History of permanent waving 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 Nessler 1906 introduced in London Machine permanent required electricity to heat large metal clamps that were placed over client’s hair Not efficient, too much equipment Oblong heating devices hung suspended by cords & wires from a chandelier-like structure

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

History The 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 1934-1st attempt w/out heat 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 soap Strand of hair was cut from scalp Saturated w/ shaving soap Wound around nail Placed in aluminum foil to keep from drying out 3 days later- unrolled & showed definite curl Curl retained even after shampoo

History Next attempt 1938, Arnold F.Willat – birth of cold waving Waving lotion for heat waving,w/out heating the lotion Chemicals in the waving lotion softened the hair 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 perm 1941 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 Placenta Mink oil Wheat 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 with Thioglycolic acid or its derivatives Gentler curl Ammonium 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 hair 1st perms were called heat waves because heat and strong alkali produced the curl 1930 cold wave introduced Today – acid waves popular because they have a lower pH than the cold waves and produce a more natural looking curl