Hair Curling & Growing Process

Hair and curling iron
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Q: Hi, I have a couple of questions regarding future styling. I am getting married in 7 months in Hawaii. Right now my hair is straight and boring. I am trying to grow it out for the wedding. What is the best way to do this?
 
Also, I love perming my hair, and my fiancé loves it curly. I feel like I'm hurting the growing process by having to curl it with a curling iron. Would it be ok to perm it? Would this be unhealthy for my hair?
 
A: Provided your hair is in good condition to start, and you use a gentle permanent wave formula (such as an acid-balanced perm) there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to perm your hair to get the curls that you want.
 
You will want to keep in mind that the reason many people think that perms hurt the growing process is that curly hair appears to be shorter than straight hair. This is because the hair's length is used up in the coils of the curl.
 
Many of the women I know who like their hair curly say that their hair seems to grow faster when they keep it permed, but this is only because of the appearances involved and the fact that the hair can suddenly be straightened out to reveal a significant "increase" in length over the curled hair.
 
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See also:
 
Hair growth Q&A
 
Perms and perming hair
 
Curling iron and flat iron damage
 
How much does hair shrink when you get a perm?