Who invented the hair relaxers anyway?
1.67 million Americans are still using home permanents and relaxers at least 6 times a year, despite the fact that the perm has been around for as long as the late 19th century.The popularity of perms has been affected by the changes in technology and attitudes towards safety.From the early days of using torturous heat and chemicals to a more modern day approach towards reduced chemical irritation and a better understanding of hair care and the damage various styling methods, such as a perming and relaxing, can cause.
The long- lasting hair waving technique was the first suggestion of the perm.The wave machine was invented by Karl Nessler in 1906 in England.The chemical process was combined with the thermal process.It was able to permanently curl the hair, despite being a fairly unwieldy machine.
There were other significant changes in the history of perming.In 1941, Evans and McDonough were the first to use thioglycolic acid in what was known as a Cold Wave, which paved the way for the modern day perm.
The use of toothpicks when rolling hair was an important step in the experimentation of styling techniques.This style became very popular in the 50s and 60s, and was very tight.
Marjorie Joyner, an African American hairdresser, patented her dome shaped helmet which used an electrical current to heat hair that was in one-inch sections.Very curly hair was straightened with a more compact machine.She developed it to help African American women who wanted to change their hair style to a wave, but it also helped Caucasian women.
It was a fixture in all hair salon by the 1930s.The development of the perm for ethnic hair is said to have been helped by the creation of a cream by Garrett Morgan in 1913.Chemical hair straightener was the number one product of the Hair Refining Company.
Improvements to the perming process, such as less irritating chemicals and better machinery, along with development in maintenance products and the ethnic hair care market, went through a huge growth spurt that continued into the late 1980's.While continued perming can leave the hair in a very dry state, you can reverse this damage with deep conditioning and leave-in treatments.
Permed hair can look amazing and the stages that it has gone through over the years to help men and women achieve a new look has been vast.The perming process as well as taking care of your hair has undergone huge developments.Chemicals tend to cause less irritation these days, but it's important to make sure they don't come into too much contact with the skin.