What Different Types of Perms Can People Get?
Technically speaking, Depeyrot explained, there are three types of perm methods: alkaline, acid, and exothermic. The latter two are part of the "hot" perm treatment process, which means the solution is applied before heat, which then breaks the structural bonds in your hair that make it easier to mould into a curl. A "cold" perm uses alkaline (which contains ammonium thioglycolate — remember "Legally Blonde"?) to break the same bonds in your hair, and tends to cause slightly less damage than the former.
However, there is also what's known as a "vegan perm." Created by Janine Jarman, founder of Curl Cult, vegan perms are perms that don't use any animals or animal byproducts in their formulas or testing. "The Curl Cult perm is vegan, paraben free, and sulfate surfactant free," Jarman tells POPSUGAR. "We use amino acids to reshape the hair (unlike ammonium thioglycolate that was found in perms of the past), reason being it's much safer for the hair, client, and stylist, as well as produces healthy, natural-looking results. Additionally, it has pea proteins in the perm, a super-effective vegan protein that helps protect the hair and bonds during the process."
Regardless of which type of perm you get, when you get to the salon, you might learn that there are specific perms with different results depending on the size of the rod your stylist uses. The "body wave" perm, for example, is a looser curl technique that gives you that beachy, straight-from-the-sea effect. "Spiral" perms use longer perm rods to create tighter ringlets, like what you'd expect from Shirley Temple, whereas "pin-curl" perms involves using curlers and pins to make the hair appear wavy and bouncy. The key is to talk with your stylist about the look you're after so they can walk you through the process that's best for you.