According to Darby Shields, associate artistic director for ISO, there are two four-letter words in hairdressing: bang and perm. When it comes to perms “We now say ‘body’ or ‘movement’ or ‘texture,’” explains Shields. Whatever you choose to call them—texturizers, waves or perms—the technology has come a long way.

Accommodating the Curl Craze

Demand is on the rise as texture has become increasingly fashionable. The whole process of creating curl has changed dramatically from the days of strong chemicals, perm rods and end papers. In 1938, Arnold F. Willatt invented the cold wave. It used no machines and no heat. Hair was wrapped on rods and a reduction lotion containing ammonium thioglycolate was applied, breaking open the disulfide linkages between the polypeptide bonds in the keratin (the protein structure) in the hair. The disulfide bonds give hair its elasticity, and can be reformed with chemicals. Next, an oxidation lotion was applied, (hydrogen peroxide), to close the disulfide bridges again and the hair was reformed to the shape of the rod. The entire process took six to eight hours at room temperature.

A Kinder, Gentler Perm
The new generation of perms are much gentler, with lower pH and low ammonia. ISO’s Option Wave, for example, is completely free of thio, the activator found in many traditional perms, and also has a damagefree, low-ammonia formulation. The application also has changed dramatically from perm rods and end papers. Today’s tools are flexible and soft or no tools at all. “You can make pin curls and process that, if you want,” Shields says. “You can do just about anything you want.” “There is so much variety now, and that carries over to the textural spectrum,” says Steve Goddard, president and founder of Pravana Naturceuticals, the company that created the Beach Wave. “It’s not just about different cuts today. It’s about different textures.