A Perm and Hair Color

Q: Should I put a color in my hair before a perm or what do you prefer I do first? How long should I wait before I do them?

A: You always want to schedule your hair color service after any perm service in order to ensure that your color stays true. The neutralizing step of the perm service uses hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent to reform the disulfide bonds of the hair and the oxidation that occurs in the hair can lighten and otherwise distort the color of the hair, especially if it’s artificial color.

Generally, speaking as long as the hair is in good condition, you can proceed with color at any time after your perm service. However, most salons and stylist will recommend a little bit of time between services to allow the hair to “normalize” again. I suggest at least a week or two in between, during which time you should focus on conditioning the hair to rstore the moisture balance and reseal the cuticle layer.

The one-to-two week break between services can also help to keep the cost of your hair services spread out so as not to tax your budget unnecessarily.

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See also:

Hair coloring

Is it safe to put non-permanent comb-in hair color on a newly permed head?