The Digital Perm: Revisited

Every so often, I get bored with my hair and become antsy for change. After several years of trying to get my hair light enough to add gray color, I gave up and went back to black. Then I got bored again and chopped it all off. Lately, my hair has been in the weird in-between phase. Ready to shake things up again, I went through old pictures for inspiration. It’s been several years since my last digital perm. The process is kind of arduous, and it does take a toll on the condition of your hair- requiring a small investment in good hair products. I’ve always been happy with the results, though, so I made an appointment at a local Korean salon, DASS Hair.

Voilà! Beachy waves that will last from 6 months to a year, and lots of time back in my mornings otherwise spent blowdrying and curling my hair with a wand.

The Digital Perm Process

The first step in the process is applying a protector, conditioner and solution. It softens the hear and breaks down the bonds so it can be re-shaped. After the solution is rinsed off, the hair is wound around the curling rods. The stylist places heat protection pads to keep the rollers from touching/burning your skin. Connectors from the digital perm machine are then attached to the rods and the appropriate temperature and time is set. This is the most fascinating part of the entire process. I felt like I was The Predator! After the time has passed, the curling rods are unplugged from the connector and a second solution is applied.

They will then rinse out the solution, shampoo, and add a treatment serum to condition the hair. My stylists have always been diligent about showing me the proper way to blow-dry hair to get the optimal curl– twisting the hair and then scrunching into a ball. It takes a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, it really makes styling your hair in the morning a breeze. I also like being able to just spritz some dry shampoo or sea salt spray in my hair to refresh the curls and go longer in between washes.

The Next Day