One of the
online hair cour
ses we offer is a
perming class. I’ll admit that I go back and forth about whether perming is relevant in today’s world—I have no desire to relive the frizzed-out ’80s, I assure you—but I always come back to: of course it is. When you think about what most frustrates your clients, doesn’t it usually involve texture? If they say, “I hate my mousy brown hair,” you can just work your magic and, abracadabra, now they love their new blonde, red, richer brunette or just highlighted hair. They don’t even say that anymore, because they understand that drab color is easily correctable.
Isn’t the more common complaint something along the lines of:
My hair is too limp / has no body / doesn’t keep a curl / has no life, is too thin? Or:
My hair has too much volume / takes forever to dry / is too course? Or:
I hate my curly / stick-straight hair?
What they’re all moaning about is texture. Recently I was talking to a salon professional who heartily agrees that perms—and straightening services—still matter. Joe Santy is the owner of Attitudes Hair Studio in Langhorne, PA, and vice-president of education for the Dennis Bernard line which, incidentally, does not sell any perm product. Joe also regularly works behind the chair and considers himself something of a texture expert. We discussed stylists’ reluctance to do
texture services, and Joe gave me seven myths about perming, which I’ll pass along to you next time.
Photo credits: Hair by Trevor Sorbie; photography by Trevor Leighton; make-up by Makky; photostyling by Geriada Kefford.