# Considering a Digital Perm...Opinions?



## lesparkley

i've had stick straight, asian hair for pretty much all my life.  for the past 4 years i've been working the layered hair, side-swept bangs look:






(that's me)


it's a nice look that works but i kind of want to experiment with my hair while i'm still young.  that being said, i'm considering a digital perm which comes out looking something like these ladies:











i know it requires more maintenance to make curly/wavy hair pretty but i think it will be a nice change.  the perm isn't supposed to be as damaging since the machine used to do it regulates the temperature very rapidly and it's supposed to be pretty easy to revert back to straight for a day with a hair iron.

thoughts?


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## frostedcouture

I've seen a lot of girls do this, especially in Korea. I love how pretty the waves are, but for me..it would be easier to just use a curling iron to create the waves. I don't like it for everyday. That's just on ME though. If you love the look, you should try it!  It's sounds convenient. Roll out of bed and apply some leave in conditioner or some kind of product and it looks perfect already! man I would love that..I hate styling my hair but I have to or else I look really weird.


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## MJDaisy

i would get it! i have gotten a perm before because i wanted waves like that, and although mine didn't come out as pretty as that, i had a normal perm. also my hair is not asian hair (idk if that makes any difference). but i am glad i got a perm. if i blow dry my hair, it's straight. but if i throw some curl gel in it, it is wavy. i love it. i got it permed a year and a half ago and the perm still is there (was only supposed to last for 4-6 months).


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## scarlet*rose

Dumb question but what is a digital perm? I have never heard of this.


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## lesparkley

scarlet*rose said:


> Dumb question but what is a digital perm? I have never heard of this.



a digital perm is a new perm technology.  they use a perm solution that's much less harsh than the standard perm and curl your hair on ceramic rollers that are attached to a machine that strictly regulates the temperature of the rollers so that it causes much less damage to your hair.  the result is a healthy perm that's looser and creates more of a "wavy" look (like the pictures i posted above) rather than a tight spiral perm.  it's very popular in asia and probably hasn't been made available in a lot of american salons as of yet.  =]


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## scarlet*rose

*lesparkley ~ *Thank you! That's really interesting and great that it's less harsh for the hair. I wouldn't mind trying it when it starts becoming available here. Anyway, i had long layered hair like yours (but not as pretty) and recently cut it short, so it'll be awhile until it grows out again!
I think you should do it; it'll be very pretty and your hair is perfect for it! Like you said, it's something different to experiment with and you can easily make it straight. Also i think it should be easier to manage? Just put a little product in and air dry.


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## Pursegrrl

Perms have come a long way!!  Lesparkley, you are absolutely stunning and your hair is incredible, but if you want a change this looks perfect!  That's cool you can do it straight while you still have the perm if you want.  How long do they last?  Can you highlight your hair as well (if you wanted to) or can you not with these perms?


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## lesparkley

scarlet*rose said:


> *lesparkley ~ *Thank you! That's really interesting and great that it's less harsh for the hair. I wouldn't mind trying it when it starts becoming available here. Anyway, i had long layered hair like yours (but not as pretty) and recently cut it short, so it'll be awhile until it grows out again!
> I think you should do it; it'll be very pretty and your hair is perfect for it! Like you said, it's something different to experiment with and you can easily make it straight. Also i think it should be easier to manage? Just put a little product in and air dry.



i think i'm going to do it.  they do have the perm IN the states just in asian salons (or at least i've yet to see any of the salons in beverly hills with the equipment needed to do the perm).  you should definitely see if there are any asian salons in your area that do it.  and yea, it's supposed to be pretty easy to manage.  you can let it air dry but from what i've heard the best thing to do is run a small gollop of glossing cream and blow dry with a diffuser.  that should really only take about 30 minutes at most though.  =]



Pursegrrl said:


> Perms have come a long way!!  Lesparkley, you are absolutely stunning and your hair is incredible, but if you want a change this looks perfect!  That's cool you can do it straight while you still have the perm if you want.  How long do they last?  Can you highlight your hair as well (if you wanted to) or can you not with these perms?



thank you for the compliments.  

you can definitely highlight with this perm!  i don't know if it's a good idea to do it on the same day as the perm since that might be a little too much frying in one day but almost everyone i know who has gotten this perm has highlights.  i've heard that the perms last about 6 months but i assume that it probably varies based on how quickly your hair grows out.  what's great though is that it look a bit better as it's growing out (like the girl in the second picture) so there's no funky middle ground.


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## Pursegrrl

^^ sounds great all around...go for it!


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## frostedcouture

lesparkley, you are gorgeous!


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## CleoCouture

I think you should go for it!  I'd never heard of a digital perm before now.  The result is gorgeous!  I'm pretty anti-Perm for my own hair, but this is something I would really like (if I ever grow my hair back out).   You should definitely try it and let us know how it turned out for you!  Good Luck!


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## MsTina

I say go for it since it doesn't seen that damaging. I want my hair to look like that all the time but right now I'm still growing it out, its right at my bra strap now.


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## ilovehoneybleu

Oh my God...that looks amazing!!!  I get my hair straightened, but I'm kinda tired of the look.  I wonder if they can do the perm on hair that has been straightened without the hair being destroyed completely...
Lesparkly...do you recommend someone in LA I can go to for a consult?


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## fufu

I think you will look good in digital perm  Give it a try.


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## lesparkley

ilovehoneybleu said:


> Oh my God...that looks amazing!!!  I get my hair straightened, but I'm kinda tired of the look.  I wonder if they can do the perm on hair that has been straightened without the hair being destroyed completely...
> Lesparkly...do you recommend someone in LA I can go to for a consult?



definitely!  the salon i go to is hills beauty on western off near melrose.  it's a korean salon but there are a lot of stylists and many of them speak some english.  just make sure you DO NOT GO ON A WEEKEND as they are SUPER busy and will most likely be doing hair/makeup/nails for 4 different bridal parties.  i think they will probably recommend you let your straightened hair grow out before you try the digital perm as this is exactly what they told me.  =]

if you decide to do it, jenny yoon is my stylist and also happens to be the owner of the salon.  i highly recommend that she oversees your perm; her english isn't very good but she really knows what she's doing and i don't think there will be much to explain (besides, i think the stylist she's training speaks fluent english and should be able to walk you through anything that needs clarifying).  if you can't get her, ask for rachael as she's also very good (and always has the funkiest outfits!)

hope that helps!


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## guccilove

im considering this too, for like the past 4 months! told my friend ill do it by May, and it's already June!! i want to do it but am so scared since ive never permed my hair before in my whole life!  but ill go for it for sure, i just have to push myself tofinally make the appt.......
let us know what you decide and if you decide to go for it, show us some pics! =)


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## lesparkley

i'm DEFINITELY doing it...i've just got to let my hair to grow a bit longer.  it's currently right where the bottom of my bra hits me on my back but i want it to get just a bit longer.  much better to have too much hair prior to perming and having them trim it down than to have too little and have it coming out weird.  hopefully my patience pays off...

thanks for all the input, ladies.  i'll definitely post some pics the day i get the perm done!!  =]


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## MsTina

I'm so excited for you! Maybe your pictures will inspire me to get it done!


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## REYNALD0C

My cousin had this done, her hair turned out great, its growing out and it still looks good.  She had most of the waves trimmed off ever since, but its cute now because its straight, and the ends kinda just curl out, im sure if you dont like it after it grows out you can just cut off the waves all together once it grows out!  Itll look cute on you, I think you should do it!!


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## frostedcouture

Ooh I am looking forward to seeing your pics.  Maybe if I go to Korea in the next few years I will get it done.


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## MAGs

You're a beauty, Lesparkley! 

I've been thinking of getting a digital perm but I can't find a Korean hair salon in my area. Goodluck on getting yours done, though. I'm sure it'll come out great


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## lv_forever

I've done it and love it!  It's been 4 months and I still have waves.  I wanted to grow my hair out and this was a perfect solution.  Honestly, it is sooooo low maintenance and definitely beats using a curling iron every day.  And another plus is when I want to straighten it, it straightens with perfect volume.  
Since it's quite warm outside these days, I just put a little curling gel in my hair and let it dry naturally.  And people always comment how nice my hair looks everyday!

Seriously, you will be so happy with it!


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## ilovehoneybleu

lesparkley said:


> definitely! the salon i go to is hills beauty on western off near melrose. it's a korean salon but there are a lot of stylists and many of them speak some english. just make sure you DO NOT GO ON A WEEKEND as they are SUPER busy and will most likely be doing hair/makeup/nails for 4 different bridal parties. i think they will probably recommend you let your straightened hair grow out before you try the digital perm as this is exactly what they told me. =]
> 
> if you decide to do it, jenny yoon is my stylist and also happens to be the owner of the salon. i highly recommend that she oversees your perm; her english isn't very good but she really knows what she's doing and i don't think there will be much to explain (besides, i think the stylist she's training speaks fluent english and should be able to walk you through anything that needs clarifying). if you can't get her, ask for rachael as she's also very good (and always has the funkiest outfits!)
> 
> hope that helps!


 
You are the best...I may have to wait...but really appreciate the rec.  I can't wait to see your pics once you get it done!!


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## lesparkley

ilovehoneybleu said:


> You are the best...I may have to wait...but really appreciate the rec.  I can't wait to see your pics once you get it done!!



feel free to use me as a guinea pig (i.e. wait until i post pics up after i do it to assess whether or not you want to go to the same place).  =]


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## BagsRmyLife

I've wanted to do this for so LONG! I don't have  Asian hair but I have thick straight Indian hair so it's pretty close. There's tons of salons around my area but I don't know where to do. I'm scared if I walk to the wrong one then I'll be screwed. If anyone can recommend somewhere in, Flushing, Queens, NYC, I'd love to hear it! 

Post pics lesparkley!!


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## maddog

This is the same as a ceramic or ionic perm right?  

I've done those two and they're the best things ever. My hair doesn't take on regular perm well - I had a regular perm last Dec that straightened after less than 7 days with proper maintenance, huge waste of $200.  I had an ionic perm right after and I still have waves even though my layers are growing out! It doesn't smell as bad as a regular perm either.

I did the ceramic perm maybe 5 years ago, and had the same low maintenance long lasting curls that turn to waves later on. It's supposed to be an older version of the ionic perm.


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## ClC

I don't really like the results of digital perms. It always looks a little fried for some reason. I know it's supposed to be better and less damaging, but the way it ends up and the style always looks so frizzy


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## Vinyl

OMG, I've been looking to do something like this forever!  It sounds really great, please do update us if/when you go through w/it (include pictures)!


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## frostedcouture

ClC said:


> I don't really like the results of digital perms. It always looks a little fried for some reason. I know it's supposed to be better and less damaging, but the way it ends up and the style always looks so frizzy



That's odd, because whenever I see people with digital perms (it's HUGE in Korea) the hair looks so pretty and smooth. I have not seen someone with frizzy looking digital perms. I know people with normal perms might have frizzy hair, but not digital..


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## fashion1sta

^ I think it really depends on the texture of your hair. Also, it varies by the type of hair cut you have. My friend and I both went to the same salon to get our perms done but the results were completely different. If you have a lot of layers going from the side all the way around, i would really recommend that you let your hair grow out  because once the perm sets in.... it can look really messy (that's what happened to my friend- the middle part would poof up more than the bottom).


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## lesparkley

fashion1sta said:


> ^ I think it really depends on the texture of your hair. Also, it varies by the type of hair cut you have. My friend and I both went to the same salon to get our perms done but the results were completely different. If you have a lot of layers going from the side all the way around, i would really recommend that you let your hair grow out  because once the perm sets in.... it can look really messy (that's what happened to my friend- the middle part would poof up more than the bottom).



was it a digital perm?  because my stylist said that it was good i already had layers because that's usually how they do the perm.  once it's done, if it's frizzy they thin it out some but i doubt this will be the case since my hair isn't super thick.


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## fashion1sta

^Yes it was digital. The results weren't so great for my friend because her hair had a lot of layers + she had bangs, oh and also, she had magic straight done. Her stylist warned her ahead that since she had straightened her hair before~ it can damage it because of the use of too many chemicals + heat.

You don't seem to have too much layering done~ so it should be fine, and plus, you're growing it out right?

This same friend just got another perm done last month and looked so much better! I think she learned her lesson (longer hair, no bangs and kept it natural for the longest time).... but she got another perm called "Z ion perm". She goes to HAIR DAY on Western/San Marino st. (If you're korean.. i'm sure you know where i'm talking about) But yeah... this perm is supposedly better only because it takes less time.


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## lesparkley

fashion1sta said:


> ^Yes it was digital. The results weren't so great for my friend because her hair had a lot of layers + she had bangs, oh and also, she had magic straight done. Her stylist warned her ahead that since she had straightened her hair before~ it can damage it because of the use of too many chemicals + heat.
> 
> You don't seem to have too much layering done~ so it should be fine, and plus, you're growing it out right?
> 
> This same friend just got another perm done last month and looked so much better! I think she learned her lesson (longer hair, no bangs and kept it natural for the longest time).... but she got another perm called "Z ion perm". She goes to HAIR DAY on Western/San Marino st. (If you're korean.. i'm sure you know where i'm talking about) But yeah... this perm is supposedly better only because it takes less time.



cool then i should be fine.  i'm definitely growing out my straightened hair and my hair and yea, my hair isn't extremely layered.  =]


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## chynaxdawl

i've really been thinking about getting a digital perm...i really like how loose the waves look and the concept of just waking up and with my hair pretty much looking done sounds really appealing. i'm still waiting for my hair to grow out...but it's taking FOREVER! =( i usually keep my hair short/medium...maybe it's incapable of growing longer now


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## Geminiz06

great post...I say go for it.. And please post pics


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## lesparkley

maddog said:


> This is the same as a ceramic or ionic perm right?
> 
> I've done those two and they're the best things ever. My hair doesn't take on regular perm well - I had a regular perm last Dec that straightened after less than 7 days with proper maintenance, huge waste of $200.  I had an ionic perm right after and I still have waves even though my layers are growing out! It doesn't smell as bad as a regular perm either.
> 
> I did the ceramic perm maybe 5 years ago, and had the same low maintenance long lasting curls that turn to waves later on. It's supposed to be an older version of the ionic perm.



i always thought an ionic perm was the same as thermal reconditioning i.e. magic straight perm (a hair straightening perm).  the ceramic perm, i believe, is close to if not the same as the digital perm.  i heard there might be a slight difference in that the digital perm is "newer" but based on results, i think they're pretty much the same.  it's hard to tell because all the perm "names" get lost in translation!  either way, i'm glad to hear taht results came out well for you. =]


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## scarlett_2005

I think it looks kinda neat. I say go for it.

You are very pretty btw!


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## lesparkley

i'm digitally perming in an hour!  i'll be posting pictures sometime tonight.  wish me luck!!!


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## lesparkley

alrighty so i went in for my digital perm today.  i think i ended up getting a ceramic perm (the rollers weren't connected to a machine), but i love the results all the same!

so this is how i looked coming into the salon:







(last picture with straight hair!)

first they had to put perm solution in my hair and heat it up:






afterwards they rolled my hair in ceramic rollers and let them set for a bit.  then they doused the rollers in perm solution and let that sit:






after taking out the rollers and rinsing my hairs, they lightly blowdried for a couple minutes and tousled.  the end result:
















gorgeous, wavy curls!  the first picture was taken right after i was done so my hair's still a little damp but the other two pictures were taken once my hair had dried out.  i love this look and i'm really glad i made the change!  as much as i loved my straight hair, i think this is a really cute, fun, look for the summer and it's nice to see something different on my head for once!  =]

the curls are a little tight but they're that's how they're supposed to be immediately after gettin the perm.  once i wash my hair, they should loosen up a bit.  either way, i'm really loving the look!


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## gingerB

i love it!  i have had the same stick straight asian hair in layers cut a few inches below my shoulders just like you for years and when i want that way look, it takes at least 30 minutes and it falls out so quickly.  i wish there was a good place in houston somone could recommend.  i've had nightmare perms in the past, and i know technology has changed, but i'm still nervous!

your hair looks abs gorgey!  oh and i love how you got the curls only halfway up so the top still looks smooth.


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## Sake66

Hi,
Love your perm.  It came out wonderful.  
I just got a perm a month ago but I wished that I went with the medium curls instead of the large ones.  Which ones did you get?  I wish mine had tighter curls like yours...
By the way, what hair products did your stylist use to make the curls stay?

Thanks


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## frostedcouture

I love the result! Looks even more natural and wavy than I expected, but that's still great. I like this look and I'm sure it will be much easier for you in the morning without having to style much.  Congratulations


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## lesparkley

Sake66 said:


> Hi,
> Love your perm.  It came out wonderful.
> I just got a perm a month ago but I wished that I went with the medium curls instead of the large ones.  Which ones did you get?  I wish mine had tighter curls like yours...
> By the way, what hair products did your stylist use to make the curls stay?
> 
> Thanks



i'm not sure which size i got.  probably medium based on how it looks but i can't say for sure.  the curls are tighter now but they'll probably loosen up a bit once i wash them out.  i actually wanted it slightly looser so this works for me.

as far as products go, my stylist just told me to put a glossing serum in my hair and to let it air dry while twisting the curls in clusters with my fingers.  she actually told me to minimize blowdrying if possible.  i've been using fekkai's glossing cream and biosilk's leave in so i assume that should work fine but i won't know for sure until i'm allowed to wash my hair again.  i'll let you know if this works out for me.  =]


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## lostnexposed

BagsRmyLife said:


> I've wanted to do this for so LONG! I don't have  Asian hair but I have thick straight Indian hair so it's pretty close. There's tons of salons around my area but I don't know where to do. I'm scared if I walk to the wrong one then I'll be screwed. If anyone can recommend somewhere in, Flushing, Queens, NYC, I'd love to hear it!
> 
> Post pics lesparkley!!



Hisako over in Chelsea does digital perms, it's a little pricey but my friend's hair turned out so pretty.
and I think I've seen a salon in the Koreatown area promoting it, but I dunno anyone who's tried it over there yet.

@lesparkley: yr hair is so pretty! can u show us another pic after u've washed it so that we can see what it looks like?

I've been wanting a digital perm for like a year now but still haven't been able to just go and do it.


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## ilovehoneybleu

Your hair looks AMAZING!!!  Wooooooowwwww!!!

I love how, in the 1st pic, you are holding a laptop in the salon   Were you on tpf??    I would be - I just can't get enough!


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## lesparkley

lostnexposed said:


> @lesparkley: yr hair is so pretty! can u show us another pic after u've washed it so that we can see what it looks like?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thanks for the compliments guys.  i love it too!  =]
> 
> i'm not much of a stylist but i'll be sure to post some pictures up in the near future once i've washed it.
Click to expand...


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## maddog

Great pics! You look so pretty lesparkley!

Oh the other thing I liked about this perm vs. regular perm, is that they can put your hair to a (de)ionic (?!) equipment of some sort after which takes away any of the icky chemical smells.  With my regular perm, the smell lasted longer than the actual perm.


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## suretobuy

OMG, you look so pretty! I am definitely going to look into this. My hair is only a couple of inches past my shoulders, and highlighted, do you think it will work? I don't know any asian salons in the bay area (specifically the stanford area) does anyone have a salon to recommend? Lesparkly, are you a SC trojan?? I went there for my undergrad degree


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## frostedcouture

suretobuy, do you go to Stanford??? That's my dream school!!


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## lesparkley

suretobuy said:


> OMG, you look so pretty! I am definitely going to look into this. My hair is only a couple of inches past my shoulders, and highlighted, do you think it will work? I don't know any asian salons in the bay area (specifically the stanford area) does anyone have a salon to recommend? Lesparkly, are you a SC trojan?? I went there for my undergrad degree



i'm a trojan, indeed.  proud member of the viterbi school of engineering.  i'm actually finishing up my last year this august.  so sad to go!!  =[

my hair was highlighted and none of those hairs are breaking at the root or anything so unless your hair is extremely damaged, you should be fine.  as far as length goes, it really depends on the style you're trying to achieve.  it definitely can be done with short hair.  my hair at the longest part was right above the bra closure on my back and the length which is fairly long.  if you're unsure, it's always best to just let it grow out.  better to have too much hair and have them be able to trim it down than have too little hair and not get the look you want.


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## suretobuy

frostedcouture said:


> suretobuy, do you go to Stanford??? That's my dream school!!


 
Nah, my husband went to law school at stanford but I was sadly rejected........so I'm going to a competing school in the bay area. We have fun cheering against each other at football games 

lesparkly, you're at viterbi? You must be very smart, there are some tough classes there! I bet you have job offers already, good luck fellow trojan!


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## frostedcouture

That's awesome!


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## lesparkley

suretobuy said:


> Nah, my husband went to law school at stanford but I was sadly rejected........so I'm going to a competing school in the bay area. We have fun cheering against each other at football games
> 
> lesparkly, you're at viterbi? You must be very smart, there are some tough classes there! I bet you have job offers already, good luck fellow trojan!



you wouldn't happen to go to cal, would you?  if so, i hope your loyalties still lie with your undergrad university.  =P  viterbi is definitely hellish when the school year picks up with my full 18 units a semester.  but hey, i'm getting one of the best undergraduate educations in engineering that i could possibly achieve with the best employment resources i've ever seen in any university.  all this and i get to stay in my favorite part of the country (southern california born and bred here)!  all i've got to say is FIGHT ON, TROJANS!!

anyway, back to the topic, new pictures will more than likely be up tomorrow morning after i've showered so i can show you guys if and/or how much the curls loosened up.  =]


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## hanee

your perm looks fantastic!  makes me wish i had my long hair.   i was considering getting one while i'm in korea, but decided to chop off my hair instead as it's summer and insanely hot and humid.


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## frostedcouture

going off topic for a second, hope you don't mind lesparkley-

My dream school is Stanford and Wharton for business school, but I have to pick other schools as well.  Socaltrojan and I were talking about this. I think I am definitely going to apply to USC as well because I like the location a lot more than the Stanford area. It's more southern yay!  There is also a great business program there.  & if I decide to go into medical (which would make both the parents ECSTATIC because they say I should continue and be the 3rd generation of doctors in our fam) the med program is pretty good as well.


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## lesparkley

frostedcouture said:


> going off topic for a second, hope you don't mind lesparkley-
> 
> My dream school is Stanford and Wharton for business school, but I have to pick other schools as well.  Socaltrojan and I were talking about this. I think I am definitely going to apply to USC as well because I like the location a lot more than the Stanford area. It's more southern yay!  There is also a great business program there.  & if I decide to go into medical (which would make both the parents ECSTATIC because they say I should continue and be the 3rd generation of doctors in our fam) the med program is pretty good as well.



honestly, schools like stanford are amazing but you wouldn't miss out on much at usc.  stanford, harvard, all other ivy leagues or schools of those calibur are extremely competitive.  i know MANY people with 4.6 GPAs, amazing SAT scores, varisty sports, laboratory research, the whole "package" that get rejected because the competition is just that insane.  they can't accept them all, right?

bear in mind that despite the fact that usc isn't ranked as high as stanford (still pretty high at #27 in the nation), it has one of the BEST alumni networks you could possibly ask for.  i can't stress enough how important having a solid network is to finding a job!  even in engineering, knowing the right people and having the right personality is crucial to landing a job.  this is one of the main reasons why i turned down universities that are "ranked" higher; getting the job is, to me, more important than having bragging rights.  also, by the time you're applying, usc will be pretty competitive (i believe the average SAT score for this year's applicants was a 2100 and the average GPA was a 4.0).

it's funny though, you remind me of me; when i was your age, stanford and upenn were my dream schools.  when my senior year came, i ended up applying to neither of them because i really came to realize how important my happiness was when it came to me succeeding (in contrast to say my parents' happiness).  not saying you shouldn't aim for them, but just remember to keep your options open because there are so many opportunities at schools that aren't always your first choice.  by the way, i actually have several close friends from upenn and i can honestly say they did not come out any smarter than i did.  =]

by the way, if you end up doing an sc college visit early (like say, next year), pm me and i'll be sure to show you around! =]

sorry that was long!


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## lesparkley

also, one of my friends that was a model student like those listed above (4.6 GPA, active in student body, etc.) used usc as his safety and was REJECTED this past year (in addition to getting rejected by all his first choice schools).  make sure to apply over a wiiiide gradient of schools.

oh, and when applying to private universities, it helps to go to a really competitive high school.  i went to a super competitive private all girls school in high school and i think that helped me a lot since my school has a reputation for making sure that you're well prepared for college.

not trying to scare/overwhlem you.  just making sure you're well-informed since i'd hate to see you in the same situation that my friend that just graduated hs was in.  =]


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## frostedcouture

Aw thanks for all the advice and stuff lesparkley    I definitely understand what you're saying about the bragging rights. I admit, that's part of the reason why those schools are my dream schools, because I know if I say I'm going to Stanford or Wharton people will admire me a lot.   My dad actually got accepted to Stanford but he turned it down because it was too competitive at the time and he did not like the atmosphere.  I guess it's worse now. An average 4.0 gpa?? Holy crap I don't know if I can do that.  I am sweating bullets thinking about high school and trying to be perfect, etc. I know you don't have to be perfect to be accepted to a good school anyway, but it's not like it doesn't help you know?  

I'll be looking at more options and being more open to other schools. I need to give them all a chance   I know a lot of people who are at Wharton, harvard, etc. and sometimes I think we all just get caught up in the flashy name of the school.  I'll be doing lots of college research.  I will definitely be going to USC to visit at least in my soph. or junior year. I have a cousin at UCSD so we'll be going there as well, so I'll be in the area scouting schools anyway. Will PM you! Thanks 

Wow that's scary, hearing about your friend. what school did he get into then???  How do you even get a 4.6?  I'm going to a pretty good art school and they aren't just known for the arts, but the academics.  Lots of graduates are going to some really nice schools. I know of people who just graduated last month from our school that are going to Stanford (typical eh?), Cornell, Columbia, Pepperdine, MIT, cal tech, UW, UCSD, berkeley..there's a lot of variety actually.


----------



## frostedcouture

REALLY sorry for stealing the thread.  oops. we can take it to pm lol..

I was reading on Collegeboard.com and noticed Stanford acceptance rate is 10% and USC is 25%!! wow


----------



## lesparkley

frostedcouture said:


> Aw thanks for all the advice and stuff lesparkley    I definitely understand what you're saying about the bragging rights. I admit, that's part of the reason why those schools are my dream schools, because I know if I say I'm going to Stanford or Wharton people will admire me a lot.   My dad actually got accepted to Stanford but he turned it down because it was too competitive at the time and he did not like the atmosphere.  I guess it's worse now. An average 4.0 gpa?? Holy crap I don't know if I can do that.  I am sweating bullets thinking about high school and trying to be perfect, etc. I know you don't have to be perfect to be accepted to a good school anyway, but it's not like it doesn't help you know?
> 
> I'll be looking at more options and being more open to other schools. I need to give them all a chance   I know a lot of people who are at Wharton, harvard, etc. and sometimes I think we all just get caught up in the flashy name of the school.  I'll be doing lots of college research.  I will definitely be going to USC to visit at least in my soph. or junior year. I have a cousin at UCSD so we'll be going there as well, so I'll be in the area scouting schools anyway. Will PM you! Thanks



anytime m'dear.

just for your reference, i had a 3.72 gpa out of high school (unweighted) and a 1450 on my sat back when it was out of 1600 (that would equate to 2175 by today's standards).  i certainly didn't have the highest gpa by any means but, again, my school's reputation for being one of the toughest helped me a LOT when applying to private schools as did a solid sat score.  i know it gets that much more competitive every year but you certainly don't need to be "perfect."  just work hard in high school and spend a LOT of time on those college apps.  =]


----------



## lesparkley

frostedcouture said:


> REALLY sorry for stealing the thread.  oops. we can take it to pm lol..



and yes...back to the digital perm now.  =]


----------



## frostedcouture

Man all these AP classes and apps will wipe me out, lol.  I am taking ALL 6 periods of AP classes in my senior year. Great! :s  I will work hard no doubt, so that's what matters. By no means am I going to try to get a 4.0 GPA because that really doesn't guarantee you anything anyway.  There are many other factors. BACK to the hair..hehe, I love it. Does your hair feel any different?


----------



## scarlet*rose

*lesparkley ~ *Your hair looks great!! Thanks for sharing your pics (by the way, love your Ferragamo bag too!). Please keep us posted. 
When my hair grows out i wouldn't mind trying a digital perm but i don't know if it would last... I don't have thick hair. Several years back when i did a "reg" perm, they used the small rollers (can you say poodle?, lol) on me and the perm pretty much fell out within 2 wks.


----------



## lesparkley

okay so here are some pictures after washing and styling myself.  i just twirled my hair around my finger in sections and let it dry overnight.  in the morning, i ran some thicker fuller hair gel through my hair to tame my hair.  i think i did a pretty decent job!


----------



## frostedcouture

OMG I love it.  Hmmm mom might be taking me to Korea at the end of summer for a week. yes, only a week  But it's for a wedding and I might be able to go with her. I could possibly get my hair done.  I don't know if I would get sick of it though.


----------



## lv-lover

Your hair looks fabulous! I really want to get a digital perm, but I can't find i salon that does them in my city.


----------



## scarlet*rose

It looks really good, you did a great job! Must be nice to have low maintenance hair!


----------



## lesparkley

scarlet*rose said:


> *lesparkley ~ *Your hair looks great!! Thanks for sharing your pics (by the way, love your Ferragamo bag too!). Please keep us posted.
> When my hair grows out i wouldn't mind trying a digital perm but i don't know if it would last... I don't have thick hair. Several years back when i did a "reg" perm, they used the small rollers (can you say poodle?, lol) on me and the perm pretty much fell out within 2 wks.


 
i'll definitely keep you posted as it grows out more.  and thanks for the bag compliment; i love my ferragamo too.  

definitely look into the digital ceramic perm!  my hair is actually less work now than it was when i had to straighten it!  it's great becaues a little "mess" is okay and i can just go to sleep with my hair wet and have it come out nicely in the morning.

frosty, if you're worried about getting sick of the look, you can definitely straighten your hair after you've gotten the perm.  honestly i've had straight hair for pretty much ALL my life and even though i love how it looks on me, i was kind of getting tired of it.  this is just what i wanted: a low maintenance dramatic change in hairstyle.  =]


----------



## frostedcouture

Hmm well I think I might try it then.  Or I'll wait until next Korea trip, because I'm not even sure if I can go this summer.


----------



## lesparkley

another update (with pictures!):

i've switched products to frederic fekkai's beach hair spray and let me tell you it's made a world of difference!  my curls look sexy, beachy, and slightly tousled and are much lighter and softer than when i was using gels and creams.






this style is sooo easy to maintain!  all you need to do is spray on the beach hair spray and twist the curls while your hair is still damp.  once your hair drys, you can lightly spray over them one more time and kinda scrunch the curls a bit and you get very sexy summer hair.  i'm loving this!  i have a sample of the frederic fekkai's luscious curls spray that i'm going to try to see if i should return the beach hair but i think the beach hair spray is going to be pretty hard to top...


----------



## godsavechanel

i've never heard of it before but it looks really pretty!


----------



## yesther

Thanks so much for this post! I've been going back and forth about the perm and am so glad that you posted so many pics of your perm the day of, and after!  It makes me so tempted to go get one....


----------



## Sake66

Lesparkley---

Thanks for the advice, how's the luscious curls working for you?  I will try the summer beach spray.


----------



## frostedcouture

Is that the wonderful smelling spray you were talking about?  Must get this! & that Shu Uemura shadow!!!


----------



## lesparkley

Sake66 said:


> Lesparkley---
> 
> Thanks for the advice, how's the luscious curls working for you?  I will try the summer beach spray.



i haven't tried it yet.  i will in a couple days time when i have time to fix it just in case i do a bad job (i'm usually rushing in the mornings).  i'll keep you posted, though!



frostedcouture said:


> Is that the wonderful smelling spray you were talking about?  Must get this! & that Shu Uemura shadow!!!



yes!!  the wonderful citrusy, coconutty, vanilla ish scent.  =P


----------



## fashion1sta

^ Your hair looks great! Congradulations~ it turned out really well!


----------



## lesparkley

another update!

the curls have been loosening up quite a bit!  i've been alternating between fekkai's glossing cream + blowdrying lightly while hair is twisted around my finger and beach hair spray + letting hair air dry in twists.  the glossing cream + blowdryi lightly seems to make softer, bouncier curls while the spray gives me tousled, beachy hair.

today i did the glossing cream + light blowdrying technique and slept on them.  don't mind the makeupless/tired-looking face; i just woke up after 5 hours of sleep when i took these.  =]


----------



## christymarie340

it looks awesome! I want one

how did you find a salon that does this?


----------



## Cheryl

I have been googleing it but I cant find a salon around me that does this.. Where can you look? Is there a directory?


----------



## pinknyanko

suretobuy said:


> OMG, you look so pretty! I am definitely going to look into this. My hair is only a couple of inches past my shoulders, and highlighted, do you think it will work? I don't know any asian salons in the bay area (specifically the stanford area) does anyone have a salon to recommend? Lesparkly, are you a SC trojan?? I went there for my undergrad degree



i went to arty salon in SF. they did a good job imo.

theres also japan center beauty clinic... but i havent tried the perm there.

korean salons in SF to check out: beautiful days or sally's

various chinese salons in SF do it too... but i ended up going to the japanese salon.

im sure there will be some places in the south bay as SJ has their own jtown etc


----------



## candace117

I love your hair (both ways!!!)...so glad this turned out well for you. I think I want to try this...in like 3 years after my hair grows out! LOL!!!!


----------



## sabbiee_co

Hi!!

I'm just wondering how would you rate this for ease of maintenance?? I'm thinking of getting it done before school starts but I don't want to have a hairstyle that will take too long to style everyday.

Can I just go from a bath straight to school? Do you blow dry it? Is it necessary to put creams in?

I have an appointment next Sunday so any help would be much appreciated! I might just go for a haircut instead.


----------



## mrodriquez2006

my hair is virgin...no perms, dyes, highlights...anything...so I'm weary of messing with it! lol but this sounds REALLY interesting but my hair is super thick so I don't know how it would turn out...I usually just french braid my hair for a good wave


----------



## xxxjulybabyxxx

i got digital perm in japan.. The result was great.. was sooo curly...
Its supposed to give you less damage to your hair... now its been a year my perms are still there a little but when I brush it, it goes away.


----------



## fashion1sta

sabbiee_co said:


> Hi!!
> 
> I'm just wondering how would you rate this for ease of maintenance?? I'm thinking of getting it done before school starts but I don't want to have a hairstyle that will take too long to style everyday.
> 
> Can I just go from a bath straight to school? Do you blow dry it? Is it necessary to put creams in?
> 
> I have an appointment next Sunday so any help would be much appreciated! I might just go for a haircut instead.


 

I've had it done before, and i would say that it's very easy to maintain. Stylist recommend that you don't blowdry since the curls will loosen up or become frizzy. You can put gel or other solutions after you wash your hair ... but i preferred not to because it didnt look natural (it was too stiff).


----------



## .gracie.

sabbiee_co said:


> Hi!!
> 
> I'm just wondering how would you rate this for ease of maintenance?? I'm thinking of getting it done before school starts but I don't want to have a hairstyle that will take too long to style everyday.
> 
> Can I just go from a bath straight to school? Do you blow dry it? Is it necessary to put creams in?
> 
> I have an appointment next Sunday so any help would be much appreciated! I might just go for a haircut instead.



Go for it! I think it's super easy to maintain. All I do is get out of the shower, towel dry, and spray my hair w/ John Frieda Beach Hair spray while it's still wet so that it  doesn't look unnatural and "crunchy". I honestly think it take 5 minutes or less from getting out of the shower to walking out the door.


----------



## erikuh

Wow, the results are fantastic! I'm definitely going to consider getting a digital perm during christmas break! My hair is not sleek and straight and not beach wavy..but in a weird dull in-between stage :/ so I think a digital perm would be the right move to perk up my look 

Would you ladies mind telling about how much the average price for one is? Especially in the Los Angeles area?


----------



## yesther

So, I finally made the appt for this Sunday! I hope it turns out well!


----------



## chynaxdawl

^^ hope it turns out well, please post pictures!!


----------



## christymarie340

yesther said:


> So, I finally made the appt for this Sunday! I hope it turns out well!


 

how did it turn out? post pics!!!


----------



## pinknyanko

sabbiee_co said:


> Hi!!
> 
> I'm just wondering how would you rate this for ease of maintenance?? I'm thinking of getting it done before school starts but I don't want to have a hairstyle that will take too long to style everyday.
> 
> Can I just go from a bath straight to school? Do you blow dry it? Is it necessary to put creams in?
> 
> I have an appointment next Sunday so any help would be much appreciated! I might just go for a haircut instead.



it actually depends on what type of look you want. if you want a highly stylized hair such as in the japanese fashion magazines, do NOT expect to do no styling. in fact, this is a common misconception.  to get the look in the japanese magazine requires styling/styling products. 

if you just want some waves / natural look , then yes, you can just air dry with minimal hair products.


----------



## lesparkley

erikuh said:


> Wow, the results are fantastic! I'm definitely going to consider getting a digital perm during christmas break! My hair is not sleek and straight and not beach wavy..but in a weird dull in-between stage :/ so I think a digital perm would be the right move to perk up my look
> 
> Would you ladies mind telling about how much the average price for one is? Especially in the Los Angeles area?



this is super late but i'm in agreement with the poster above.  if you want really glossy pretty curls (like the korean actress nam gyu ri's curls), you'll have to work it a lot (curling irons to retouch, lots of products, etc).  if you just want a natural wave, all i ever need to use is fekkai's beach hair spray from their summer hair line, scrunch, and air dry.  some glossing serum over that works nicely.  all of the pictures i've posted have been using minimal hair product.


----------



## lesparkley

ohh!!  almost forgot.  another update is due!







a more recent picture of me.  i believe it's been almost 2 months since i've gotten the digi perm.  still loving it.  styling has never been so easy!  =]


----------



## hanee

I know this is an old thread, but I had a question about the perm.  Is it Ok to pull it back a lot (in a ponytail), because I run everyday and wouldn't want to get one if pulling it back is going to ruin it.  By the way, it looks fantastic on you!


----------



## pageclub

Thanks for this thread. I been wondering about a digital perm. But unfortunately I have been unsuccessful finding someone who does this in B.C


----------



## effinhaute

another tpfer linked me to your thread because I wanted those luscious looking curls in japanese/korean magazines.. what kind of products would you recommend to achieve it? I am hoping to go in next week to get the digi perm done, and I am so excited! I was hoping I didn't have to invest more money in a curler.. is it possible to curl it with just your fingers??


----------



## JanetBG

I have digital perm done to my hair for the past 3 years in 3 different salons. the results were very different. The times I got it done in more expensive salons, the results were better, the cheaper ones though they uses the same machine, not sure if it is the solution or the person, the curls are not as bouncy. You do have to blow dry to get the best results. In the first few months, the curls are still there without blow drying. After 3-4 months, the curls are more relaxed and will require blowdry if you want better results.


----------



## lesparkley

i've been so mia in the last couple of months i haven't been checking tpf.  apologies!



hanee said:


> I know this is an old thread, but I had a question about the perm.  Is it Ok to pull it back a lot (in a ponytail), because I run everyday and wouldn't want to get one if pulling it back is going to ruin it.  By the way, it looks fantastic on you!



i wouldn't reccomend pulling it back soon after getting the perm (obviously you can't for the first couple of days) but other than that, i see no problem with it.  i pull it back when i'm in class and i haven't seen any many changes with it.



effinhaute said:


> another tpfer linked me to your thread because I wanted those luscious looking curls in japanese/korean magazines.. what kind of products would you recommend to achieve it? I am hoping to go in next week to get the digi perm done, and I am so excited! I was hoping I didn't have to invest more money in a curler.. is it possible to curl it with just your fingers??



yes.  you can DEFINITELY curl with your fingers although bigger, bouncier curls will require a curler.  this is for more relaxed, subtle waves.  i use a small helping of frederic fekkai's luscious curl cream and air dry for everyday use.  when using a curler, i mix the curl cream with glossing cream and let my hair air dry and then i curl with a flat iron.  here are some pictures for reference:

ONLY air drying (most recent picture of my hair....6 months after the digi perm):
photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1656/16/91/3418541/n3418541_40309033_2445.jpg

with a curler:
photos-h.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v342/16/91/3418541/n3418541_39680575_7709.jpg
it's about time for me to get my perm retouched as it's now growing out quite a bit (see above picture).  i've been getting a lot of compliments on it so i'm definitely redoing it.  =]


----------



## lesparkley

the photo restrictions wouldn't let me post the pictures so i went and got a photobucket account.  so let's try this again:

air drying (6 months after digiperm):





with a curler:





i just redid my digital perm and noticed that the perm gets significantly looser at the end as my curls are not much tighter than they were prior to getting the perm redone.  not a bad thing though.  i had kinda sexy loose waves.  i'm waiting for my curls to loosen up again.  =]


----------



## caarlyntryl

That last picture looks fantastic - what size curler did you use?


----------



## lesparkley

caarlyntryl said:


> That last picture looks fantastic - what size curler did you use?



i just use a 1.5 inch flat iron at the highest temperature setting and curl.  the curls stay like that all day and all night without putting any kind of product in it to "fix" it (hair spray, gel, etc.).  i'm no good with a curling iron.

alternatively, you can use ceramic rollers.


----------



## inkyl

I found a place here in Houston that does it! It's $150; I'm so excited to get it done I'm just waiting for my hair to grow a lil longer


----------



## caarlyntryl

Ok, I tried curling my hair with the flat iron that I have (it's only a 1 inch) and they were really tight... but you're convincing me to get a digital perm!


----------



## lesparkley

inkypina said:


> I found a place here in Houston that does it! It's $150; I'm so excited to get it done I'm just waiting for my hair to grow a lil longer



yay i'm so excited for you!!  feel free to post your before and after pics here too!!



caarlyntryl said:


> Ok, I tried curling my hair with the flat iron that I have (it's only a 1 inch) and they were really tight... but you're convincing me to get a digital perm!



yea that extra .5 inch makes all the difference, unfortunately.  you can try a lower temperature setting for looser curls (unless your hair is very resilient to curling like mine is).


----------



## babee869

You mentioned that you just got your digital perm redone.  Did they hook you up to a machine?  You mentioned that for your first perm, you think they may have done a ceramic perm.  I was told that it was only considered a digital perm if they hook you up to the machine.  I wish there were a way to get a perm that looked like your second picture.



lesparkley said:


> the photo restrictions wouldn't let me post the pictures so i went and got a photobucket account. so let's try this again:
> 
> air drying (6 months after digiperm):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> with a curler:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i just redid my digital perm and noticed that the perm gets significantly looser at the end as my curls are not much tighter than they were prior to getting the perm redone. not a bad thing though. i had kinda sexy loose waves. i'm waiting for my curls to loosen up again. =]


----------



## lesparkley

babee869 said:


> You mentioned that you just got your digital perm redone.  Did they hook you up to a machine?  You mentioned that for your first perm, you think they may have done a ceramic perm.  I was told that it was only considered a digital perm if they hook you up to the machine.  I wish there were a way to get a perm that looked like your second picture.



i was hooked up to a machine for the second one but the results look about the same as my first perm.  also, the pictures above were before i redid the perm (in case that wasn't clear).  i wish i could get the big bouncy curls everyday too, but to be honest, i find that my hair looks better curled now that i have a digital perm; now when i miss some strands, they aren't oddly stick straight since all of my hair is wavy now.  =]


----------



## hanako66

Hi,  Thanks for the info!!  I am interested in getting a digital perm as well.  I too, am from Southern California....do you mind if I ask what salon you visted?

Thanks!


----------



## lesparkley

hanako66 said:


> Hi,  Thanks for the info!!  I am interested in getting a digital perm as well.  I too, am from Southern California....do you mind if I ask what salon you visted?
> 
> Thanks!



Sure!  It's called Hill's Beauty Club and it's on Western near Beverly.  Just try not to go on a Saturday or Sunday because the place gets absolutely CRAZY on weekends!  Hope this helps; let me know how it goes!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/hills-beauty-club-los-angeles-2


----------



## miffy

Can someone tell me how long the whole process lasts? I hate being at the salon for hours. I get really restless and hungry! I have no patience. :shame:


----------



## gwenjune

hello!  
since i spent time reading this thread before i decided to get my digital perm, i thought i should contribute, since it was all your lovely pictures that helped make my mind up in the first place.
so here is my "before" picture:





the next one is a few hours after it was done:




and these last ones were my first attempt at styling it on my own:







i'm still getting the hang of it since i'm not used to having any curl at all in my hair...its a totally new experience.

as a side note: my stylist told me to shower in cool water.  have any of you heard that?  its kind of a bummer to me because i love my hot hot showers, but i guess its the price i pay.


----------



## coconutsboston

Oh my gosh, it looks gorgeous!  I might have to get this done!


----------



## BagsRmyLife

gewn your hair looks very cute!


----------



## miffy

*gwenjune* your hair looks gorgeous! You must be so happy with it.  I just got my hair digital permed too 3 weeks ago and I love it. It's so much easier to style my hair now!


----------



## xlana

Lately I have been thinking of growing out my hair and getting a perm. I'm also Asian, and I have straight hair as well. I really want a perm because once my hair grows out long it gets NO volume.

I'm sort of afraid to get it though because I'm afraid it'll be too curly. I want like a body wave with curls sort of like Blair from Gossip Girl but just a tad bit looser than hers. Hmm...I dunno if I should take the plunge?


----------



## yenanh00

gwenjune said:


> hello!
> since i spent time reading this thread before i decided to get my digital perm, i thought i should contribute, since it was all your lovely pictures that helped make my mind up in the first place.
> so here is my "before" picture:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> the next one is a few hours after it was done:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and these last ones were my first attempt at styling it on my own:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i'm still getting the hang of it since i'm not used to having any curl at all in my hair...its a totally new experience.
> 
> as a side note: my stylist told me to shower in cool water.  have any of you heard that?  its kind of a bummer to me because i love my hot hot showers, but i guess its the price i pay.


Since you just got your hair perm, how do you style your hair? like to use use curler or you just put product in there and it curl by itself with no frizz?


----------



## gwenjune

miffy- congrats on your digital perm!  since you are a relative newbie as well, any styling advice you've discovered?  i found that twirling my hair and then blowdrying the twirls gently produces the best curl...but i know that others have said not to blowdry...my salon said it was ok tho

xlana-do it! you will love it!  even when i don't put much effort into it, my hair still has a nice wave that makes styling much easier.

yenanh00-i'm still figuring out how best to style it.  i only wash my hair every other day, so on the days i wash it, i put fekkai beach waves spray on it, twirl and blow dry and it looks pretty much like what is in my pictures.  on the days i don't wash it, i brush it out in the morning, re twirl it (this revives most of the curls, they are just a little less curly than the day before) and then i use a curling iron to fix the spots that need it.  if i don't do anything to it straight out of the shower, it is less curl, more wave, so it can do whatever you want it to really!


----------



## miffy

gwenjune - my stylist also did the twirl blow dry for me and it came out great. I don't usually have the patience to blow dry my hair, so what i usually do is leave my hair in twirls after shower and let it air dry and that seems to keep the waves in. I use the Fekkai beach waves too thanks to the recommendation of the OP.   And on days I want more curls I use a curling iron and because of the waves that are already in my hair it only takes a few minutes to style.


----------



## lesparkley

miffy said:


> gwenjune - my stylist also did the twirl blow dry for me and it came out great. I don't usually have the patience to blow dry my hair, so what i usually do is leave my hair in twirls after shower and let it air dry and that seems to keep the waves in. I use the Fekkai beach waves too thanks to the recommendation of the OP.   And on days I want more curls I use a curling iron and because of the waves that are already in my hair it only takes a few minutes to style.




that's pretty much what i do too.  i'm glad the beach waves recommendation was useful!

i use the beach waves and air dry when i just want tousled, casual curls for everyday use at school and whatnot.  when i go out, i run a tiny dollop of fekkai glossing cream and/or biosilk and iron in some bouncy curls (you can check the previous page to see the stylistic differences).  as a general rule i've been trying to avoid blowdrying my hair; my hair's been damaged enough already.


----------



## lesparkley

hahaha i forgot i can quote myself.  now you can see the difference between airdrying and using an iron to curl. =]



lesparkley said:


> the photo restrictions wouldn't let me post the pictures so i went and got a photobucket account.  so let's try this again:
> 
> air drying (6 months after digiperm):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> with a curler:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i just redid my digital perm and noticed that the perm gets significantly looser at the end as my curls are not much tighter than they were prior to getting the perm redone.  not a bad thing though.  i had kinda sexy loose waves.  i'm waiting for my curls to loosen up again.  =]


----------



## miffy

^beautiful!


----------



## vhdos

Wow.  Gorgeous hair.  I wonder how it would work on fine hair?  I have long, blonde, fine hair that is stick straight.  I would definitely be concerned about damage.


----------



## luvhautecouture

Im interested in getting my hair done like this!!  I think my face looks better when my hair ahs volume.

How many days after do you have to not wash your hair?  I love to work out (and work up a sweat), so I need to wash my hair frequently... this is one of my only concerns around the process! haha


----------



## gwenjune

hi LHC, 
i'm a pretty big runner (i like to run about 5 days a week) and so i mostly wash my hair every day, but if i can, i try to stretch it to every other day.  i've only had my hair permed for about a month now, so maybe some of the other girls can give a better answer, but i don't notice it being any less curly the more i wash it.
i know that when i got it done, they told me using cold water to wash it would help it last longer, so i do that and figure i'm good!


----------



## spindled

hi everyone.
I'm also considering a perm, but I've got short layered hair. Do you think I can pull off a digital perm? I only want soft looking curls at the back and would like to keep my bangs. Any opinions?


----------



## ashmi99

I'm Korean but unlike most other asians, I do not have coarse hair.  It's rather fine, but I have a lot of it.  I found a couple salons in Seattle that do this, so I am going to check it out!  

Are there any problems with using a straightening iron or blowdrying it straight after you have the perm (for when you do want to wear it straight?)


----------



## lesparkley

ashmi99 said:


> I'm Korean but unlike most other asians, I do not have coarse hair.  It's rather fine, but I have a lot of it.  I found a couple salons in Seattle that do this, so I am going to check it out!
> 
> Are there any problems with using a straightening iron or blowdrying it straight after you have the perm (for when you do want to wear it straight?)



i blow dry and flat iron my hair (both straight and curly) pretty frequently.  doesn't seem to be mattering much for me.  =]


----------



## hanee

Ashmi, I have the same type of hair as you.  Let me know how it goes for you if you get the perm, and where in Seattle you go.  I haven't found anywhere in Portland to get it done yet, and might have to make a trip to Seattle if I want one.


----------



## Vinyl

How damaging is a digital perm?  Be honest.  I got a straight perm for several years from middle school to high school.  I eventually stopped though because not only was my hair straighter, but also a lot less bushier in volume (my mother noticed I have less hair now than when I did when I was younger).  I'm still not sure how damaged my hair is (if it even is at all, but c'mon, all those chemicals & heat must've done something).  

I really want a digital perm, but would it be worth it?  I stopped getting straightening perms about 2 years ago, if that helps any.  My mom is afraid a digital perm would damage my hair though.


----------



## miffy

Honestly, I haven't noticed any further damage from getting my digital perm. I was also weary of the possibility of damage because I had not really been taking good care of my hair. So a month before I got the d.perm I used deep conditioners (I forget which, I had a bunch f.fekkai samples) and also used a leave in conditioner Kerastase Substance Constructive to strengthen my hair. So I'd just recommend taking really good care of your hair beforehand and after too of course and you should be fine. =)


----------



## gucci lover

where can i get this done in the dallas/fort worth area?  anyone know?? LOL  i really want one!!!


----------



## Cathryn

I have very fine, color-treated hair and have been advised against any perms. I really wanted a d.perm and was told it is OK for fine hair *if* it is healthy. That scares me so I won't be pursuing the d.perm or any other perm.


----------



## tater_tits

i have color treated hair too...its pretty frizzy at the ends when i wake up in the morning so i don't know if i should or not. any opinions??


----------



## tater_tits

i have been dying my hair red and that requires a lot of maintanence. would it be bad if i dyed my hair dark brown and then get the digi perm?? would that be too much damage??

AHHHH I REALLY WANT ONE!


----------



## lesparkley

prior to digital perming, i had been straightening my hair annually for three years.  i've also been putting highlights in my hair for almost 10 years now.  personally, i haven't been noticing too much damage BUT you should definitely consult a stylist because what works for me may not work for you.  i don't want to be the untimely accessory to anyone's hair death.  =]


----------



## yello0984

^^ ditto!
Definitely get a consultation with your stylist first.  I have fine thin hair that I color a few times a year, and some highlights during the summer.  I usually air dry my hair, and only straighten with a flat iron once in a while.  So my hair was relatively healthy, I think.  
When I went in for a digital perm in November (5 months after getting highlights), the stylist said my hair was too fragile since it was bleached.  She did a test patch to make sure my hair wouldn't melt off, especially the bleached parts.  In the end, I did get a digital perm, but the stylist used the lowest concentration of chemicals.


----------



## Kkay

I am so jealous everytime I see this thread get bumped up! I love the look of the digital perm (all your results have turned out great) and am very seriously considering getting one. I have a lot of straight, not coarse, asian hair as well and since it's very long right now (past mid-back), I figure if I hate it, it won't be long before I can cut it all off. Has anyone tried this in the DC area? I would really appreciate any recommendations!


----------



## vhdos

Kkay said:


> I am so jealous everytime I see this thread get bumped up! I love the look of the digital perm (all your results have turned out great) and am very seriously considering getting one. I have a lot of straight, not coarse, asian hair as well and since it's very long right now (past mid-back), I figure if I hate it, it won't be long before I can cut it all off. Has anyone tried this in the DC area? I would really appreciate any recommendations!



I know!  Gorgeous hair!  Exactly what I want, but it probably wouldn't turn out so perfect for me.  I have blonde (mostly natural-I highlight the crown to brighten it up a bit), thin, long, stick straight hair.  I would love to have big, gorgeous waves/curls.  I'm afraid that it would damage my hair too much.  Many of the pictures I see here are of thick, strong, healthy hair.  Not that my hair is unhealthy, but it's inherently fine and weak.


----------



## cosmobuehler

can anyone recommend a place in orange county, closer to garden grove-irvine area.  los angeles is too far for me.  thanks.


----------



## lesparkley

vhdos said:


> I know! Gorgeous hair! Exactly what I want, but it probably wouldn't turn out so perfect for me. I have blonde (mostly natural-I highlight the crown to brighten it up a bit), thin, long, stick straight hair. I would love to have big, gorgeous waves/curls. I'm afraid that it would damage my hair too much. Many of the pictures I see here are of thick, strong, healthy hair. Not that my hair is unhealthy, but it's inherently fine and weak.


 
i've actually seen it done on blonde hair before.  it's not as damaging as an acid perm and from what i've seen, it takes well to fine hair.  but again, i would ask my stylist prior to.  i'm definitely going to get mine redone for the third time this summer as my perm has been growing out.  =]


----------



## lesparkley

ooo which reminds me.  my second perm is all but grown out.  i'm now resorting to hand curling or straightening every other day.  on the upside, the practice is giving me nice results and i'm now thinking of getting slightly larger barrel sizes for my next perm so i can get my hair looking like it does when i use an iron (see below).


----------



## may3545

I just had it done at Arty's in San Francisco on Sunday for the first time (this is from a girl who dyed her hair last about two years ago and that was probably it)-- I love it! It took about 4 hours for the cut and perm, but it was great. Cost $190. The first photo is right after the perm on Sunday. The last photo is me after a quick shampoo, 5 minute blow dry, and a few minutes to "twirl"-- it's so easy! I'm a convert and I LOVE it. I'm going to try the larger barrel next time for the bigger waves. But I'm a girl who wakes up in the morning and just goes to work without brushing her hair. So adding ten extra minutes to style is no biggie. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

On Sunday right after:





Today after the first shampoo-- ten minutes tops to style:


----------



## sillywahine

*le sigh* all the girls look great with their perm! But for me it was AWFUL!
I had it done three times in Japan, and each time was an epic fail....the perm looks so beautiful only on the day I get it. Once I washed it, about 80% of the perm was already gone!! At first I thought I just went to a bad salon, but I had the same results at a different salon. I have asian hair, and it's so weird how my hair would not perm well.


----------



## manimani

Ok, I NEED THIS PERM IN MY LIFE. 

It sounds waaay too good to be true. The only thing with me is I want all of my hair curly - from my roots all the way to my tips  well I guess you can't get everything. But if I want my hair curled at the roots does anyone have any advice on how to do that manually, or what type of perm can be good for that? I mean I'd still be happy with this look though...I need to start researching on where I can get this done!


----------



## Twynkle54

I'm going to be going to Hong Kong for a business trip at the end of the month.  I heard it may be better/cheaper to get this done in Asia.  Does anyone have any reccommendations for me in HK? TIA! Also, I recenlty (back in May) permed my hair the old-fashion way.  Would this affect the way my digital perm will come out?


----------



## mrodriquez2006

may3545 said:


> I just had it done at Arty's in San Francisco on Sunday for the first time (this is from a girl who dyed her hair last about two years ago and that was probably it)-- I love it! It took about 4 hours for the cut and perm, but it was great. Cost $190. The first photo is right after the perm on Sunday. The last photo is me after a quick shampoo, 5 minute blow dry, and a few minutes to "twirl"-- it's so easy! I'm a convert and I LOVE it. I'm going to try the larger barrel next time for the bigger waves. But I'm a girl who wakes up in the morning and just goes to work without brushing her hair. So adding ten extra minutes to style is no biggie. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
> 
> On Sunday right after:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Today after the first shampoo-- ten minutes tops to style:



your hair actually looks better when you washed it! it's much softer and more full... do you feel this way?


----------



## may3545

Yeah, it's definitely softer! When I just let it air dry, it's more wavy and relaxed. If I blow dry, style, twirl it and add product, it's more curly. But it's really easy to take care of-- I LOVE this perm!


----------



## GlamMom

may3545 said:


> I just had it done at Arty's in San Francisco on Sunday for the first time (this is from a girl who dyed her hair last about two years ago and that was probably it)-- I love it! It took about 4 hours for the cut and perm, but it was great. Cost $190. The first photo is right after the perm on Sunday. The last photo is me after a quick shampoo, 5 minute blow dry, and a few minutes to "twirl"-- it's so easy! I'm a convert and I LOVE it. I'm going to try the larger barrel next time for the bigger waves. But I'm a girl who wakes up in the morning and just goes to work without brushing her hair. So adding ten extra minutes to style is no biggie. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
> 
> On Sunday right after:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Today after the first shampoo-- ten minutes tops to style:



...sorry i cant see your pics, and I want to know what it looks like so I can go it done at the same salon..may i ask the name of the person that did it?


----------



## may3545

^I saw Kyoko at Arty's =) But it was about 4 different staff members helping all together with washing, setting, etc. Kyoko cut my hair, applied the chemicals, and monitored the curlers as they were heating.


----------



## jo712

I've been getting a digital perm for the past 3 years!!! I love it! takes more like 5 hours for the perm though, but I always go to a Korean salon to do it and it's always great. every time I grow it out it still looks good! but I always start the perm where my eyebrows are so my hair's straight on top then curly from eyebrows down.


----------



## luvhautecouture

I just got a digital perm today! I went to the hair salon recommended by the OP, lesparkley (Hills Beauty Club in Los Angeles) It took about 2 hours and cost about $200 w/ tip.

I like the results so far!  It'll be interesting when I actually get to shampoo my hair...

but my hair smells kind of gross   But I have pretty curls!!


----------



## aznUCBgirl

This forum is so informative - I wish I had found it several days ago!

I just got my digital perm yesterday - 12 hours ago to be exact. I'm feeling a little nervous because it didn't turn out like I had hoped. 

But I do realize the first two days may not be representative of the final results.

May4535, I'm also from the Bay Area, CA.  I had read about Arty's on Yelp.com, but since I live an hour south from San Francisco, I found a closer salon to me called Salon Finesse. 

For you experienced Ladies, let me ask you something. Is the digital perm process slightly different for someone who has so-called "virgin-hair?" When I went to the salon, the lady asked if I'd done any processing to my hair - dye, color, straight perm, etc. I told her I'd never ever done anything to my hair other than blowdry a few times a week.

Noticing that my hair is so flat and straight, she said that my "virgin-hair" must have a very straight, smooth, and undamaged cuticle. She would have to "loosen" my hair cuticle. She explained she would put perming solution in my hair for 5-10 minutes to test my hair, as well as to open the cuticle. I pretty much trusted her. In addition, she explained she would have to set my hair about 30 minutes longer than she typically does for hair similar to my length and texture.

In the end, i liked how it looked wet, but after it dried, it seemed to look poufier and curlier than I wanted. Does this sound normal to you? I can't sleep now because I'm a pretty worried...  :/

So below is a picture of my hair before the perm, and the second picture shows the results I was hoping to achieve.....
I had shown the stylist the photo of the desired result, and she had assured me it would happen....

Any ideas???


----------



## may3545

^Hihi!

I think it will be achieved. The look immediately after the perm was not what I wanted. Now I can "manipulate" the curls I want. I usually air dry, but while it's wet, I apply a drying serum to my hair and then "shape" the curls while they are wet. They air dry just how I like it, natural looking curls that are relaxed and not over done. 

For the look you want, you probably have to blow dry and shape the curls as you blow dry. I am no hair expert.. I'm the most low key person out there, but with practice and experimentation, you definitely can achieve that look


----------



## luvhautecouture

I love my results except my hair still stinks!  Especially when it is wet after washing/sweating!  I hope the smell goes away


----------



## lesparkley

oops.  i just got your pm.  sorry!  but i'm glad the perm went well!  the smell will go away after a couple washes so you have nothing to worry about!  =]

and to the first poster on this page, the curls loosen up quite a bit after the first couple washes.  see if you like it better then.  you might need to scrunch and blow dry with a diffuser to get the results you wanted, though.



luvhautecouture said:


> I love my results except my hair still stinks!  Especially when it is wet after washing/sweating!  I hope the smell goes away


----------



## may3545

^I am a Trojan alumni lesparkley. Class of 06-- Fight on! =)


----------



## lesparkley

^ fight on!!!!  i just graduated last may.  best of luck to you!!


----------



## may3545

^You too! It's so great after graduating-- got the world waiting for you ;D


----------



## miss_ritz

I recently got one. Going to a Japanese salon had its pros and cons. Pros: they know how to do the digital perm. Cons: there is a major language barrier. Throughout the whole perm I kept showing my stylist pictures of perms I wanted- loose, beach wavey curls. I think I emphasized a little too much because after my first wash my curls are not as full and bouncy as I want them to be; they are really loose! (Guess I got what I asked for) I am just worried about how long it'll last, since the curls are so loose, I'm assuming they will relax/go back to normal straight hair faster.


----------



## Chipper

Do any of the ladies that have had the digi perm for a while have a favorite brand of diffuser/blow dryer?

I've had my perm for a month now and really need to invest in one!  TIA


----------



## lesparkley

don't remember the diffuser brand and to be honest, i don't use it much since i normally heat style with an iron (for me, i'd rather have the naturally tousled look that the digiperm gives or really big, bouncy, luscious curls that an iron can produce).  the blowdryer i use is a solia but i really only blowdry the roots and my bangs.  that's just my preference, though...



Chipper said:


> Do any of the ladies that have had the digi perm for a while have a favorite brand of diffuser/blow dryer?
> 
> I've had my perm for a month now and really need to invest in one!  TIA


----------



## may3545

^Same here. I sometimes even just twirl my hair while it's still wet and let it naturally air dry and I love the soft curls it produces. My blow dryer is the same one I've had since sophomore year of college, and it's a pink Japanese travel blow dryer at that  Told you I was low maintenance haha.


----------



## coconutsboston

Does anyone have any reccommendations for salons that do digital perms in GA?  Preferably Atlanta?


----------



## turnip

This whole thread has been extremely helpful when I decided to get a digital perm... so I'll chime in on my experience.

The bottom part of my hair isn't exactly the healthiest. It's been lightened to brown, dyed back to black and stripped with ColorOops. Immediately after I got my perm done, I pretty much regretted it. My hair was DRY, and the curls did not look good. I started deep conditioning it and it helped. What made the difference for me was using Joico K-Pak reconstructor followed with Terax Crema. No more tangles!

As for forming the curls, since the perm changed the texture of your hair, you can kind of help create the shape. This video was really helpful for me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvDc3nhzxCs
Notice the twirling action the stylists uses while blow drying.


----------



## BleedingHearts

After looking at this thread and seeing the results i want to get a digital perm..i love the way it looks! The only thing is I got my hair permed for the first time month ago for a body wave....and went completely wrong. about 4 inches of the hair on the bottom is straight and doesnt even curl when wet.. 6-8 inches above that is wavy(that is without putting anything in). when i put some mousse/gel it will stay in for 2 hrs..then it starts to drop.. ..should i wait a little longer to get this kind of perm done? or will it damage my hair.


----------



## BleedingHearts

sorry forgot to add picture of my hair =(


----------



## may3545

^It's probably best to find a place that does a digital perm and give them a call regarding that. Good luck!


----------



## turnip

BleedingHearts said:


> After looking at this thread and seeing the results i want to get a digital perm..i love the way it looks! The only thing is I got my hair permed for the first time month ago for a body wave....and went completely wrong. about 4 inches of the hair on the bottom is straight and doesnt even curl when wet.. 6-8 inches above that is wavy(that is without putting anything in). when i put some mousse/gel it will stay in for 2 hrs..then it starts to drop.. ..should i wait a little longer to get this kind of perm done? or will it damage my hair.




I actually left out the part where the first time I tried to get a digi perm, the machine's fuse BLEW out 2 minutes into the procedure. Needless to say, the curl did not take and the chemicals changed my hair texture. It was like your hair but not as wavy.  After two weeks of maintenance I took a leap of faith and went back (the guy is the only one in town who offers digi perm). The 2nd time worked and my hair was no more damaged than after the first attempt. It worked out for me, but not without some hardcore products.

Still, its best to get a consultation with a stylist so they can see your actual hair. Your hair type and condition will determine whether it'd work or not. Because you have a previous perm, you definitely *will* have some degree of damage. It just depends how much damage and how much maintenance you're willing to live with.


----------



## BleedingHearts

ty for advice..i called this place they said it could be done..but need to trim some ends.. and i'll probably wait a little longer ..


----------



## Chipper

I feel that my perm might not have been enough because when I wash and twirl (and use product) it seems to fall out significantly by the end of the day.  Hence the blow dryer/diffuser question....I was wondering if a diffuser would help the style hold for longer. 

The product I use is the one the stylist recommended:  L'Oreal Texture Expert Spiral Extreme creme; I put this on and twist and air-dry

Usually, I'll follow up with the OP's really helpful suggestion:  Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Beach Waves;  I'll use this to revive 2nd day hair, as well.

Anyway, I took some pics to send to the stylist.  I asked her if I needed to have the perm redone but she said I just needed to come back in for styling tips.  

I'll post the pics here; let me know if any of you experience this type of "fall-out":

This at the beginning of the day, after wash, product+twirl, air dry:






Same day, 8-10 hours later:





2nd day hair, nothing added or done (Like I said above, I'll usually try to scrunch and revive with product, but this time I wanted to see how badly it would fall-out):


----------



## emojosh

Ok, so sorry if this has been asked or commented on but... Is this perm technique the same as what I've heard called a "Japanese Perm?"


----------



## Chipper

^Perhaps.  I've heard it as "Japanese digital perm," "Korean digital perm," and DIGI perm.


----------



## emojosh

Kool, thanks. BTW, I love your avatar ^.


----------



## Chipper

Thank you, thank you!  I just changed it yesterday, LOL.


----------



## lesparkley

hey chipper, just got your pm!

my curls don't look anywhere near as loose as yours after air drying.  i'm pretty sure my stylist probably used smaller rollers in my hair to produce more of a curl and if you want more of a curl, you may want to get the perm redone.  i'm not sure if this will completely kill your hair or if maybe your hair is really resilient to the perm solution so consult the stylist first if that's what you're considering.  your perm looks really beautiful at the beginning of the day but i see what you mean by "fall out."  i can't be of much help, though, because i definitely don't have that happening to me.  =/


----------



## fashion1sta

Chipper said:


> I feel that my perm might not have been enough because when I wash and twirl (and use product) it seems to fall out significantly by the end of the day. Hence the blow dryer/diffuser question....I was wondering if a diffuser would help the style hold for longer.
> 
> The product I use is the one the stylist recommended: L'Oreal Texture Expert Spiral Extreme creme; I put this on and twist and air-dry
> 
> Usually, I'll follow up with the OP's really helpful suggestion: Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Beach Waves; I'll use this to revive 2nd day hair, as well.
> 
> Anyway, I took some pics to send to the stylist. I asked her if I needed to have the perm redone but she said I just needed to come back in for styling tips.
> 
> I'll post the pics here; let me know if any of you experience this type of "fall-out":
> 
> This at the beginning of the day, after wash, product+twirl, air dry:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Same day, 8-10 hours later:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 2nd day hair, nothing added or done (Like I said above, I'll usually try to scrunch and revive with product, but this time I wanted to see how badly it would fall-out):


 

hmm.. the curls don't look "tight" enough even from the start. I would defiately ask for it to be redone. However, if your hair was ever bleached (i cant tell..) the perm will definately not work. In the past I had it done with bleached hair (but dyed black), and the stylist warned me that if the hair was too damaged the curls wouldn't come out. Then later, I had it done one "virgin" hair and it came out perfect.


----------



## Chipper

Thanks, Lesparkley and Fashionista for replying.

Sigh, I have to say, I was so excited to get this done.  Also, my hair was pretty much virgin hair.  I'd only ever had it highlighted but that was as long as two years ago.

I guess you have to take into effect that not only is everyone's hair different, but salons and technique can be different.  I know the salon is still kind of new at doing this but the stylist had shown me pictures of other digi perms she had and based on that, I felt comfortable with proceeding.

Additionally, this salon is the only one in San Diego I found to offer the digital perm (Travis Parker in La Jolla) and it was quite expensive compared to the prices I have seen mentioned in this thread.

Because of the process itself, it probably won't be healthy to have it redone so soon, I guess the very least I could do is just go in for the "styling tips" they stylist offered after I emailed her these pics.

I'll keep you guys updated but for right now I am feeling pretty disappointed.


----------



## fashion1sta

Chipper said:


> Thanks, Lesparkley and Fashionista for replying.
> 
> Sigh, I have to say, I was so excited to get this done. Also, my hair was pretty much virgin hair. I'd only ever had it highlighted but that was as long as two years ago.
> 
> I guess you have to take into effect that not only is everyone's hair different, but salons and technique can be different. I know the salon is still kind of new at doing this but the stylist had shown me pictures of other digi perms she had and based on that, I felt comfortable with proceeding.
> 
> Additionally, this salon is the only one in San Diego I found to offer the digital perm (Travis Parker in La Jolla) and it was quite expensive compared to the prices I have seen mentioned in this thread.
> 
> Because of the process itself, it probably won't be healthy to have it redone so soon, I guess the very least I could do is just go in for the "styling tips" they stylist offered after I emailed her these pics.
> 
> I'll keep you guys updated but for right now I am feeling pretty disappointed.


 
I'm sorry it didn't work out for you . The only thing that i would suggest is finding a really good hair care product to keep the curls lasting throughout the day. When i had my perm done, I got my products from (www.icreatemagic.com) and I would use "design curl glaze" by this brand: Selective. It kept the curls in great shape. I'm not sure if they have it anymore.... 

However... i have to say that your hair does have the "natural wave" look to it


----------



## Chipper

^Awww, thank you.  It is more of a natural, loose wave.

That's why I had the question of investing in a diffuser (on the previous page).  I wonder if using a diffuser will also help hold the curl more.

And thanks for the website, they do still have the item, it is just out of stock.  Will keep an eye out for it!


----------



## fashion1sta

^ oh.. good, glad they're still carrying the brand =D

As for the diffuser... i don't think it'll help hold the curl more. I remember my stylist telling me to use the "cool" temp. from the blow dryer and to not overdo on the blowdrying (because that'll only cause the hair to frizz or lose the locks). She said that as long as the hair is not too damp, you can stop the drying and style as usual (with whatever product you decide to use).


----------



## shopgirl1010

Anyone in Oregon (Portland city) know of a good salon for digital perm?Thank you!


----------



## Chipper

^Good luck, it took me awhile to find one that did it here in San Diego...and that was an accident!

I think that's why I'm more dismayed at how my perm turned out than I normally would have been.  It took me so long to find a darn salon!


----------



## lesparkley

so i just got my perm redone for the third time.  i asked for slighting bigger curls and i've gotten my best results to date!  two washes later, i couldn't be happier!  tousled, waves instead of distinct curls (don't mind the makeupless face):







but i'm still relying on that curling iron to get those big, luscious, curls for nights out.  like this:






after this perm wears out, i might revert back to straight hair for a year or so...


----------



## luvhautecouture

lesparkley-- You look so pretty esp. w/ the digi perm!

Did you go back to Hill's?  Does yours smell??

 I want to get mine done again, but I am scared of the smell!!


----------



## lesparkley

luvhautecouture said:


> lesparkley-- You look so pretty esp. w/ the digi perm!
> 
> Did you go back to Hill's?  Does yours smell??
> 
> I want to get mine done again, but I am scared of the smell!!



Aww, thanks.

I did go back to Hill's and it does smell right after you get it done but after two washes, the smell is COMPLETELY gone.  Getting mine redone set me back $150 ($180 with tip) which I think was fairly reasonable considering how good of a job she did.  Keep in mind that I've been going to my stylist pretty much since I had hair so she always gives us a small discount but that's around about how much it costs @ Hill's.

Another good thing about the DigiPerm is that even when I do want those big, luscious, curls and I use a curling iron, I don't have to worry about those random, stray, pin straight hairs from missing sections!  =]


----------



## lesparkley

here's a better picture of the redone perm.  achieved at home using a couple sprays of fekkai's beach hair spray.  no heat styling, only air drying.  =]


----------



## terebina786

lesparkley, can you straighten your hair still with a flat iron?

I read somewhere that because a digital perm is set with heat that its hard to straighten it afterwards.  I'm going in for a body perm on Sunday.  I can't wait.. I'm Indian with really asian hair and people call me lucky but its such a nuissance!


----------



## lesparkley

terebina786 said:


> lesparkley, can you straighten your hair still with a flat iron?
> 
> I read somewhere that because a digital perm is set with heat that its hard to straighten it afterwards.  I'm going in for a body perm on Sunday.  I can't wait.. I'm Indian with really asian hair and people call me lucky but its such a nuissance!




Yes you can definitely still straighten with a flat iron.  I've heard that it's harder to straighten with a _blow dryer_ but I've had no problems using my flat iron to produce straight hair with a digital perm.  This was taken at a club after lots of dancing and sweating and my hair still stayed straight throughout the night:


----------



## snoopylaughs

I got a digital perm back in mid-february, and my curls are still looking good.  I haven't gone back to get them redone, or at least i haven't felt the need to yet.

I got it done in Austin, texas so I can't really tell anyone a place that I recommend outside of that.  It was really nerve-wracking when I had it done, because I didn't speak korean, and the two ladies that worked on me for the digital perm, didn't know english.  Had no idea I needed to expect that because someone else who did speak english, took my appointment over the phone.  Luckily it worked out well, and I have no idea how I would complain if it didn't work out.

After I wash, I usually just twirl my hair and let it air dry however it wants to.  If I feel like fussing with it, to slightly 'define' tousled curls, then I use a sedu blow dryer with the diffuser attached, and I spray my hair with sedu beach spray.  I twirl big pieces of my hair tightly, and then blow dry twirled sections with a diffuser until they are roughly halfway dry.  Then I let it air dry the rest on its own.

When I want to enhance the curls a little more, like for going to work on weekends (work at a boutique), or for parties or something... then I use my sedu straightener to add more definition to my curls, and that takes me roughly 30 or 40 seconds per section, I can finish my whole head in about 8 to 10 minutes.

I don't know if that helps, I didn't read through the whole thread to see where I left off the last time I looked at this thread back in February.

Overall I definitely recommend the process!

A couple of times I have straightened my hair pin straight with my sedu straightener, but I blowdried with a roundbrush before I started straightening.  I definitely got pin straight hair this way, if it just let it air dry, and then straighten, then I wouldn't be able to get my hair pin straight, just relatively straight.


----------



## mrodriquez2006

^^^ HEY!  I live in austin!  what salon did you go to?  what was the approx. price? i never thought about getting one because i didn't know where to look in austin...you might have just changed my mind


----------



## Mininana

Hello my fellow trojan!! you have totally inspired me to get my first perm this year. Yup, right, I get one every year and I was thinking about skipping this year but you totally inspired me!!!


I cut my bangs really short this time though, Not sure I'm liking it but I'll get used to it (hopefully soon!)


----------



## snoopylaughs

oh hahaha i was wondering why you left me a visitor message XD

mine was around $150, I was originally quoted $120 over the phone, but because my hair was so long, they told me it was extra.  I didn't really mind, I always had to pay extra for having longer hair whenever I had my hair cut at toni & guy back then

it's called Scissors Sound, next to Austin Karaoke on Lamar near Highland Mall and Airport Blvd, I think that's the only place in austin that does digital perms


----------



## mrodriquez2006

snoopylaughs said:


> oh hahaha i was wondering why you left me a visitor message XD
> 
> mine was around $150, I was originally quoted $120 over the phone, but because my hair was so long, they told me it was extra.  I didn't really mind, I always had to pay extra for having longer hair whenever I had my hair cut at toni & guy back then
> 
> it's called Scissors Sound, next to Austin Karaoke on Lamar near Highland Mall and Airport Blvd, I think that's the only place in austin that does digital perms




that's like RIGHT where I live!  cool!  thanks for sharing.  i have long hair too.  I might take the plunge sometime soon...we'll see...my hair is total virgin...no dyes, perms, highlights, etc


----------



## monokuro

This thread is making me want to digi perm my hair..... ):

I wish I had time to go through 13 pages but for now I will have to stick with asking and then browsing!

Anyone know if this is okay for people with naturally frizzy/wavey hair? Like.. My hair when airdry is frizzy and wavey (not the good wavy either) and if I blowdry its poofy and wavey and super frizzy!! I want some nice curls (like some of you gals in this thread). My hair was late colored.. like.. I swear 5 months ago? Or even longer down the road.. I don't remember exactly but definitely before April of this year. 

Also what kind of products do you guys usually use to make your hair extra bouncey?

Thank you! and Back to reading this whole thread. xD

/Edit
Also my hair is layered a lot.. will that effect how the curls will look? I have had my hair magic straightened but that was more than a year ago..


----------



## saimin

hi everyone, thanks for all the great info and pics! i had my hair digi-permed just yesterday, and i was wondering if it is suppose to look like this.. i had regular perms done before, and they looked way looser than my digi-permed hair. any advice? also, how long should i wait before i can wet my hair in the shower? 24 hours? thanks a lot! 

here's the pic:


----------



## yeliab

*LesSparkley*, I've never heard of this "digital" perm - but WOW it sounds Fantastic!!  IT's about time they have perms like this!!!   Growing up they only had those tight perm rods and the perms always came out curly and kinky!!

I've always wanted a perm to give me loose gorgeous waves on its own without being a slave to velcro rollers, etc...   IMO, I'd get this perm in a heart beat!  Depending on the condition of your hair - I'd get this today!!  LOL!

Do you color your hair or do other chemical treatments?  Just make sure that your stylist, Jenny, overseas all your services so she knows whats going on with your hair.  

Wow, I'm going to inquire about this perm here...  it looks like a winner in my book!


----------



## yeliab

BTW, *Saimin*, your hair is gorgeous!!  I think your perm will start to relax really soon.  Enjoy the waves right now!!  They're gorgeous!!


----------



## californiagrown

hey saimin, that's perfectly normal for your hair to look like that after the digital perm! mine was a little tight for the first week, but loosened up perfectly after that. and i was told to wait 48 hours for the perm to set, which worked perfectly fine for me. here's my before and after pics so you can see how it'll look a month after:


Before:






Right after I came home from the salon: 





1 month later!:





Side viewwww:





Hope those are helpful! I only put a little bit of Wella Color Preserve product in my hair right after my shower and let my curls air dry and when I wake up, my curls literally look like they do in the last two pictures so it's really low maintenance and I love it!


----------



## yeliab

CAGrown, Thanks so much for sharing your photos!!  After seeing your results with everyone else's here,   I now have to go and check this digi perm out....  SIGH!!  

Looks gorgeous!!  I love your waviness in the back!  It's great!


----------



## lesparkley

yeliab said:


> *LesSparkley*, I've never heard of this "digital" perm - but WOW it sounds Fantastic!!  IT's about time they have perms like this!!!   Growing up they only had those tight perm rods and the perms always came out curly and kinky!!
> 
> I've always wanted a perm to give me loose gorgeous waves on its own without being a slave to velcro rollers, etc...   IMO, I'd get this perm in a heart beat!  Depending on the condition of your hair - I'd get this today!!  LOL!
> 
> Do you color your hair or do other chemical treatments?  Just make sure that your stylist, Jenny, overseas all your services so she knows whats going on with your hair.
> 
> Wow, I'm going to inquire about this perm here...  it looks like a winner in my book!



i get highlights done occasionally but that's about it.  and for as long as i've had hair, jenny yoon's been the one styling it.


----------



## yeliab

*LesSparkley*, Hey there!!  I was wondering what color or how many levels do you lighten your highlights?  Is it just a dark brown hl  or caramel hl  or  more toward blondish hl.

LS,  thanks so much for starting this thread!  Seriously, I have NEVER heard of this perm b4 today...  its due to this thread that I actually made an appt 5 minutes ago to get my digi perm in 2 weeks.      I just hope my hair can take it.  I'm actually going to lighten my hair tomm. and then rest my hair for 2 weeks b4 I get the perm.  The salon here told me to wait the 2 weeks and to condition with protein treatments in the meantime.  

Thanks so much LS!!  Going to have wavy hair!!  No more frizzy TIGHT curls anymore!!  Yipee!!!   

PS - I'm a former USC trojan - transfered/graduated to UW after 2 years at USC...


----------



## wonderwoman9

OMG! I want a digital perm! I had never heard of this before reading this thread. Your hair is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!


----------



## lesparkley

yeliab said:


> *LesSparkley*, Hey there!!  I was wondering what color or how many levels do you lighten your highlights?  Is it just a dark brown hl  or caramel hl  or  more toward blondish hl.
> 
> LS,  thanks so much for starting this thread!  Seriously, I have NEVER heard of this perm b4 today...  its due to this thread that I actually made an appt 5 minutes ago to get my digi perm in 2 weeks.      I just hope my hair can take it.  I'm actually going to lighten my hair tomm. and then rest my hair for 2 weeks b4 I get the perm.  The salon here told me to wait the 2 weeks and to condition with protein treatments in the meantime.
> 
> Thanks so much LS!!  Going to have wavy hair!!  No more frizzy TIGHT curls anymore!!  Yipee!!!
> 
> PS - I'm a former USC trojan - transfered/graduated to UW after 2 years at USC...



i have dark auburnish highlights.  there aren't a lot of them and they're not really visible at the root.  my highlights are more just to enhance the texture of the curl a bit but are very subtle.

and fight on! =]


----------



## BagsRmyLife

OMG! *CALINFORINAGROWN* your hair looks amazing! I really want to get this done and I hope to have similar results. My hair is a bit longer and possibly thicker as well. But you hair looks great. How long did it last?


----------



## californiagrown

Thanks *BagsRmyLife*! I got it done mid-August, and the last two pictures shown (where it's more wavy) are from two days ago...so that's basically how well it's lasting about a month later. I'll keep you updated on how much longer it lasts though - it definitely loosened up a lot over just one month, but I think it's supposed to do that and then hopefully last for up to 6 months, depending on your hair type.


----------



## nancynguyen21

CALIFORNIAGROWN: where did u get ur hair done?!?!?


----------



## sunset4

I got the digital perm a couple weeks ago and I ABSOLUTELY DETEST it!!!!!!!It totally dried out my hair!! I like the way the curls look when it's wet, but when it dries, it gets so puffy and I've tried all sorts of curling cream (Frederic Fekkai) on it too.   I wasted $150 to get my hair damaged and the curls aren't even that pretty when it's dry...ugh!!!! Totally waste of my time and money!!! Don't get the digital perm! It's soooooo overrated!!! I should just gotten the magic perm and used the T3 flat iron to curl my hair whenever I want that wavy/curly look...


----------



## mrodriquez2006

^^ where do you live?  perhaps it was just the salon you went to?  have you gone back to ask them?


----------



## californiagrown

nancynguyen21, i got my hair done at Star East Beauty Salon in San Francisco! It's an awesome little salon and the guy who does digital perms, Joe, specializes in digital perms.


----------



## luvhautecouture

Hey, I ahve a question for you ladies.  How do you keep your perm curly?

If I take a shower at night and put curl cream, my hair is curly for the night, but when I wake up in the morning, it has straightened significantly... Then when I wash my hair again, it goes back to being almost as curly as when I initially got it permed!  I think the water activates it.  Then I guess gravity takes over during the day and straightens it out?


----------



## lesparkley

luvhautecouture said:


> Hey, I ahve a question for you ladies.  How do you keep your perm curly?
> 
> If I take a shower at night and put curl cream, my hair is curly for the night, but when I wake up in the morning, it has straightened significantly... Then when I wash my hair again, it goes back to being almost as curly as when I initially got it permed!  I think the water activates it.  Then I guess gravity takes over during the day and straightens it out?



my perm kinda loosens a bit when i sleep on it.  personally i just kinda shower according to how i want my hair to look.  if i want loose, tousled, waves, i shower the night before.  if i want more defined curls, i just wake up earlier and shower in the morning.  if i want to flat iron it for a night out, i shower in the day and let my hair air dry THOROUGHLY before i go over it with an iron.  sorry i can't really be of much help there but i actually kinda still like my hair when it loosens up a bit and i like that timing my showers gives me different hair options.


----------



## nancynguyen21

So i got a digital perm last week at The Hair Epoch in los angeles and for some reason the top of my hair didnt curl. the hair stylist said i could come back and do it again for free. So i washed my hair 2 days later and my hair fell flat! All the curls were gone. So i got it done again this week and i think its doing the same thing again! I have really fine, straight asian hair and its not dyed. So should i try it again?!


----------



## yeliab

*NN21*, Oh NO!!  I'm scheduled to get this done next week and thinking I hope it "takes".  I also have thin silky hair... I wonder if it doesn't take as well on Thin hair??  It seems those with thicker or coarse straight hair have better results?  

Sorry, NN21, I'm not much help but I'm also wondering if this is just a characteristic of the Digital perm?  Thin hair? No?


----------



## lychii

This thread is great! I read through the entire thread before heading to Arty's in Japan town in SF to get a digital perm. it was $220 for a cut & perm (I have relatively long hair), and Kudo-San was really really good! He was attentive to my hair (thin and little of it), and its been the next day, and the curls are looking good!

Im heading to sephora to pick up some Fekkai beach waves as recommended by some people here; anyone recommend anything for air-drying after digi perm whose hair dries a bit frizzy? I'll pose pictures when I have a chance. Def recommend that place!


----------



## mrodriquez2006

ok...so i have a question...many of you gals here have the "asian hair"  as some of you put it...i have really really thick hair...long, straight, and thick...would this perm work as well on my thick hair you tink?


----------



## McLoverly

I've wanted this since a friend had it done several years ago. Unfortunately, I've moved. Does anyone know of a place in Arizona?


----------



## kenz

Hi, I saw this thread when I was researching about digital perm. I'm seriously thinking about getting one (from Arty's in SF), but since it costs so much, I wanted to make sure it's a good process for me first.

From what I've read and seen so far most people who have gotten this have "typical asian hair". I was wondering if it would turn out okay on my hair which is a bit wavy and extremely frizzy.

Below are two pictures of my hair. From the top to my shoulder is my natural hair. From my shoulder down has been dyed and chemically straightened (2 years ago), and the very, very bottom bit was permed (also 2 years ago)












Do you guys think a digital perm would give me the nice wavy/loose curl effect and defrizz my hair a bit or do you think it would just make my hair even more frizzy looking?

thanks, kenz


----------



## ame

Wow, I love everyone's hair. I am have long red (dyed and highlighted) hair and I use Caruso's and hot rollers every day for this look. I am debating it as well. I am a bit concerned my hair is too chemically done for it though.


----------



## lesparkley

kenz, i recommend that you ask the stylist for a consultation.  while the digital perm is LESS damaging than a regular perm, it's still going to damage your hair a little and i don't want for anyone's hair to get massacred in the process.  my asian hair had some frizz too when left unstyled and while my hair has been taking the digital perm fine, i can't guarantee the same outcome for everyone.

i tried a new styling technique.  i let my hair air dry after washing in the morning and then at around 6pm, i went and used a huge curling iron to curl the front portions of my hair and a slightly smaller one to get the out layers of the hair on the back of my head while leaving the innermost layers of the hair on the back and side of my head untouched.  i like the result.  big curls with less volume around the outside of my hair.  since my hair is wavy from the digiperm, i don't need to curl the innermost layers at all! now my hair doesn't "fluff" up as much when i heat curl.


----------



## kabaker

Does anyone know of any places I can get a digital perm in Indianapolis?


----------



## keroppi78

McLoverly, where exactly are you in AZ?

I have wanted a wavy perm forever, but I called a place here (Korean salon) and he told me the digital perm is better.  So, I was going to go, but my hair is a couple inches above the top of the bra on my back... do you guys think it's long enough?  Or... should I wait a few more months???


----------



## lesparkley

keroppi78 said:


> McLoverly, where exactly are you in AZ?
> 
> I have wanted a wavy perm forever, but I called a place here (Korean salon) and he told me the digital perm is better.  So, I was going to go, but my hair is a couple inches above the top of the bra on my back... do you guys think it's long enough?  Or... should I wait a few more months???



depends on how tight you want the curls to be and what kind of style you're trying to achieve.  the first time i did the digiperm, it was at around the same length as your describing but in my opinion, it looks better when the hair is longer.  i love having super long hair with the relaxed waves but that could just be my preference.  =]


----------



## cocoster

mrodriquez2006 said:


> ok...so i have a question...many of you gals here have the "asian hair" as some of you put it...i have really really thick hair...long, straight, and thick...would this perm work as well on my thick hair you tink?


 
i'm not sure how "thick" your hair is, but they usually cut away a good bulk of the hair to create layers. i have thick hair as well, but after the stylist cut my hair, gave it layers, and digipermed, my hair became very light and so much more manageable. they have to cut away the excess heaviness because the curls won't hold if you have too much hair weighing it down. the funny thing is, i let my hair grow out after the digiperm and the curls started to flatten out (maybe a year i got the perm)- so i thought i would need to get another digiperm, but when i got a hair cut, a lot of the curls came back because it got rid of the excess hair that was weighing it down. HTH


----------



## keroppi78

lesparkley said:


> depends on how tight you want the curls to be and what kind of style you're trying to achieve. the first time i did the digiperm, it was at around the same length as your describing but in my opinion, it looks better when the hair is longer. i love having super long hair with the relaxed waves but that could just be my preference. =]


 
Hope I did that right... new to this site 

Lesparkley: I want mine lose, not tight at all... do you happen to have a photo of ur hair when you did it and it was my length? I'm kinda nervous but excited. I had perms that my mom LOVED to put on me growing up as a child... and then about 5 years ago, I went and got a "sprial perm" from a non-korean girl... TOTAL DISASTER! So.. yea, I know that longer hair looks better, but I wanted to get an idea of how it would look.... thanks lesparkley!


----------



## totoro723

Hi I was wondering what size curls did you ask for? thanks!



lesparkley said:


> so i just got my perm redone for the third time.  i asked for slighting bigger curls and i've gotten my best results to date!  two washes later, i couldn't be happier!  tousled, waves instead of distinct curls (don't mind the makeupless face):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> but i'm still relying on that curling iron to get those big, luscious, curls for nights out.  like this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> after this perm wears out, i might revert back to straight hair for a year or so...


----------



## lesparkley

keroppi78 said:


> Hope I did that right... new to this site
> 
> Lesparkley: I want mine lose, not tight at all... do you happen to have a photo of ur hair when you did it and it was my length? I'm kinda nervous but excited. I had perms that my mom LOVED to put on me growing up as a child... and then about 5 years ago, I went and got a "sprial perm" from a non-korean girl... TOTAL DISASTER! So.. yea, I know that longer hair looks better, but I wanted to get an idea of how it would look.... thanks lesparkley!



there are pictures of my first digital perm in this thread.  i would just repost them but i would have to find them again on my computer and upload them on photobucket (the pictures posted before were prior to the purse forum's ban on linking pictures from facebook).  you'll have to do some searching, but it's on some of the beginning pages.  some of the later pictures i've posted on this thread show how it looks like when it's done with longer hair and personally, i like it more.


----------



## lesparkley

totoro723 said:


> Hi I was wondering what size curls did you ask for? thanks!



i didn't ask for any specific size.  i just told my stylist that i wanted my curls to be much looser and brought in some pictures.  she knew what i was talking about.  they also use different size rollers for different sections of the hair.


----------



## chupachupsrock

Chipper said:


> Thanks, Lesparkley and Fashionista for replying.
> 
> Sigh, I have to say, I was so excited to get this done.  Also, my hair was pretty much virgin hair.  I'd only ever had it highlighted but that was as long as two years ago.
> 
> I guess you have to take into effect that not only is everyone's hair different, but salons and technique can be different.  I know the salon is still kind of new at doing this but the stylist had shown me pictures of other digi perms she had and based on that, I felt comfortable with proceeding.
> 
> Additionally, this salon is the only one in San Diego I found to offer the digital perm (Travis Parker in La Jolla) and it was quite expensive compared to the prices I have seen mentioned in this thread.
> 
> Because of the process itself, it probably won't be healthy to have it redone so soon, I guess the very least I could do is just go in for the "styling tips" they stylist offered after I emailed her these pics.
> 
> I'll keep you guys updated but for right now I am feeling pretty disappointed.


Hi!  I was wondering if how much it had cost at Travis Parker's salon?  I live in San Diego and after researching a bit I heard they offer the digi perm there and wanted to know about how much it cost (no price quotes on the website of course), especially since you have the same length of hair as I do - thanks!


----------



## Chipper

^Hi, what you'll probably have to do is go in for a consultation.  Cheng is the gal that does it and she will be honest and she is easy to talk to.  However, they are still kind of new at the process compared to other salons in, say, LA or SF so if I did it again, I'd probably go to another city (and a cheaper salon).  I paid a lot for something that I didn't really get!  :s

Granted, I did go back and she tried to help me with styling tips, but in the end we determined that since every individual is different and can have varying results, I just ended up being one of the unlucky ones....though like I said, I hope I have better luck elsewhere once I get the digi perm again.

Anyway, price:

Digi Perm - $250 for my length of hair
Product she recommended (L'Oreal Texture Expert) - $24
Tip - $50  

Total - $324 not including tax  

I hope you have better luck than me, hope this helps!


----------



## guccilove

i finally got my digital perm after over a year of deliberating! i got it last month at SF, at Star East Hair and Beauty with Joe.  I was too scared and told him to be conservative, so he did.  he used the bigger roller (size 26) and didnt cut my hair too much. unfortunately, since my hair is too fine and too long i guess, the curl didnt really stay  so, i called him about a week later and told him what happened. he told me to go back so he can redo it again. so he did. before the perm process, he told me he's going to use size 24 rollers.  after the perm was done, i was relieved to see that my hair actually curled that 2nd time! phew.  then Joe told me he used size 20 instead of size 22 rollers! i was a little worried though because it did look curlier than what i had hoped for.  but now, 3 weeks later, it looks more relaxed and the curls have loosened a bit.  now i feel like i got my money's worth.  it's not the perfect curls like you see on TV, but compared to my straight and boring hair before, this is so much better.


----------



## trueblue101

I live in NYC, where can I get this done in manhattan or queens?


----------



## miffychan

Hi all, i'm new to the forum, but thought I'd join the conversation.

I just got my digital perm here in Hong Kong at a Japanese salon, and I really like it! It's 3am Monday and I got the perm on Saturday in the afternoon, so this is coming into day 2. The curls are tighter but I'm ok with that as I know they will loosen up over the next few days.

I was reading here that you can't have curls start too close to your head, but when I asked the Stylist (I went with the top stylist who is a specialist with perms), he said that the machines now have pads which will protect your head from the heat so the curls can start as high as you want on the head!

I got mine pretty high.. about 4-5 inches from the top of my head as I wanted to have my curls last longer while my hair grows, and knowing that I have long hair (straight it sits just at the top of my bra) I wanted to make sure the curls wouldn't straighten out too much from the weight.

Cut, shampoo, rinse (at least 3 times), scalp massage, head, shoulder and upper back massage, plus styling -- all with the Top Stylist cost me $2280 HKD (about $290 USD). If I had went with a Junior or regular stylist, it would have been cheaper (probably $2120 HKD = $270 USD). The entire experience lasted 5 hours, so it was a good day!

Its a bit pricey, but I went with the top stylist because it was my first time doing a digital perm and I wanted to make sure it was done right. Japanese salons are famous for their service! The massages were so relaxing and everyone was incredibly attentive. Complimentary tea (green or rose), coffee, and water, plus Japanese sweets 

I'm Asian, so I've gotten used to taking a shower at night. So far, I haven't shampoo'd but just conditioned my hair. The plan is to start shampoo I guess tomorrow or the day after. I put a Japanese hair styling milk product in my hair when its still damp and will see how it turns out tomorrow 

So far I'm loving it  Again, still a bit curly but we'll see how it goes  No pics cause I went out the same night for my birthday (yes it was a birthday present to myself!) and went crazy with the dancing, so totally forgot to take a pic!

Miffy


----------



## chynaxdawl

i know this might be a strange question but does anyone recommend a salon/stylist in japan or thailand? i'm going to asia in the spring and i definitely want to get a digital perm while i'm there (i figure they'll know what they're doing better and maybe be cheaper). i'll be in bangkok, tokyo, and osaka. since i'm just a tourist i have no idea which salons are good...and i would prefer a stylist that speaks english but i can roll with it if they can't.


----------



## miffychan

There are SO many hair salons in Japan. I used to live in Japan and went to a few of them.

You can find a listing of the most popular ones in any Japanese hair magazine. If you have a book store that sells Japanese magazines, go find a hair specific magazine and it will show pictures of hair styles as well as tell you which salon it was cut at.

Miffy


----------



## guccilove

when i get mine done next time, ill ask the stylist to start the perm higher too.  i think it will look better that way....


----------



## MercyRN

vhdos said:


> Wow. Gorgeous hair. I wonder how it would work on fine hair? I have long, blonde, fine hair that is stick straight. I would definitely be concerned about damage.


 

New to TPF.. but I thought I'd add my 2 cents in!!  
I have fine, thin, stick straight blonde hair (think: Reese Witherspoon or cameron diaz kind of hair). I had side bangs and just to my shoulders.. after reading good things on this forum and some other sites, I gave in to my wanting curls and waves without having to take an hour to style my hair (that falls flat in a few hours no matter how much time I spend on it!)...; so I had the digital Perm done at Beautiful Life Salon, in Rockville MD (between baltimore and DC area).  It turned out FABULOUSLY!!! I loved it so much!  Beautiful wavy/curly. I used the Fekkai products that the other girls recommended, blow dry my bangs and roots and let the rest air dry. Took me 5 mins always looked fab.  
Oh- also my hair is naturally sandy/dirty blonde, but I would get highlights through the crown a couple times a year to brighten it up some. Despite having fine thin hair and the highlights my hair was NOT damaged at all by the perm. Although, prior to getting it I deep conditioned every other shampoo for a couple weeks just to get my hair in good shape, and then continued with the deep condition like once a week or so once I had the perm. And my hair stayed so soft. Everyone thought it was naturally curly!
So i highly recommend it!


----------



## chynaxdawl

miffychan said:


> There are SO many hair salons in Japan. I used to live in Japan and went to a few of them.
> 
> You can find a listing of the most popular ones in any Japanese hair magazine. If you have a book store that sells Japanese magazines, go find a hair specific magazine and it will show pictures of hair styles as well as tell you which salon it was cut at.
> 
> Miffy



i'll give that a shot, thanks miffy!


----------



## lesparkley

someone who saw my posts on tpf decided to get the digiperm and sent me a testemonial via facebook.  check it out

_"Hi, thanks for getting back to me. I was going to ask you a bunch of questions about digital perms @Hill's, but I actually just went ahead and got a consultation yesterday and got it done this evening!  I loooove it. I had a G-perm in Sept. at Etude Lounge and the stylist didn't give me the right cut with it, in addition to just overall weird waves, bad and unhappy. @Hill's Joo Hee gave me a digital perm but not the kind with the rods and cables. It came out perfect, just the right amount of spirals... so..... thank you mlle lesparkley for posting very handy info at the purse forum!!"_

i sent her a reply telling me i was glad she liked it and told her that hill's services in general were very reasonably priced to which she said...

_"The place is very nice! My luck with korean salons hasn't been so good, so it was a most joyous occasion for me  I love Hill's!! Thank you you so much! I am just so grateful and its such a weird coincidence that the girl's hair who I love on the internet (yours) actually gets it done in LA, that's like WHOA OMG! I live in la county...OMG about pricing, at my last place it was $150 for a crappy perm and cut, but another place (Chez Moi) quoted me $300!! Mine ended up being $130 plus tip. I will definitely be back and I think my bf will be back sooner for his haircut  Please tell Jenny I love Hill's and am extremely happy with my hair by Joo Hee!! "_

i'm so glad to see this post has been inspiring people to get the digital perm (and that it's drumming up some business for my favorite hair salon)! =]

and btw, biosilk is working some amazing wonders on my digipermed hair....


----------



## luvhautecouture

lesparkley- I also went to Hill's because of your recommendation.  I loved my results and plan to go back.  Thanks SO MUCH for the recommendation- my hair is exactly what I always wished it to be.  This time I will ask them to wash my hair a little more though because it STUNK like gym shoes for about 2 weeks. haha

oooh one more question for you-- how often do you get yours redone?  Do you get trims in between? I got mine done in August and haven't done anything to my hair since.  Should I get a trim or redo the perm?  My hair is still pretty wavy/curly except for the top that has grown in straight   Darn I wish it would just grow wavy and curly like the perm!!!


----------



## lesparkley

^ i get mine redone every 6 months or so.  although to be honest, i actually love my hair the most when it's at about the 3 month mark of the digiperm.  i like it when the top part of my hair is straighter and then grows out nice and wavy.  the straight/wavy change is usually pretty subtle so it doesn't look to weird for me.


----------



## xWeeeAmandaa

Hi everyone! I would really like this type of curl/wave:






Do you guys think that a digital perm can achieve this look for me? I actually had a regular perm done in February, and even though my hair is naturally straightish with some waves, my hair is still quite curly from the perm ^^ But do you guys think that a digital perm would achieve this for me? I really would like a change :o
Thanks!


----------



## litebrite

I just got a digital perm but had to get it redone a week later b/c the first time around didnt turn out curly enough. I had wanted to compensate for the curls loosening as time went on. After the second perming, my hair is FRIED!  

What do you ladies use as a leave in treatment? Or anything before blowdrying/after blowdrying? I'll have to give biosilk a shot, but just wondering if there's anything specific for curly hair.


----------



## MercyRN

For my hair I used the curly hair line by Frederick Fekkai- Luscious Curls shampoo, conditioner, the luscious curls cream and also their Marine Wave Beach Spray worked really well for lasting hold but still left my hair natural looking and not stiff. I mostly let my hair air dry b/c I thought that was how it looked best.. but blow dried my bangs and with just a little of the perm in my bangs (she only rolled them like halfway on the curler while perming) it helped hold their look w/o just going flat like usual.


----------



## Tallpole

Yeah so my hair looks exactly like yours and I've been dying to try the digital perm for FOREVER but can't gather the courage. I thought this blog was helpful - it's got a lot of pictures (although I doubt the models actually have permed hair), still very pretty and explains the whole process.

It's called Digital Perm With Love. 

Most people say that after they got it done it kind of collapsed and the curl disappeared. Let me know how it goes if you try it.


----------



## JanetBG

I have done Digital perm for a few times already. At first I couldn't handle it and didn't know how to blow dry it to make the soft curls come out and my hair kinda collapsed. I ended up asking my stylist to redo it to make it more curly (lucky my hair didn't fry). That was ok but not the soft curls I really wanted. Finally I did digital perm again a few weeks ago. After a few months of practice, I can now blow dry my hair in the right way and the soft curls come out easily. Just like you do it with hot roller. My stylist taught me to roll my hair with my hand while blow drying. It is a bit hard to describe, you can watch how your stylist does it and practice at home. Now I know how to dry it, I love digital perm!


----------



## jkhuu623

so i have an appointment to get a digital perm this coming friday. i've been looking at this thread for a while. i was wondering if it's okay to blow dry digitally permed hair or will it make the curls look worse? i hate air drying my hair and i always blow dry. any information would be great. TIA!.


----------



## JanetBG

As my stylist told me, if you know how to blow dry it the right way, it will be prettier than airdry. but if you blow dry it the wrong way, you will end up with looks worse than airdry. So when you go get the digi perm on friday, watch how your stylist blow dry it and practice it at home.


----------



## flashy.stems

does anyone have personal pictures of blonde hair with a digital perm? i'm super interested but i have fine blonde hair.


----------



## chynaxdawl

any one have have good recommendations of salons in thailand (bangkok, pattaya) that do good digital perms?


----------



## jkhuu623

hi so i got the digital perm today/ i would post pictures but the curls and waves aren't that prominent. i was wondering if anyone else had this experience? will it be normal after i wash my hair in a couple days?


----------



## JanetBG

Digital perms unlike cold perms, they actually helps the hair to have a "memory" of the curl only. So you have to activate if with the right way of twirling when blow drying (not twirling hard but twirling soft while blowing). So digital perms do not give you a very prominent curl.


----------



## nsd721

Where is a good place to get this done in the NY/NJ area?


----------



## MercyRN

flashy.stems said:


> does anyone have personal pictures of blonde hair with a digital perm? i'm super interested but i have fine blonde hair.


 
I have fine blonde hair as well and I had the digi perm last summer.. it was AWESOME. I loved being able to air dry my hair and it always looked good. (tho wore w/side swept bangs, I would just blow dry those let the rest air dry. loved it. esp for the beach!)
Here's pics.. 
THis is literally the same day I had it done.. 
facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31019008&l=48c19e1e49&id=67500642
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31019008&l=48c19e1e49&id=67500642http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31019008&l=48c19e1e49&id=67500642

About a month later.. curls loosened up some.. (srry this pic is kinda dark but I don't have any good pics of just me lol)
facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31057016&l=f0ba129bf7&id=67500642
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31057016&l=f0ba129bf7&id=67500642http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31057016&l=f0ba129bf7&id=67500642

Maybe 2 months later.. curls looser and I think it was 2nd day hair (always look looser on 2nd day for me)
facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31105379&l=21bd229786&id=67500642http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31105379&l=21bd229786&id=67500642
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31105379&l=21bd229786&id=67500642
Maybe 3 months later? a couple more pics:
facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31167159&l=101505a9a7&id=67500642

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31167159&l=101505a9a7&id=67500642

facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31167159&l=101505a9a7&id=67500642
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31167159&l=101505a9a7&id=67500642

4 mos or so..
facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31277116&l=2ec8dc3cea&id=67500642
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31277116&l=2ec8dc3cea&id=67500642

facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31277106&l=ed14808e1d&id=67500642
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31277106&l=ed14808e1d&id=67500642

then like 5/6 mos..
facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31277419&l=30af26a03d&id=67500642

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31277419&l=30af26a03d&id=67500642

That's all I have.. after this decided I wanted an inverted bob and chopped off all my beautiful hair.. now been growing it out for about 4 mos, and now it's just about to my bottom of neck and I think it's long enough to get it done again w/loose curls. So I have a appt in 2 weeks!  And.. going on vaca to carribean and want easy hair there w/o blowdryer! Or I'd prob wait til summer to get it redone to get my hair even longer. but i just want easy hair for the vacation and beach so getting it done now! 

Sorry 2 be photo whore just bored at work right now so have time to upload these lol.
But styling wise- i use frederic fekkai luscious curls shampoo/condioner, styling creme, and their marine summer hair beach wave spray too.


----------



## jkhuu623

so it's the second day i washed my hair. and now when my hair is wet the curls are barely there and the back is completely straight. i kind of want to freak out. i'm really sad that the digital perm didn't turn out the way i wanted it to, but that could be because of my hair texture. it looks like my hair is straight when it dries now with a little bit of a wave towards the bottom. should i go back and ask them to reperm it?


----------



## MercyRN

jkhuu623 said:


> so it's the second day i washed my hair. and now when my hair is wet the curls are barely there and the back is completely straight. i kind of want to freak out. i'm really sad that the digital perm didn't turn out the way i wanted it to, but that could be because of my hair texture. it looks like my hair is straight when it dries now with a little bit of a wave towards the bottom. should i go back and ask them to reperm it?



I would.. but only if your hair is still healthy. To check this, pull on a strand of hair while your hair is wet, if it is healthy and strong it will have a little give but just bounce back, if it's damaged it will "stretcH" and stay that way, or just break if you pull too hard. I've also heard if you drop a strand in a glass of water and it sinks that means its very porous and damaged and would probably not survive a perm again. It wouldn't hurt though to go back to the salon, they can check the health level of your hair and should re do it for you for free, or very cheap, as most salons want you to be happy and will re-service if you are not satisfied!


----------



## jkhuu623

thanks *MercyRN*! my hair's still healthy. i had virgin hair going into the perm and i did your "stretch" test and it just bounced back. my mom told me that when she used to get perms she would have to go with double the time because her hair's hard to perm. so i'm pretty sure they didn't perm my hair for long enough. i just called them and they said to go back friday and they'll look and if i have to reperm they'll do it for free. :-/ hopefully, the reperm will fix the problem.


----------



## jkhuu623

got my hair re-fried today because they messed up last time. this time he used the strongest perm solution and smaller curlers, also waited for the curlers to cool down before neutralizing it. this seems to be holding a bit better. i hope it doesn't wash out too much by the end of the week because i don't want to refry it a third time. 

this time:
web1.twitpic.com/img/67591800-1ce8ef02b8ddf2f603402422ca02d28f.4b7f5a6d-scaled.jpg

web11.twitpic.com/img/67591989-34a47c0e7c9f3503a19692b8dffb4e19.4b7f5a92-scaled.jpg

compared to how it relaxed after a week
last time:
web9.twitpic.com/img/67592322-500cad84c4a232f0b8165e4efc395223.4b7f5ad9-scaled.jpg


----------



## TallRed

Hey!

Great thread! Inspired me to sign up for this purse forum stuff. I wanted to let you guys know about this place: _*x stop advertising your blog!*_ 
it has so literally everything you need to know about digital perms (and other kinds as well). I still haven't done it, but I'm working up my courage.


----------



## spikez0

this is an awesome thread for advice on the digital perm. i got my perm done in early jan from bangkok (MBKK mall on the top floor). i'm sure they ripped me off but it was still cheaper than getting it done here in Sydney. 

However i'm finding the air dry method a bit frizzier than my fantasies of the digital curl. I was looking for recommendations on styling and cremes. I'm pregnant now and with the baby coming in a month or 2 i'll have even less time to style. 

What is the best defrizzing solution you guys would recommend? I can't get FF beach spray here in Sydney as easily as there is no Sephora so i was thinking of getting the Tigi Catwalk Curl stuff. Anyone tried it? or something more available like Loreal/Swarzkorp etc. 

The you tube video on styling was helpful. i was wondering if anyone has or can make a video on the flat iron/curler styling? What would be awesome to see how that can be done. If i can practice it prior to the baby mayb i can get quick at it.


----------



## pinkboudoir

OT but do you r'ber the salon name where you did it in MBK? There is an entire building of hair salons at Siam Sq which might have better salon? I wanted to get my hair done there but never quite dare to. I always go back to my reg stylist where I am.

KMS has a good de-frizz treatment cream but I think it works more for straightened hair. There is this brand RPR from AUS that has good leave in mois to defrizz. Do you get that anywhere near you since you are located in Sydney?


----------



## spikez0

I don't remember the salon name but it was the huge one on the top floor (lady boy manager) with all the LCD tvs etc. They did an ok job, as now 2 months in the curls are pretty active. I did notice two strands prior to the 1 week no wash period that hadn't been curled properly though. 

I'll have to look around for KMS stuff but if anyone has a proven product for Digi perms let me know as i'm just using John Freida serum and it's not too effective.


----------



## pinkboudoir

I never really venture to the tops floors of MBK now. I should my next trip. 

I used RPR a lot when I had permed hair. I kept permed hair for years & it works even for digital perms but then my hair do not get really frizzy with perms.


----------



## chynaxdawl

ooh great, i had been asking for salon recommendations in bangkok!
how much did your perms cost??
would you recommend the place you went to?


----------



## fufu

I did ceramic perm before, Im not too sure what's the difference between digital perm and ceramic perm. I heard from my hairstylist that if your hair is rebonded before, it's better to opt for digital perm as it is less damaging to your hair. 

From another website, it states that  both ceramic and digital perms are essentially the same thing. It first came out as "ceramic perm" and was very popular in asia, and over time it evolved and newer improved versions came out, so the latest versions are usually called digital perm. Digital perm still utitlizes ceramic materials (the perm rods) as it distributes heat evenly, withstands very high temperature and is very durable (like ceramic flat irons). The reason it's called digital perm is because the temperature is controlled digitally, where you can set the time and temperature of the perm rods, the newer version have capabillity to monitor each individual perm rod to ensure that all rods are working correctly.

here's a pic of my ceramic perm after about 3-4 months. (1 side is less curl compared to the other)






Currently, i rebonded my hair to straight again and I bought a curling iron. Only use it when I plan to curl my hair.


----------



## victoriax08

Hey Ladies!  

So I grew some balls and finally got my hair did yesterday.  And I 333 it!     Don't be afraid!  Get it done!  

I forgot to take a before picture so I just put the best one I could find (taken about a month ago).  Hope this helps!


----------



## chynaxdawl

so after following this thread closely since it's inception, i finally got my hair digitally permed during my trip to asia. i actually got it done in thailand instead of japan because i figured it'd be cheaper...i got it done at a salon in siam square for $85 including cut! so cheap! they actually charged me more since my hair was so long, but to be fair it wasn't really much of a hair cut...and it was shorter than i had wanted to be. i think i'm overall pretty pleased with the result...i think it could've been a better job but i guess you get what you pay for right? i think the only things that could've been improved were that it's shorter than what i wanted, the back's not really that curled, curls could've started higher, and the cut didn't really have any style.

a few days before, with my long stick-straight hair:









getting it done at the salon:





all done!









after a few washes and several days (please ignore the silly face):





it's now been about 2 weeks and i think the curls have loosened a bit even more

i typically just apply texturizer into damp hair and twist some curls after showering then let air dry. i don't have diffuser and haven't tried curling it with a curl/flat iron yet.

i think the only difference i really have from other peoples' experiences is that i never had the nasty perm smell...even right after i had it done and with my first wash i never smelled anything abnormal.


----------



## emmaj3

oh wow i am so excited i have NO IDEA you could get this done! Fantastic!!!


----------



## janethepain

this thread's been a huge help for my digital perming adventure.  it's been 2.5 weeks in, and my hair is still unruly-curly.  the twirling hasn't really worked for me, i look out-of-control curly   i wanted BIG ringlets, but the stylist said that would be too loose and fall out, so she went with 22s.

my hair was virgin, but with the curls, I'm thinking it'd look better if I lightened it a bit.  I'm thinking semipermanent dark brown dye (stuff like Natural Instincts, etc.).  Would that kill my hair or make the curls fall out, do you think?  How long should I wait?  I wish my hair would relax more already.


----------



## daisybear

I am wondering what a good place is to get a digital perm in San Francisco. I have an appointment with Joe at Far East, but saw another review for Arty. Arty was my second choice. Far East takes awhile to book an appointment, I'm not sure about Arty.  I also heard Yo Yo hair salon does it.  Please advise.


----------



## laurenNY

does anyone know the best place to get a digital perm in New York? 
with what stylist? 
any info greatly appreciated... i'm dying to get this done!


----------



## nique281

I live near chicago, does anyone know of any salons that offer the digital perms? is it best to get layers or no layers for wavy effect?


----------



## julie1140

Hi Lesparkley!
I was thinking of going to Jenny (is that the wonjangnim/owner?) at Hills sometime next Mon or Tue to get a digital perm. Would you still recommend her? I usually get my digital perms in Korea but my last perm is pretty much gone and I'm feeling desperate  
I read some not-so-good reviews on her lately so I was wondering if you still go to her and whether you still think she's good - I noticed your posts are pretty old so wanted to make sure you're still happy recommending her!

Thanks a bunch!
Julie



lesparkley said:


> someone who saw my posts on tpf decided to get the digiperm and sent me a testemonial via facebook.  check it out
> 
> _"Hi, thanks for getting back to me. I was going to ask you a bunch of questions about digital perms @Hill's, but I actually just went ahead and got a consultation yesterday and got it done this evening!  I loooove it. I had a G-perm in Sept. at Etude Lounge and the stylist didn't give me the right cut with it, in addition to just overall weird waves, bad and unhappy. @Hill's Joo Hee gave me a digital perm but not the kind with the rods and cables. It came out perfect, just the right amount of spirals... so..... thank you mlle lesparkley for posting very handy info at the purse forum!!"_
> 
> i sent her a reply telling me i was glad she liked it and told her that hill's services in general were very reasonably priced to which she said...
> 
> _"The place is very nice! My luck with korean salons hasn't been so good, so it was a most joyous occasion for me  I love Hill's!! Thank you you so much! I am just so grateful and its such a weird coincidence that the girl's hair who I love on the internet (yours) actually gets it done in LA, that's like WHOA OMG! I live in la county...OMG about pricing, at my last place it was $150 for a crappy perm and cut, but another place (Chez Moi) quoted me $300!! Mine ended up being $130 plus tip. I will definitely be back and I think my bf will be back sooner for his haircut  Please tell Jenny I love Hill's and am extremely happy with my hair by Joo Hee!! "_
> 
> i'm so glad to see this post has been inspiring people to get the digital perm (and that it's drumming up some business for my favorite hair salon)! =]
> 
> and btw, biosilk is working some amazing wonders on my digipermed hair....


----------



## Mininana

Hi, I'm not lesparkley but I wanted to chip in. I've had a REALLY bad experience with a digital perm last year and it's been a nightmare. To this day, I'm not happy with my hair OR cut... so I would recommend.


Instead of getting a digital perm with the cables that attach to the rolls, I would suggest you ask for a digital perm but NO HEAT. So they do use the rolls but no heat and consequently will not burn your hair.

Have in mind I am Asian, yet they managed to BURN my hair and then chopped it all off when I went two days later to have something done to it and ADD $200 more to have it coated which was supposedly good for my hair and leave it healthier..  BIG FAT LIE!



I was very sad as I had always gotten a digi perm  before and it was fine but apparently my hair isn't as strong or healthy anymore between the digi perms and magic straights....


anyway!!! I did get a regular perm and I'm so happy with it!!!  I agree with lesparkley you can totally get a regular perm and get the perfect amount of spirals and NOT damage your hair.


HTH!


----------



## bagaddicttttt

Can anyone recommend any salons/stylist in Singapore for a digital perm? 

Thanks!


----------



## jtstitzer

Thanks for such an informative post. I finally went ahead and got the digital perm. The results were not what I expected. I ended up with beachy waves instead of curly ringlets. I am still happy with the results as my style does stay all day. Here are a few pics. The look in the first pic is achieved by spraying with Fekkai Lucious Curls, twirling in sections and air drying.







The second pic is a more prominent wave with a 1.25" curling iron. The beauty of the digital perm is that the waves stays _ALL _day. I have a full review in my blog.


----------



## materialgurl

^ i've been toying with the idea of getting one for the longest time! thanks for the review... 

if anyone in vancouver, canada can recommend a good place for digi perms, pls pm me!!


----------



## miss-G

materialgurl said:


> ^ i've been toying with the idea of getting one for the longest time! thanks for the review...
> 
> if anyone in vancouver, canada can recommend a good place for digi perms, pls pm me!!


 
Hey materialgurl... check out Muse Salon on Cambie and 14th - www.musesalon.ca or    604-876-5580 . they are AMAZING there... I'm considering getting a digital perm from there, but can't decide yet.. i've spoken to the owner William and he told me about how it works.. they do an AMAZING job there.. I would go in for a consultation!!!  tell them that Gina sent you


----------



## jennzy

alrighties ladies & gents
i ended up getting a digital setting perm today in korea.
its monsoon season here so its hot humid and poured. however the rain didnt happen until hours later i got my hair permed.

when i got home, i found my hair to look really frizzy (like humidity frizzy)
i actually went to a really good salon. 

i'm kind of regretting my choice to get a perm.

does your hair frizz from humidity or is it just my hair?
please help


----------



## ohai

Can any of you ladies help me? I got a digital perm a month ago...

I'm not 100% happy with it. The curls are tighter than I wanted (because my hair was apparently too thin for big curls  ), plus they don't exactly look... natural? On the top layers, they all have uniform waviness, like I left my hair in braids, rather than varying curls. Sigh!

BUT besides that, I'm perplexed by how many of you say styling a digital perm is so easy and quick. 

Can anyone share their styling technique? If you blow dry, can you go into detail about how you do it? I had to switch to morning showers since my curls completely flattened when I slept, and I still can't figure out how to blow dry it nicely. It turns out frizzy and limp compared to air dry with curling gel, but I have classes and don't have the 2 hours to wait for my hair to air dry. Even with air dry, I get a light amount of frizz.


----------



## M8742

How much does it cost to do it in the States?  I got mine done in Toronto, amazing but I paid just under $400.  The hairdresse told me that she had customers from NY travelling to her, wondering if that's true.  NY is expensive???  Just being nosy!


----------



## melhua

So I just recently learned about the digi perm from my cousin and have been researching it all day. i'm pretty determined to get it, i've been wanting one for 5 years now, and my hair is a few inches away from my butt so i have the length that i want to do it at, because i always wanted long curly hair, spirals not wavy.
I have really thick asian hair, and when i mean thcnk its like 5.5 inches around my ponytail...

What are you guys' opinion about the digi perm if i'm looking for hair like this model http://www.yesstyle.com/en/59-seconds-smile-print-hooded-sweater-dress-blue-one-size/info.html/pid.1023820083 because from the reviews i've read online, there are people who complain that the digi perm didn't make their hair curly enough, and just left it straight and with my hair being so long and heavy i'm thinking that the weight will just straighten my curls, would a regular perm be better?

I wanna get a consultation with a stylist but can't seem to find any good places in florida =( any suggestions?


----------



## cakes11

@ MIffy
which salon did you go to?


----------



## cakes11

can you recommend a salon in HK for a digital perm?


----------



## cakes11

Hi MIffy which salon did you go to?






miffychan said:


> Hi all, i'm new to the forum, but thought I'd join the conversation.
> 
> I just got my digital perm here in Hong Kong at a Japanese salon, and I really like it! It's 3am Monday and I got the perm on Saturday in the afternoon, so this is coming into day 2. The curls are tighter but I'm ok with that as I know they will loosen up over the next few days.
> 
> I was reading here that you can't have curls start too close to your head, but when I asked the Stylist (I went with the top stylist who is a specialist with perms), he said that the machines now have pads which will protect your head from the heat so the curls can start as high as you want on the head!
> 
> I got mine pretty high.. about 4-5 inches from the top of my head as I wanted to have my curls last longer while my hair grows, and knowing that I have long hair (straight it sits just at the top of my bra) I wanted to make sure the curls wouldn't straighten out too much from the weight.
> 
> Cut, shampoo, rinse (at least 3 times), scalp massage, head, shoulder and upper back massage, plus styling -- all with the Top Stylist cost me $2280 HKD (about $290 USD). If I had went with a Junior or regular stylist, it would have been cheaper (probably $2120 HKD = $270 USD). The entire experience lasted 5 hours, so it was a good day!
> 
> Its a bit pricey, but I went with the top stylist because it was my first time doing a digital perm and I wanted to make sure it was done right. Japanese salons are famous for their service! The massages were so relaxing and everyone was incredibly attentive. Complimentary tea (green or rose), coffee, and water, plus Japanese sweets
> 
> I'm Asian, so I've gotten used to taking a shower at night. So far, I haven't shampoo'd but just conditioned my hair. The plan is to start shampoo I guess tomorrow or the day after. I put a Japanese hair styling milk product in my hair when its still damp and will see how it turns out tomorrow
> 
> So far I'm loving it  Again, still a bit curly but we'll see how it goes  No pics cause I went out the same night for my birthday (yes it was a birthday present to myself!) and went crazy with the dancing, so totally forgot to take a pic!
> 
> Miffy


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## CraftyJen

I wish this would hurry up and get more popular so I can find somebody close by to do it in Texas!


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## Bagbug

lesparkley said:


> alrighty so i went in for my digital perm today.  i think i ended up getting a ceramic perm (the rollers weren't connected to a machine), but i love the results all the same!
> 
> so this is how i looked coming into the salon:
> 
> photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v287/16/91/3418541/n3418541_38398415_302.jpg
> 
> (last picture with straight hair!)
> 
> first they had to put perm solution in my hair and heat it up:
> 
> krnsnowflake.250free.com/step1.jpg
> 
> afterwards they rolled my hair in ceramic rollers and let them set for a bit.  then they doused the rollers in perm solution and let that sit:
> 
> krnsnowflake.250free.com/step2.jpg
> 
> after taking out the rollers and rinsing my hairs, they lightly blowdried for a couple minutes and tousled.  the end result:
> 
> photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v287/16/91/3418541/n3418541_38398416_8574.jpg
> 
> photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v287/16/91/3418541/n3418541_38398417_5863.jpg
> 
> photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v287/16/91/3418541/n3418541_38398419_4738.jpg
> 
> gorgeous, wavy curls!  the first picture was taken right after i was done so my hair's still a little damp but the other two pictures were taken once my hair had dried out.  i love this look and i'm really glad i made the change!  as much as i loved my straight hair, i think this is a really cute, fun, look for the summer and it's nice to see something different on my head for once!  =]
> 
> the curls are a little tight but they're that's how they're supposed to be immediately after gettin the perm.  once i wash my hair, they should loosen up a bit.  either way, i'm really loving the look!


Love it!  Love your curls!  I am American of Mexican descent.  My hair is so straight and it never holds a curl.  I would love to try this perm.  I am older then you ladies.  So I have had lots-o-perms in my days. I know how to remove a bad perm with out having to wait for it to grow out.  Alll you do is buy a home perm and comb it on versus curlers and POOF you have taken out the perm.  So I think I am going to try this!  Yay!


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## missD

pinkboudoir said:


> OT but do you r'ber the salon name where you did it in MBK? There is an entire building of hair salons at Siam Sq which might have better salon? I wanted to get my hair done there but never quite dare to. I always go back to my reg stylist where I am.
> 
> KMS has a good de-frizz treatment cream but I think it works more for straightened hair. There is this brand RPR from AUS that has good leave in mois to defrizz. Do you get that anywhere near you since you are located in Sydney?



Don't bother with MBK if you're in Thailand, there's actually an amazing place called Wasabi on Thonglor that I love! I got my perm there and I love it. Best of all, I don't know how she does it but my hair is still soft!

Her name's Sumiko (she speaks little Thai but enough to get your point across - all the stylists here are Japanese I believe). Haircuts from her are 1000 baht, and my perm was 3400 baht.

My hair was bra hook length and very thick! Total process from sit down to leaving was 2.5 hrs.


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## pinkpythons

lesparkley said:


> i've had stick straight, asian hair for pretty much all my life.  for the past 4 years i've been working the layered hair, side-swept bangs look:
> 
> photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v105/16/91/3418541/n3418541_35711027_9631.jpg
> (that's me)
> 
> 
> it's a nice look that works but i kind of want to experiment with my hair while i'm still young.  that being said, i'm considering a digital perm which comes out looking something like these ladies:
> 
> jumboheart.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/perm1.jpg
> 
> bombhead.com/bbs/data/monsters_hair_works/bombhead_monsters_hair_works_2007_0000004.jpg
> 
> i know it requires more maintenance to make curly/wavy hair pretty but i think it will be a nice change.  the perm isn't supposed to be as damaging since the machine used to do it regulates the temperature very rapidly and it's supposed to be pretty easy to revert back to straight for a day with a hair iron.
> 
> thoughts?


Too bad you do not love in NYC.  My Korean stylist of 2 years (on and off) is be-yond genius! I am Asian with, I'm often told, perfect hair. It falls below my armpits, has a very slight wave, shiny, can be styled every which way until Tuesday.  I, too, used to pin my hair up while it's wet to get bigger waves.  When I turned fifty, a few gray hairs started to show up so I started to get "hair manicures" every 3 months or so. A year and a half ago, when I went home to the Philippines, I had my hair "rebonded."  I liked it in the beginning because I never had to do anything to it and it dried pin straight.  But then I started to miss the volume of my my wavy hair. Although I could achieve the bombshell hairstyle after a hair manicure and Mrs. Khang's (my Koren stylist) mastery of this special hot iron (which I own but sadly have not learned how to use properly), I want my old hairstyle back and I wanted it yesterday!  I had a bad case of the winter doldrums.  After doing some due diligence, I saw her 3 days ago and made the plunge.  Keep in mind, I never had my hair permed before. I have come to trust Mrs. Khang and her artistry coupled with her never-ending quest for the next best thing. She sut my hair first, giving it long layers but kept the length.  Then she started to roll sections of my hair with large ceramic rollers loesely, about a few inches from my scalp then attached cords to each roller (it was weird, I looked like the Bride of Frankenstein). he cords are attached to this machine that is like a computer. She punched numbers on it.  Checked it a gazillion times then took off the cords, let my hair cool for about 15 minutes the applied the neutralizer.  Left the neutralizer on for another 15 minutes then rinsed and conditioned my hair.  By the way, she used the formaldehyde-free Keratin formula instead of the regular perm solution.  She dried my hair with her fingers using spiral motions with a hair dryer with a diffuser.  She finished with this amazing conditioning oil et voila!  My dream hair!


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## GelTea

Wanted to share my digi-perm results (Star East in SF) with TPFers since I had read through this thread before deciding to get mine. It's only been 2 days and I haven't even washed my hair yet, so I will also update pics later.

Here is the "before"...the stylist described my hair as "normal to soft" with a very slight wave. What's funny is I never really thought my hair had any wave, but it made sense since my hair hasn't been pin-straight since I was like, 5. He thought my hair would take the perm with no problems.
I did have existing layers and he cleaned those up.






Here is the crazy Medusa-sci-fi mid-perm pic:





Here is right after, nicely styled.





And here is a few hours later, already messy but still curly.





I haven't washed my hair yet and expect it to relax a lot, but I think I'll still be pretty happy with it.


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## mkim0117

I've been thinking of getting a Digital Perm for years and I finally got one! 

I went to Kim Sun Young Beauty Salon in Niles. I've been there before for haircuts but never perms. I loved how it turned out. 

I used to curl my stick straight hair when I went out at night or got dressed up. I got to choose how loose/big/tight I wanted my curls to be. As long as you communicate with them what you want, they're good at getting you the look you want. They'll also be honest about whether or not that look will work for your hair type, length, condition, etc. 

Another great thing is that they have before and after pictures of their clients for digital perms and straight perms on their website. It shows people of different age, race, gender, hair lengths...it's really helpful! 

I loved that I decided to get a digital perm from Kim Sun Young Salon.


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## mkim0117

nique281 said:


> I live near chicago, does anyone know of any salons that offer the digital perms? is it best to get layers or no layers for wavy effect?


 
I got my Digital perm at Kim Sun Young Salon in Niles, IL.

I love how it turned out and it still looks good and its been 5 months. In terms of cutting for layers, it depends on how much hair you have and the length. The stylists are really good about telling you what will be best for you. They will prob trim the ends if theyre damaged so the curls come out the best. 

They have before and after pics of their clients on their website, under hair and beauty. You should check it out! www.chicagokimsunyoung.com


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## Regolith18

I've had a digital perm done before and i loved it! i didnt find it very damaging and was pretty easy to manage!


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## bisousx

Ladies, could you guys help me figure out if I'm a good candidate for the digital perm?

1. I color my hair regularly; from natural asian black/dark brown to red. No bleach.
2. I style my hair regularly; blowdry and then curl if I go out. My preferred style is a big, loose curl.
3. My hair grows out fast - I have to cut it every 1.5 months, and then I also get my hair glazed every 3 weeks and have it highlighted/glazed every 2 months.

My hair isn't super damaged, but it's definitely not virgin hair. Do you think I'd be able to digitally perm my hair?


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## joeyjoeyjoey

I was doing my fair bit of researches online about digital perming and found my way here~ Relatively new to the beauty side of purse forum, but after seeing how well your perms all turned out, I AM GOING HAIR PERMING THIS SATURDAY!!!!

Cant wait to see how it would turn out!


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## ellie77

hi, im going to singapore soon (home for me) and would like to get my hair permed there. anyone from singapore here who can recommend a good salon?

xxx


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## lesparkley

bisousx said:


> Ladies, could you guys help me figure out if I'm a good candidate for the digital perm?
> 
> 1. I color my hair regularly; from natural asian black/dark brown to red. No bleach.
> 2. I style my hair regularly; blowdry and then curl if I go out. My preferred style is a big, loose curl.
> 3. My hair grows out fast - I have to cut it every 1.5 months, and then I also get my hair glazed every 3 weeks and have it highlighted/glazed every 2 months.
> 
> My hair isn't super damaged, but it's definitely not virgin hair. Do you think I'd be able to digitally perm my hair?



This is a pretty late reply but I'll go ahead and weigh in case you are still on the fence or in case there's anyone else similar to you.

I'm no substitute for a professional consultation, but I think a digital perm is definitely a possibility for you.  I highlighted my hair regularly and heat styled every day in addition to straight perming every year prior to getting a digital perm and my hair was able to tolerate it just fine.  =]


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## esile

I've been on the fence about doing this... but all of the pictures that everyone's posted look really great. My hair is naturally wavy, but not in a good way, so I have to flat iron every morning. 

Would you ladies that have experience with digital perming say that it is a quite low maintenance hairstyle?


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## pinknyanko

esile said:
			
		

> I've been on the fence about doing this... but all of the pictures that everyone's posted look really great. My hair is naturally wavy, but not in a good way, so I have to flat iron every morning.
> 
> Would you ladies that have experience with digital perming say that it is a quite low maintenance hairstyle?



Nope. It is the opposite of low maintenance IMO. I had to dry my hair correctly and use the right products to get it to look good


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## esile

Thanks, pink. That's good to know.... How did you have to dry your hair? I thought it could just air dry, no?


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## i<3coach

esile said:


> Thanks, pink. That's good to know.... How did you have to dry your hair? I thought it could just air dry, no?


I had it done too and it is high maintenance! There's this special cream you have to put in your hair to make the curls look nice, or else it looks dry and frizzy! Basically, you have to wash your hair in the morning, put the cream in, and blow dry your hair while twisting it with your fingers- too much work IMO.


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## Fee4zy

i<3coach said:
			
		

> I had it done too and it is high maintenance! There's this special cream you have to put in your hair to make the curls look nice, or else it looks dry and frizzy! Basically, you have to wash your hair in the morning, put the cream in, and blow dry your hair while twisting it with your fingers- too much work IMO.



I've had mine since Feb and I didn't think it was so high maintenance.  I just put product in my hair an let it air dry.  I wasn't too concerned about getting perfect curls, so the messy beachy waves were perfect.  If you want more structured curls, you can twist the hairs in one inch sections and either use a diffuser or air dry.  It has grown out a lot, but I think I like the loose waves and will only get a digital perm once a year.


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## esile

Thank you for sharing your experiences. They are so different. I may just have to take the plunge and give it a try.


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## kawainekko

I thought I had read that someone was looking for a place for a digital perm in London. but I can't find the post. I just got a digital perm in London yesterday and I absolutely love it! My hair feels exactly the same and there was no perm smell afterward. Sebastian, my hairdresser says that I can let my hair air dry as I usually do as long as I twist my hair in sections away from my face. The curl will not be as well defined as if I were to blow dry it but I'm lazy. 

An interesting note, I was told that Asian hair generally takes the perm much better because Asian hair is round versus European hair which is oval in shape. 

So if anyone in London is looking for a place in London, go to Eleven hair salon at 11 Blenheim Street.


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## designerdreams

Anyone know of a great place in NY/NJ (preferably NJ) that does digital perms?


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