Body Wave

Get the lowdown on revitalizing your locks with a fabulous new look

Forget about those scary spiral perms from the past — the latest wave in hair transformation is the body wave, a looser, less-structured perm that gives hair body and texture without super-defined curls. If you want to give your hair more oomph, here’s a primer in body wave 101.

Know what to expect. A body wave is perfect for people with stick-straight or limp locks who would like to add more oomph or body to their hair, though it could also be used for those who already have body or even curly hair to help refine their look or even relax a tighter curl.

Make sure your hair is in shipshape. Perms can put stress on your locks, so don’t go for a body wave if your hair is dry or damaged from coloring, blow-drying, or overstyling — the chemicals used for your body wave will only exacerbate the damage and make your hair look worse.

Be ready to commit. A body wave will last for three months in your hair, so be sure you want this style for that long — otherwise, purchasing rollers or a curling iron may be a better way to get the volume and curl of a body wave when you want it without the commitment.

Price it out. A body wave generally starts at $50, though hair length and texture and the quality of the salon also factor into your total cost for your perm.

Set aside some time. Expect to be in your stylist’s chair for at least an hour and a half to two hours to go through the whole process — your hair needs to be wrapped around the curlers and have chemicals applied to soften the structure of the hair, followed by a neutralizer to set the curl.

Make sure they go big. Your stylist should use larger rods (not the tiny, tight ones from the perming days of yore) to give your hair the body without the curl.

Show them what you want. They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, and in this case, it can make the difference between getting the body wave you want and the poodle perm you don’t. Bring in a few clippings from magazines or other pictures that show the look you’re going for.

Have it done a few days before a very important date. Perms need time to “settle” into the look you want — usually between 24 and 48 hours. So book your body wave at least two days before a big event so your hair will look its best.

Expect your hair to look shorter. The extra volume created by your body wave will “eat up” some of your length, so your hair may look a couple inches shorter once the perm is set.