm properly done, this will last anywhere between 3 - 6 months.

It is well known that a cold perm does not work as well with fine hair or coarse hair, however, with a trained stylist, a digital perm will work on most hair types.

Why have a Digital Perm?

Unlike the traditional perm, the digital perm does not do great damage your hair - in fact you'll leave the salon having your hair feel softer and shininer than before.

The digital perm is applied from the mid-length to the ends of the hair, giving you a more natural looking wave than the tight curls of a cold perm. It uses heat to help set the curl, leaving a perm that is much longer lasting.

If you've always wanted natural looking beachy waves, but aren't the best at styling your hair, a digital perm is the way to go. Digital perms are very easy to maintain. To keep your hair looking as wavy as the day you left the salon, towel dry your hair and crunch and twist the curls. Beautiful waves with no hassle!

What is the process?

The hair is washed, and then the first part of the chemical process is applied to soften and relax the hair. The hair is rinsed off, and carefully wrapped around the perming curlers. The perming process uses temperature controlled rods that allow the stylist to accurately set the treatment time and the heat level. The curlers are heated to the correct temperature for your hair type, and then when the heating part of the process is complete, a neutralising chemical is applied. A further wash and gentle drying will leave you with those beautiful luscious curls.

The process usually takes 3 - 4 hours to complete.

Digital perming machines.

What hair types are suitable?

While most hairdressers prefer to perm hair that is not too coarse and not too thin or fine, the digital perm is said to be suitable for most types of hair. If you have very fine or severely damaged hair, it would be best to consult your stylist to decide the best way to approach the digital perm.

If you're hair is already curly, a digital perm may make your hair easier to maintain by giving you softer and looser curls.

We may suggest a test/trial to ensure that a digital perm will work with your hair type. These are provided free-of-charge but will take up to 1.5 hours of your time.

Similar processes and their differences

While both the hot and cold perm processes use perming solutions (different solution), only the hot perm adds heat to the procedure. The addition of heat helps set the curl, creating a longer lasting perm. The controlled heat also gives the hairdresser the ability to create a variation of curls and waves.

Hot and cold perms also produce a different type of curl. A cold perm is tighter (and curlier) when the hair is wet, and loosens out after it's dry. A hot perm behaves in the opposite manner, being wavier when the hair is dry and loosening out when wet.

An alternative form of hot perm is the 'Ceramic Perm'. This is essentially the same treatment process but using different chemicals that allow the process to be achieved at higher temperatures and hence somewhat more quickly. As with most things, there are those that believe that Ceramic perms are the 'wave of the future' and there are those that do not. Macquarie Hair prefers to use lower temperature methods.

macquarie hair has the tools and techniques to give you a beautiful long-lasting digital perm. Jesse has over fifteen years of experience creating digital perms for her clients and has the knowledge and skills to achieve a quality result. She will meet with you to discuss your hair type and work with you to ensure you get long lasting gorgeous waves.

It's time to throw away those outdated hot rollers. If you're craving curls, book an appointment today for your digital perm with Jesse and take the hassle out of creating those soft effortless tresses.

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