Stripping Perms from Hair

Q: I’m an African woman with permed hair. I know most people say it’s impossible to "remove" a perm, but about 25 years ago, there was an older beautician who had a reputation for "stripping" perms out of hair. I used to visit her about twice a year when I got tired of my perm and wanted to go back to my natural texture. She never revealed what she used in her process, but I remember it didn’t have a strong or recognizable smell.

Her method involved washing the perm out, leaving my hair kinky again, and then she would straighten it with a hot iron. My hair never suffered breakage or damage from this process. When I eventually wanted straight hair again, I’d just get another perm. Now, I’m trying to return to my natural hair without cutting it, but despite searching online and asking multiple stylists, no one seems to know how she did it. Unfortunately, she’s likely passed away by now, and I no longer live in the same area, so I can’t even try to track her down.

A: I completely understand why you’d want to return to your natural hair texture, but the truth is, there’s no way to truly "remove" a perm in the sense of reversing it back to your original hair structure.

Based on your description, it sounds like the beautician wasn’t actually undoing the perm chemically. Instead, she was likely using a deep-cleansing or clarifying shampoo to remove any product buildup, then relying on heat styling (like flat-ironing) to temporarily straighten your hair.

Here’s why a perm can’t simply be "washed out": A permanent wave is a chemical process that permanently alters the bonds in your hair. The first step uses a waving lotion (usually containing ammonium thioglycolate) to break the disulfide bonds in your hair, allowing it to reshape around perm rods. The second step, the neutralizer (typically hydrogen peroxide), reforms those bonds in the new curled pattern. Once this chemical restructuring happens, the change is permanent, until new growth comes in.

The only way to "get rid" of a perm is to grow it out or cut it off. However, you can manage the transition by keeping your hair healthy with deep conditioning treatments, minimizing heat styling, and using techniques like braid-outs or twist-outs to blend the textures as your natural hair grows in.

If the beautician you visited had truly discovered a way to reverse perms chemically, it would have revolutionized the hair industry, and she would have been famous among stylists everywhere. Since that’s not the case, the most plausible explanation is that she was simply skilled at masking the perm’s effects through careful washing and heat styling.

I wish I could offer you a magical solution, but the best path forward is to focus on nurturing your hair as it grows out. Protective styles, regular trims, and patience will help you achieve your natural hair goals over time.

©Hairfinder.com

See also:

How perms work

Hair straightening

The scientific processes during perming and relaxing