We have all made bad decisions in life. Chose the wrong boyfriend, wrong degree to pursue, wrong job offer to accept, and the wrong hairstyle. While the first three ones are a bit difficult to fix, the last one might not be as hard. Hairstyles come and go and sooner or later, you will have a brand new length of hair that you have to style again. However, not all of us have the time to wait that long, and worse, some of us have made a boo boo, and have created a mess we want to get out off.

This article will talk about the ways on how to get rid of a perm. Research suggests that a bad perm is the most common regret when talking about a bad hairstyle decision next to choosing to cut the hair short and coloring it.

No matter your intentions in wanting to get your hair permed, you always run a risk of getting a bad one. You could either get a perm that has a wave that does not meet the hair beauty standard that you expect. The curls might be too “tight” for your wanting. And worst of all, it could have a fishtail effect that just destroys the idea of getting a perm in the first place.

You can either cry till the perm goes away, or you can do something about it. Here are the steps that you have to do to get rid of the travesty you have subjected your crowning glory into.

How to get rid of a perm: Step 1 – Wash Your Hair

If the damage has been done but has not taken its time to set. Then you might not be too late and you can still wash the perm off. Remember how the hairdresser normally tells you not to get your hair wet for the next 24 or 48 hours or so, well, there is a reason for that. The chemicals that are used to create the perm in your hair is normally done by the chemicals that are put into your hair. These chemicals however would take a while before their effect becomes permanent.

So if you are lucky enough to catch a bad perm before it hatches. You can kill it by washing it off with a good old shower. For best results, use a protecting shampoo or conditioner, or both while you are cleaning it off. This way, you can also hydrate your hair and, just maybe, get some of the bounce that you wished for your hair to have back.

If you tried washing it off with no effect, then the perm has probably already set. This means that the damage has already been done but it does not mean that there is nothing that you can do about it.

Even if the perm has already set, you should wash your hair vigorously anyway, the next step in this tutorial will need for you to do this.

How to get rid of a perm: Step 2 – Deep Conditioning

Granted that you have reached step 2 in this list, then there is a chance that step 1 has not worked in itself. No worries as there are still a few more steps that you can still save your hair from absolute disgrace.

Being a woman with long hair, we all know the value of a conditioner and why we need to apply it after before ending every session in the shower. It deeply nourishes the hair and makes sure that the nutrients stay with the hair. The effect is a smoother, more manageable hair that will be both easy to comb and easy to design in any fashion that we want.

There is a branch of hair conditioning that you might already be familiar with. This is called deep conditioning and it does wonders to your hair. While it should not be used the same way that you use a normal conditioner, it is recommended that you use one every once a week. That is if your hairstyle allows you too.

Since we are talking about dealing with a perm gone wrong, we will now shift our focus on how we can use deep conditioning to get rid of a perm. As already mentioned, deep conditioning nourishes deeply. What this means is basically untangling the hair at a microscopic level, and removing of chemicals that may have stuck to your hair. Chemicals like the ones they use to give you a perm.

The way you will be using it is by washing your hair as directed in step one and applying the deep conditioning of a hot oil treatment. Leave it on your hair for a few hours, but make sure that you do not sleep on it. Put a shower cap on so the hot oil will not get into your furniture or other objects in your house. At this moment, you will be hoping that the deep conditioning is strong enough to wash off the chemicals that has bonded with your hair strand.

There are of course other options besides the hot oil. Some natural extracts does a great job and will not smell or feel as sticky as hot oil. These will of course cost you more, but there is no price that a girl will not pay to save her hair from the elements that aims to destroy it.

By following the directions in this step, you can get rid of the perm. But you can also fix your perm. Deep conditioning is known to remove unwanted tangles in your curls and can tame the wildest for frizz done over by a hair process gone terribly wrong.

If, after completing step two, you are still left with hair that you have not wished to have, have no fear as there are still a few options left. For now, enjoy the great smell brought by the conditioner, relax and go to step three.

How to get rid of a perm: Step 3 – Trim it

Most complaints involving a bad perm are usually centered at the poor ends of the hair that present themselves after the bad perm has started becoming a problem. If this was the case, then removing the perm entirely might be an overaction. So, how exactly should we proceed? There are three choices, first, the more logical one, would be to trim it a bit and see if the hair perm improves then leave it as it is. Second, you can continue to the next step after a few trims to see if you can make the perm more presentable than it currently is. And lastly, you can choose to trim the ugly parts then continue with your journey in removing the perm. We are going to discuss all three options.

As explained, the first choice is the more logical one. And if this does allow you to fix the trouble that you have been having with your hair, then all the better. As we all know and started to accept, hair will split no matter how well you take care of it especially if you wear it long. And when you subject your hair to a lot of chemical processes, like a perm for instance, you raise the possibility of your hair splitting by a few folds. Needless to say, splits will make curly hair go awry which is the reason why people get rid of perms in the first place. That is why getting rid of splits is the key to fixing your perm.

In the second option, you can try to combine some of the steps presented here with a few trims here and there. Or, you could go on and proceed to trim the splits anyway since they would still be trouble should you be able to successfully get rid of your perm. Deep conditioning is one of the best ways to strengthen hair so by trimming, you are both getting rid of the fishtails and protecting your hair from the chance of it happening again.

And lastly, you can go nuclear and continue to rid your hair of the perm after trimming the split ends. This will not necessarily end badly for you but of course it could be the most consequential. The reason you would probably have to go this route is if your hair is not capable of handling a perm at all. In which case, let the perm be a lesson for you about the kind of hair that you have.

When trimming your hair there are a few reminders that you always have to keep in mind. First, do not simply use any kind of scissors that you find in your house. If they are not sharp enough, you could end up damaging your hair further instead of nipping the problem at the bud. You should use shears instead and failing that, you can always sharpen the scissors that you already have.