Does straightening perm exist in America?

10 comments

1. I feel like I’ve heard about it before due the increase of popularity of East Asian beauty treatments/products, but I don’t know anyone who has had it done nor have I seen any salons in the rural Midwest offer it as a service. Perms to get curly hair have come in and out of style (from the extreme perms of the 1980s to the more wavey perms of the 2010s).

   I bet you could find a salon in most good sized cities that do straightening perms.

   Edit

   From my Googling, I have come to the conclusion the a straightening perm is not the same thing as the often used relaxer. It also not reccomend for black/afro hair

2. You’re more likely to hear it called “relaxer”.

3. I’m half black and have really tight curly hair, we call it a chemical relaxer to make it straight. Typically it’s only called a perm if you’re making it curly.

4. If I understand you correctly…

   My (white) wife has naturally wavy hair and has had straightening done, and African-American women with naturally very curly hair sometimes have it done. “Perm” is short for “permanent wave”, originally done for straight-haired women who wanted curls.

   Koreans and Japanese, like other East Asians, almost all have straight hair anyway; why would they need it straightened?

5. Yes. I have caucasian hair and a straightening perm was suggested to me years ago. My natural hair has a lot of body/wave/curl to it. I have always wanted a poker straight bob but my hair won’t lay that way. A few stylists recommended a straightening perm to me. They said they would use regular perm solution and my hair would be kept straight instead of using curlers. I never did it because I doubted it would last very long without damaging my hair. I have learned to embrace my wild hair even if I would still love a 1920s bob.

   WOC used to get their hair straightened but their hair has a different texture and moisture issues so they used different products. I am not sure about how they do it.

   I know it can be called a relaxer too. As in relaxing the curls.

6. We don’t call it that. We call it a chemical relaxer or a permanent relaxer.

7. Uh yes? That’s a massive black thing lol

8. Yes. You can get it at Korean salons (they used to call it magic perm).

9. Some people use straitening irons or literal clothing irons to straitened hair. Never heard of perm treatment for straitening only for curling but I haven’t been necessarily looking for it so it could be a popular thing and just the one person who hasn’t heard of it yet.

10. A lot of the responses here are from people who don’t realize that Korean/Japanese straightening perms – which makes your hair look as smooth as a silk press even if you wash it and let it air dry with no other styling – is NOT the same as getting your hair relaxed. My experience in Japan and Los Angeles was always a multi-step process that includes flat ironing the hair.

    The amazing thing about it is that your hair still looks smooth in humid weather. I don’t know how it would work for African-American hair, though I’m guessing that there are YouTubers who have tried it and documented their experiences. In areas with enough demand, there are Korean and Japanese salons that offer it, but it is very expensive in the United States.