Straightened Curly Perm

Straightened hair in a ponytail — Photo: Shipfactory/Shutterstock

Q: I had a curly perm from a salon but straightened it with an Ogilvie Home Perm. It's not all straight. I need to know: can I use a Soft and Beautiful Just for Me Relaxer?

A: I would advise against it. Generally speaking, the chemical processes in "perms" and "relaxers" are not cross-compatible. In specific use, you should never use a "perm" on hair that has been treated with a hydroxide relaxer.

While the perm formula breaks chemical side bonds and reforms them in the new, preferred configuration to create curlier or straighter styling, relaxers are designed to break the chemical side bonds permanently to remove any curl or kink from the hair.

I cannot in good conscience give you the go-ahead to use a relaxer on your hair after using a home perming kit. There is too much that could go wrong in the best of circumstances. However, your hair has been permed in the salon, retreated with a home perming solution, and is assuredly much more porous than you may think.

Because of this the timing and processing of the relaxer could easily be misjudged (to tragic effects). If you are still unhappy with the amount of curl remaining in the hair, I recommend you return to your salon and ask for their assistance in getting rid of the remaining curl.

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See also:

Hair horrors

Perms and perming hair

Hair straightening and thermal reconditioning

Hydroxide relaxer and hair straightening kit