How to Rid Yourself of a Bad Perm

Putting your perm to rest and repairing your beautiful hair

Co-authored by Courtney Foster

Last Updated: October 28, 2024 References

Whether you permed your own hair, went to a stylist, or had a friend do it for you, a perm gone bad can be a major headache. Though a bad perm can be frustrating, and in some cases, lead to scalp damage and hair damage,^{[1]
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Research source} there are several professional and natural solutions for a bad perm.

How to Get Rid of a Perm

Use professional treatments like a deep conditioner to decrease frizziness or a waving lotion to straighten your hair out. Many home remedies also help with bad perms, like applying a canola oil treatment or coconut oil mask. Alternatively, talk to your stylist about getting a different haircut or re-perming your hair.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Using Professional Treatments

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1
Use a good deep conditioner.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Courtney Foster
Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Interview. 9 December 2019.} A deep conditioner will hydrate your permed hair, decrease frizziness, and make the perm look a bit better.^{[3]
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2
Apply waving lotion to straighten out the perm. If you’re looking to try to restyle the perm by straightening it, it’s important to first deep condition your hair really well before applying any more heat to your hair. Do this the day before you plan to straighten your hair. You should also condition your hair every day to restore moisture and reclose the all important cuticle layer of your hair.^{[4]
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- Wet your hair and towel dry it. Then, apply the waving lotion (or perming solution) to the wet hair and comb through it using a wide tooth comb. Do this over a tub or sink.
- Have a friend assist you if your hair is too long or you may miss any spots. You want to be sure your hair is completely saturated with the waving lotion.
- Continue combing your hair with the waving lotion for 10 minutes. You should start to notice the curls have relaxed and the hair hangs straight. If this isn’t happening, continue combing your hair with waving lotion for another 5 minutes until the curls relax.
- Rinse the waving lotion from your hair using warm water for at least 3 minutes to ensure you get all the lotion out of your hair.
- Once rinsed, use a towel to gently blot water from your hair, but do not rub the hair with the towel as this will create more frizz.
- Apply the neutralizer to your hair and comb it through the exact same way you did with the waving lotion, for up to 5 minutes.
- Rinse the neutralizer from your hair with warm water for 5 minutes. Finish rinsing with cool water, as the cool water helps to close the cuticle layer. Apply deep conditioner to your hair to prevent tangles.
- Use a clean towel to gently blot away any excess water, avoid rubbing your hair to dry it. Allow your hair to finish drying naturally or use a blow dryer with a diffuser at the lowest heat setting. Use a vented brush to control the hair and keep it smooth.
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3
Ask your stylist to re perm your hair at a later date or give you a new haircut. Do not get your hair re permed until at least several weeks after the first perm, as you do not want to damage your hair any further.^{[5]
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- Your stylist may be able to come up with another, more practical solution: a new, shorter hair cut. A major hair cut could be the only want to really solve the bad perm, as it allows you to remove the damaged hair completely.^{[6]
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Part 2

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Using Natural Remedies

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1
Apply a canola oil treatment. Using this treatment should loosen the perm to make it more manageable to re style, but you may need to repeat the treatment for a few weeks to really see results if your perm is acting stubborn and will not relax after one treatment.^{[7]
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- Gather together your materials, including a bottle of canola oil, a roll of plastic wrap, a towel, a gentle shampoo, a deep conditioner, a blow dryer with a diffuser, and styling shears.
- Place your head over a garbage can, a sink or a tub, and apply enough canola oil to thoroughly soak your hair from root to tip.
- Wrap your head with the plastic wrap or with a plastic bag. Then, wrap the plastic with a towel so it will retain head and prevent any oil from dripping off your hair.
- Leave the oil in your hair for 1-2 hours. Then, rinse your hair completely in the shower. Use the gentle shampoo to loosen the oil from your hair.
- Make sure you also lather your hair with conditioner and let it sit for at least 2 minutes, then rinse and repeat until all the oil is gone.
- Follow this regime for at least a week.
2
Make a coconut oil mask.^{[8]
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Expert Source

Courtney Foster
Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Interview. 9 December 2019.} Coconut oil is one of the only oils that will penetrate the hair shaft, as opposed to just coat it. So it will effectively moisturize, condition, and repair damaged hair from the inside out.^{[9]
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- Melt 1 cup of organic virgin coconut oil. You can use a microwave (but be sure to put the coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl) or you are melt the oil on a stovetop by placing the oil in a jar and then in a pot filled halfway with water. Heat the pot on the stovetop until the oil melts in the jar.
- Add ½ teaspoon of essential oils that are good for dry, damaged hair, like Bay, Cedarwood, Chamomile, Clary Sage, Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Lavender, Lemon, Myrrh, Rose, Sage, Sandalwood, and Tea Tree.^{[10]
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  Expert Source
  
  Courtney Foster
  Licensed Cosmetologist
  
  Expert Interview. 9 December 2019.}
- Use your fingers to melt several tablespoons of the infused coconut oil and then apply it to your dry hair. Comb it through.
- Wrap your head in a towel or a shower cap. Leave the oil in for at least 1-2 hours.
- Wash the oil out with shampoo and conditioner.
3
Trim the ends of your permed hair or the fishtail. Many bad perms are the result of improper application of the perm rod. If you have extremely straight or coarse hair, your hair may not wind around the rod properly. This can then lead to fishtails at the ends of your hair. But you can fix the fishtail with a little persistence and a pair of styling shears.^{[11]
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- When trimming the end of the fishtail, only make the cut on the straight part of the hair. You do not want the cut to interfere with the curl pattern at all.
- Cut your fishtailed ends three days after the perm to prevent any further damage to your hair.
- Minor trimming can be done at home on your own or your stylist could also trim the fishtailed ends for you.

Expert Q&A

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Question

What's the fastest way to get rid of a perm?

Courtney Foster
Professional Hair Stylist
Courtney Foster is a Licensed Cosmetologist, Certified Hair Loss Practitioner, and Cosmetology Educator based out of New York City. Courtney runs Courtney Foster Beauty, LLC and her work has been featured on The Wendy Williams Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, and in East/West Magazine. She received her Cosmetology License from the State of New York after training at the Empire Beauty School - Manhattan.

Courtney Foster

Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

Perms don't handle moisture very well, so just try washing your hair with shampoo that contains sulfates.

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Question

What essential oils are good for dry hair?

Courtney Foster
Professional Hair Stylist
Courtney Foster is a Licensed Cosmetologist, Certified Hair Loss Practitioner, and Cosmetology Educator based out of New York City. Courtney runs Courtney Foster Beauty, LLC and her work has been featured on The Wendy Williams Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, and in East/West Magazine. She received her Cosmetology License from the State of New York after training at the Empire Beauty School - Manhattan.

Courtney Foster

Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

Try lavender, lemon, tea tree, chamomile, cedarwood, bay, clary sage, frankincense, myrrh, eucalyptus, rose, sage, or sandalwood. Try mixing 1/2 tsp of essential oil into coconut oil to make a hair mask.

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Question

Can I re-perm a frizzy perm?

Community Answer

No, a frizzy perm is damaged hair and re-perming it would only make it worse. It's best to grow the bad perm out and use smoothing treatments and deep conditioners in the meantime.

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Warnings

Avoid using chemical relaxers to fix your perm. During the first week after a perm, your hair will be in shock, and anything else you put on it will likely only damage it further.

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