long hair perms

Hi

I don't perm my hair anymore, so what I say is largely guessing.  Is it possible that since your hair is long, getting 3 perms over the same length (that would not have had time to grow out all the way yet) could be damaging your hair much more?  Perms cause some hair loss (such that about a week or 2 after one, I could always feel short hairs growing in on my scalp to replace ones I lost during the chemical process). 

Maybe your hair is not as thick because when its long it takes a long time to grow back in?  It took me 2 years to get my hair to grow from chin length to bra strap length, so depending on how long yours is, and how frequently you permed it, it could take a long time.

These are my only 2 guesses.  As for minerals in your water, using a dilute vinegar rinse as a last rinse after you wash and condition will get rid of those.  I use about 1 tablespoon vinegar in 1 cup water, and I use it each time I shower (the smell evaporates quickly as it dries).  I do not know what this would do to your perm though.  I think it probably wouldn't hurt it, but you may want to find out, or try it for a month on a small piece of hair (test strand) to make sure you don't get any bad effects (meaning your curl doesn't come out...it won't damage your hair).

Though I agree with you, if the minerals didn't effect it the first time, I don't see why they would now, unless the first salon was clarifying your hair with a shampoo or rinse before they permed it to get rid of them and didn't mention it.  I'm more inclined to guess that it has to be a change in your hair after being permed twice.
Susan W2008-02-25 08:16:23

Thanks for the feedback, I did notice that after getting a perm, some hair falls out as I wash it, but my hair is still very thick, just heavy on top even though it is somewhat layered. I have a lot of hair still, just not the body on top that I had with the first 2 perms.