Perms get asked about less than colour or keratin, and then when someone does ask, the first question is almost always the wrong one. People want to know how long it lasts. The question that actually matters is whether a perm is the right thing for your hair in this climate at all.

Humidity is not the enemy here, for once

This is the one service where Bangkok weather works in your favour rather than against you. Humidity makes curls swell and expand. On straight hair that reads as frizz, which is why we spend so much of our time fighting it. On permed hair it reads as volume and movement, which is the point.

A perm that would look flat and tired by lunchtime in a dry climate holds its shape here. Clients who arrive expecting to fight their curls all day are usually surprised.

The two types and who each one suits

A cold perm gives a tighter, more defined curl that is at its best when your hair is damp. It is the more traditional result, and it works well on hair that is fine or does not hold shape easily.

A digital perm uses heat during the process and gives a looser, softer wave that shows itself most when the hair is dry. It suits thicker hair and anyone who wants the beach-wave look rather than defined ringlets. It is also the more forgiving of the two if you mostly air-dry, which in this heat is what most of our clients end up doing.

If you are choosing between them, the honest shortcut is this: tight and defined, take the cold perm. Soft and loose, take the digital.

What we check before saying yes

We turn perms down more often than any other service, and it is always for the same reason. Hair that has been heavily bleached, or that has had a straightening treatment recently, does not have enough internal structure left to hold a curl. Perming it produces a weak, uneven result at best and breakage at worst.

If you have coloured or lightened your hair recently, tell us. We will look at the condition and either wait, or repair first and perm after. Turning you away for a few weeks is better than taking your money for a result neither of us will be happy with.

The one combination that does not work

Do not book a perm and a smoothing treatment together, and do not book them close to each other. They pull the hair in opposite directions: one builds curl into the fibre, the other relaxes it out. Done in sequence they cancel each other and leave the hair worse than before either one.

If what you actually want is smooth rather than curly, the treatments that do that job, and what each of them costs, are set out on our keratin treatment Bangkok page.

Living with it

A perm is not permanent despite the name. It grows out, and the line where new straight growth meets the curl becomes visible over time. How quickly depends on how fast your hair grows and how long your hair is to begin with.

Come in and we will look at the condition of your hair and tell you whether a perm will hold, which type suits your texture, and what it will cost for your length.

46 Studio, Sukhumvit 46, Phra Khanong, Bangkok 10110. Walking distance from BTS Phra Khanong. Open until 19:00. Call us on +66 99 906 9746.