Following on from a previous post on bed head hair, I have been researching the ultimate bed head wash and go technique, resulting in a permanent bed head effect: tousled waves, carefree, messy and easy to maintain hair. The answer: the Digital Perm: a South Korean technique resulting in a permanent bed head look with or without a blow dry after washing, no use of products and enhanced shine and softness.
So here's how it happened: after months of washing and tieing up my hair only to produce inconsistent waves and sometimes frizz, I researched a more permanent technique. I initially found the organic perm: a perm without much harm, but the strand test did not produce any results at all!
The Digital Perm on the other hand, if done by an expert who applies the right amount of solution and the correct heat temperature and timing can produce a permanent wave, simply achieved with a wash and go and without the use of styling products. Given the potential cost savings on my 2011 hair maintenance line, I explored the technique further and found London's expert on the subject. Hans of Four Mirrors in Earlsfield, South West London is the guru on the technique and explained that he had done about 1000 digital perms on all hair types over the last 4 years. Reassured that perms had actually moved on from the hideous frizz bombs of the 1980's, he then explained the difference between the Digital Perm and the Cold Perm. Essentially, both require perming and neutralising solutions (although these are much less harmful nowadays), however the Digital is done on thinner, rod like curlers and set in place by heat and more noticeable once hair is dry. Here are the steps to achieving the Digital Perm:
Step 1: the much less harmful perming solution is applied and cling film put on to seal this
Step 2: having washed the solution off, hair is then wrapped around thin rollers and plugged into a machine which controls the heat applied (you only have to look this weird for 15 minutes!)
Step 3: hair is unplugged from weird machine and neutralised, washed with conditioner and hand dried or diffused to produce the dry result
And finally thank you to Hans for the fabulous hair and very generous additional hair conditioning treatments!
For a free consultation and to benefit from Hans' latest technique of the Digital Perm with smoothed out roots (to prevent re-growth frizz) visit: fourmirrors.co.uk
