Hello!
So, as you may know, I was having my hair permed on Monday at Toni & Guy. I thought I would give you a peek into the very looong process!
I had been in on the Friday before for a strand test & a chat with Catherine, one of the lovely technicians, but as it wasn't her who was actually perming my hair, I had a 2nd consultation before the appointment, with Kasi, my technician.
There's something about hair salons which intimidate me (I don't know why!) but both girls (and Peter & Tom) made me feel at ease and allayed any concerns I had. Kasi advised that the idea I had in my head of big rolling babe curls was probably quite unrealistic, but that the perm would give me hair enough texture that it will be much easier for me to style in that way. We settled on a compromise of a 'loose beachy wave' and got going!
The process started with my hair being washed and rammed full of bendy rollers. The sections of hair had to be tiny and it felt like Kasi was rolling about 3 strands of hair at a time (she seriously must have the patience of a saint!). Once all my hair was rolled up, the perming lotion was applied all over and I was wrapped up in plastic...
I got a lovely, jubbly cup of tea thrown into the mix!
I was sat through the back, away from the rest of the customers. I assume this was because the perming lotion was very strong and very smelly. Reminiscent of a fart bomb...
I hoped to get a shot in the Star Trek armchair, but sadly it was not to be. I'm not sure what sort of distress you need to be causing your hair to warrant a seat over there!
The appointment took just under 3 hours from start to finish. Kasi advised waiting 48hrs before washing to allow the perm time to set. Washing it any earlier would mean effectively washing away my curls. Which is why I was delighted with the extreme stormy wet conditions we had all last week...
Unfortunately, when I did wash my hair on Wednesday morning, the perm had not taken at all. I phoned the salon and they advised that this can happen with hair that is too soft, (and in my case too good condition!). There's no way of knowing for sure if this would have happened before they permed it - it might have worked fine, but ever the professionals, they made room for me that afternoon and had me back in the salon at 4pm!
Cue 3 more hours of rolling, plastic bags and smelling of farts... I had Heat Mag tho, so all good in the hood!
We went through the exact same process again and...
... thankfully it worked! This was the result after a very brief wash (and no styling!) on Friday afternoon. Yay!
I realise it wont be to everyone's taste and my gran will have a fit when she sees what I've done to my 'lovely hair' but I'm genuinely delighted with the result. My hair feels so much more textured and manageable. I've had no 'fly away' bits or static in 3 days now and loving it! I'm going to probably give it another few days before I start messing around with it too much, but for now I'm just happy to have a bit of interest around my bonce!
I was genuinely impressed with T&G. Everyone I met over the 3 days was very friendly, helpful and most importantly; honest and knowledgeable! I love my regular hairdresser, but I think for extra special treatments, I would definitely go back.
The perm itself cost £85, but I also had a cut & bought some products so the total was a bit higher. This was all paid for by myself.
If anyone has any hints, tips etc for looking after long curly hair, lemme know! I'm a bit frightened of it!!
A xx
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