Can You Straighten a Perm? What Happens to Permed Hair

Yes, you can temporarily straighten permed hair using a flat iron or blow dryer. The curls should return after you wash your hair. Permanently “reversing” a perm is different: it requires another structure-altering chemical treatment and carries a high risk of damage.

This article separates temporary heat styling from chemical straightening so you can make an informed decision about your permed hair.

Can You Temporarily Straighten Permed Hair?

Permed hair can be blow-dried smooth or flat-ironed straight for a temporary look. Heat changes how the hair sits until it is exposed to water or enough humidity, but it does not return the chemically altered hair to its original structure.

A few important points:

• Use a heat protectant. Permed hair has already been chemically processed, so it may be more susceptible to heat damage than untreated hair.
• Work in small sections. This can reduce repeated passes with a flat iron and limit heat exposure.
• Do not set your tools to the highest temperature by default. The appropriate setting depends on your hair’s thickness, condition, previous processing, and response. Follow the tool and product instructions, start conservatively, and ask your stylist when unsure.
• Expect the style to last until the hair becomes wet. Humidity may also cause some curl or wave to reappear before washing.

Healthy-looking permed hair may tolerate occasional heat styling with suitable protection, but no heat routine is damage-free. Stop if the hair feels unusually brittle, gummy, rough, or begins breaking.

Will the Curls Come Back After Washing?

In most cases, yes. When you wash your hair, the temporary straightening effect resets and the perm’s curl pattern should return. Heat styling changes weaker temporary bonds in the hair; those bonds reset when the hair gets wet, while the chemical change from the perm remains.

Repeated high-heat styling can still loosen the visible curl pattern or cause dryness and breakage over time. The perm itself does not simply wash out, but damaged hair may not return to the same look it had immediately after the service.

Does Straightening Ruin a Perm?

The risk depends on how often you straighten, the heat used, and the condition and chemical history of your hair.

• Occasional, careful heat styling may leave a healthy perm able to return after washing.
• Frequent or high-heat straightening can dry out permed hair, cause breakage, and reduce how well the curls bounce back.
• Already damaged or dry hair is more vulnerable. If the hair was compromised before the perm, adding more heat increases the risk.

The treated hair remains chemically altered until it grows out or is cut off, but its visible texture can change when ongoing heat affects the condition of the strand.

What Happens to Hair During a Perm?

A perm changes strong internal bonds that help determine the hair’s shape. At a high level, the service softens or breaks some of these disulfide bonds, sets the hair around rods or rollers, and then reforms the bonds in a new shape.

That change is permanent in the treated length. Your original texture appears again only as untreated hair grows from the roots; the permed sections remain altered until they are cut off or chemically processed again.

Can You Permanently Straighten a Perm?

Another chemical service can alter the bonds again to produce a straighter result. However, applying a chemical straightener over already permed hair is double processing, and it can cause severe damage.

The risks include:

• Severe breakage, especially where chemical treatments overlap
• Loss of length or density through breakage
• Irreversible texture damage, with hair becoming unusually gummy, weak, or straw-like
• Scalp irritation from additional chemical exposure

Professional stylists strongly caution against applying chemical straighteners over a perm at home. A stylist must know the full chemical history and assess the hair’s current integrity before deciding whether any corrective service is appropriate.

This article does not provide instructions, quantities, processing times, or application steps for relaxers, rebonding, neutralisers, or other chemical straightening systems.

Can a Perm Be “Reversed”?

The word “reverse” is an oversimplification. There is no single treatment that reliably returns permed hair to its exact pre-perm condition.

• Temporary heat styling can make the hair look straight, but the perm structure remains.
• The visible curl may relax over time, while the treated hair remains chemically altered.
• New growth from the roots has your untreated natural texture, creating a difference between the roots and permed lengths.
• Cutting off the permed sections is the most reliable way to remove all treated hair.
• A professional corrective service may create a straighter result, but it carries the double-processing risks described above and is not guaranteed to be suitable.

Growing out a perm takes patience, but it avoids adding another chemical treatment to the already processed lengths.

What If the Hair Is Bleached or Highlighted?

Hair that has been bleached, heavily highlighted, or otherwise colour-treated before or after a perm may be more fragile. The more chemical history the hair has, the more cautiously any further service should be approached.

• Use heat with extra care and with a protectant suited to your hair and tool.
• Do not attempt chemical straightening at home over hair that is both bleached and permed. Overlapping multiple chemical processes creates a particularly high breakage risk.
• Ask for a professional strand test before another chemical service. A strand test can help a stylist assess how the hair responds, although it cannot make a risky service damage-free.

Not all coloured or highlighted hair responds the same way. A stylist who understands your complete treatment history is the right person to assess your options.

If you are interested in learning more about body wave perms and how they work on different hair types, that guide covers the process and maintenance involved.

Can a Stylist Fix a Perm You Do Not Like?

A stylist may be able to improve how a perm looks or feels, but the options depend on the hair’s condition and the result you want. They may:

• Adjust the shape through cutting, layering, or texturising
• Recommend conditioning care to improve feel and manageability
• Show you temporary styling techniques, such as careful blow-drying, for a different look between washes
• Assess whether any corrective chemical service is suitable, while explaining the risks and the possibility that it should not be performed

Not every perm result can be corrected to your complete satisfaction. Growing it out while maintaining the hair’s condition may be the safest approach. A responsible stylist will not describe chemical correction as risk-free or damage-free.

How Long Should You Wait Before Another Chemical Service?

There is no universal waiting period that makes another chemical service safe for every head of permed hair. Timing depends on:

• The hair’s current condition and strength
• The type of perm system used
• The service being considered next
• Previous colour, bleach, relaxer, or straightening history
• The instructions for the products involved

Have a professional stylist assess the hair before booking another chemical service. They may use a strand test and review your treatment history. Waiting longer does not automatically make compromised hair suitable, and rushing into overlapping processing can substantially increase breakage risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will straightening my permed hair ruin the curls?

Occasional, careful heat styling with a suitable protectant may allow the curls to return after washing. Frequent or very high heat can dry and weaken the hair, loosen the visible curl, and cause breakage. Your hair’s condition and chemical history matter.

How soon after a perm can I use a flat iron?

Follow the instructions from the stylist and the specific perm system used. There is no single waiting period that suits every formula and hair condition. If you were not given guidance, contact the salon before applying heat, and do not use a flat iron on hair that feels compromised.

Can I use a chemical relaxer over a perm?

Applying a relaxer over a perm is double processing and carries a high risk of severe breakage. Do not attempt it at home. A professional assessment is essential, and a stylist may advise against the service entirely.

Does a perm eventually wash out?

No. The treated hair remains chemically altered. The visible curl can loosen, and untreated new growth will have your natural texture, but the permed lengths do not return to their original structure simply through washing.

Can I perm my hair again if the first perm did not take?

A second perm on already treated hair adds more chemical stress. Contact the stylist who performed the service and let them assess the result and the hair’s condition before considering any redo.

What is the safest way to get rid of a perm?

Growing the treated hair out and trimming it gradually avoids another chemical process. Temporary heat styling may offer a straighter look between washes if the hair is in suitable condition and handled cautiously.

Can I colour my hair if I have a perm?

Colouring adds another chemical process, and the risk depends on the formula, hair condition, and treatment history. Ask a stylist to assess the hair and advise on timing; bleaching or heavy lightening requires particular caution.

Will my natural texture come back after a perm?

New hair growing from the roots will have your untreated natural texture. The permed length remains altered until it is trimmed away, so you may see a gradual transition between the new growth and the treated hair.

Find a Hair Stylist Near You

Looking for a stylist who can help you manage permed hair or discuss corrective options? Browse hair salons across Canada to find professionals near you. Check each salon’s listed services and availability before booking.