Permanent Wave

History of permanent waving

History

People have attempted permanent waving since Egyptians & Romans, but were not successful.

It was not until the 20th century, in 1905, that three professional permanent wave methods introduced a new art & science in cosmetology

Cold waving has almost become a specialty service because of the technical knowledge & practice it demands

History 1905 – first perm machine designed by Charles Nessler1906 introduced in LondonMachine permanent required electricityto heat large metal clamps that were placedover client’s hairNot efficient, too much equipmentOblong heating devices hung suspendedby cords & wires from a chandelier-likestructure

History

Women sitting underneath these contraptions had their hair covered with a chemical paste and wound around metal rods, starting from the scalp and working downward

These units were heated during the perm process

They were kept from touching the scalp by a complex system of counterbalancing weights, suspended from an overhead chandelier mounted on a stand

HistoryThe tubes of the machine were then

fitted over the rod, and the curl was electronically “ baked in”

1920’s the technique was modified Hair was now wrapped from the ends up to

the scalp in a method called “ croquignole waving

Created by Robert Bishinger, a beautician from Pittsburgh, PA

History

1930’s – came the cold wave and a new era in permanent waving

Chemicals instead of heat were used to process the hair First cold waves took 6 – 8 hours for completion at room

temperature Term ‘overnight’ wave became popular

1932 first machineless permanent wave Originally designed by a hairdresser in Pennsylvania

This design removed the risk of electrical burn or shock, and didn’t require the use of a bulky piece of machinery

External heat was generated through a chemical process & preheated clamps

History Soft, small pads containing an exothermic

(heat producing) mixture were wound around hair strands

Hot clamps kept the pad in place while the curl was processed

1934-1st attempt w/out heat Original test chemical used was palmolive

shaving soap1. Strand of hair was cut from scalp2. Saturated w/ shaving soap 3. Wound around nail4. Placed in aluminum foil to keep from drying out5. 3 days later- unrolled & showed definite curl6. Curl retained even after shampoo

History

Next attempt1. Waving lotion for heat waving,w/out heating the

lotion2. Chemicals in the waving lotion softened the hair3. Lasted 6-8 hours instead of 3 days

1938, Arnold F.Willat – birth of cold waving Chemical lotion was sprayed directly onto set

hair 10 minutes time a client had a full head of curls

History

Willat found that during the treatment hair was hydrolyzed – the protein of the hair was chemically made to combine with water instead of simply getting wet.

This process often caused many hair cells to break down & as a result the hair would break off when unrolled from the rod

Cold wave lotion, because of its low temperature, was not nearly as damaging as the heated alternative

History

Women could undergo repeated cold wave perms with little or no damage to their hair

The secret was not in the application of heat, but in the chemicals themselves

1940 – first commercial perm1941 a woman undergoing a perm died

Her death was attributed to absorption of ammonium sulfide

FDA immediately took the sulfide lotion off the market

History

1941 – a substitute was needed quickly Thioglycolate appeared in the salons and

worked just as well as its sulfide predecessor 1948 FDA ruled that the new lotion was safe,

and permanent waving enjoyed an even bigger surge of popularity

1946 – salon owners became concerned Store shelves of home permanents appeared Campaigns were launched on the advantages

of a professional perm

History

Early 1950’s – different strength per solutions appeared Additives became popular

PlacentaMink oilWheat germ

1952 – on rod method in neutralizing verses splash on method

History

1956 – finally more salon perms were administered Slogans appeared everywhere

“Professional care is best for the hair” TONI – the famous slogan “Which twin has the

Toni?” ad landed the Toni Home Permanent Company in court when it was discovered that both twins had had their hair done in a salon, which charged $15 per treatment, as opposed to the $2 cost of a home perm Toni was ordered to refrain from further false

advertising

History

1960’s – perms and alkaline perms Natural styles were emphasized & straight

hair became the big look

By the 1960’s, scientific hair analysis had made us more aware of pH Potential hydrogen

1965 – “reverse perm” Removal of undesired curl, later classified

as chemical hair straighteners

History

Early attempts to use chemicals to reform the hair quickly gave way to the alkaline cold waving method that is still in use today This method utilizes a waving solution that

is formulated withThioglycolic acid or its derivatives

Gentler curlAmmonium hydroxide

Firmer curl

History

1970’s – acid wave was developed which help reverse the negative attitude with perming

Today Although thioglycolic acid or a derivative is

still the basic ingredient, the free ammonia or excess alkali is eliminated from the formula

This does not end the history of permanent waving because of continual exploration for the “perfect curl”

Summary

Charles Nessler invented the perm machine capable of producing “permanent” curl in hair1st perms were called heat waves because heat and strong alkali produced the curl1930 cold wave introducedToday – acid waves popular because they have a lower pH than the cold waves and produce a more natural looking curl