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Perming might have been the hot trend in the 90s, but it is back again in modern times. Since then, a lot of people have had their hair bleached and colored. These types of hair could be harder to perm because they have already been chemically treated.
But don’t worry, here at Beauti Classy we have tested some perm products on bleached hair and reviewed the best ones! So if you want to bring back perm on your bleached hair, then read on!
Top 9 Best Perm for Bleached Hair
| Image | Product Name | Price On Amazon |
|---|---|---|
 | Best Overall Ogilvie Salon Styles | Check Price |
 | Best Perm for Blonde hair Zotos Quantum 5 Mega Firm | Check Price |
 | Best Professional Perm for Bleached Hair Zotos Warm & Gentle | Check Price |
 | Best Home Perm for Bleached Hair One ‘n Only Moisturizing Alkaline | Check Price |
 | Best Curl Cold Wave Perm Hollywood Curl Cold Wave Perm Kit | Check Price |
 | Best Permanent Hair Dye for Bleached Hair One ‘n Only Shiny Silver | Check Price |
 | Best Texture EFX Color Perm Zotos Texture | Check Price |
 | Best Perm for Natural Blonde Hair Quantum Classic Body | Check Price |
 | Best Perm Lotion for Bleached Hair Ogilvie Precisely Right | Check Price |
Best Overall – Ogilvie Salon Styles
Specification
- Product Benefits: Smoothening and conditioning
- Hair Type: For color-treated, thin, or delicate hair
- Perm Type: Acid perm
Description
Ogilvie Salon Styles Home Perm Kit for Color-Treated, Thin or Delicate Hair provides lasting smooth curls and waves before and after conditioners. The B4 Pre-Perm Conditioner gently prepares your hair for a natural-looking perm.
Features
Professional perm at home: salon-style perms right at home
Safeguard from dryness and frizz: keep your hair free from dryness and frizz
Long-lasting curls: have your perm stay in place for a long time
How to use
Before you get to opening your perm kit and get busy with them, it is important to first prepare your hair. First and foremost, you have to wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo that is both natural and neutral and the included B4 pre-perm conditioner. Then after pat drying your hair, use a rat-tail comb and detangle your hair and divide them into seven sections: 2 at the back, 3 on top, and 2 sections on the side.
Then take the end of your rat-tail comb and take out thin strands of hair onto the endpapers and wrap it around your perm rods from the bottom of the rod to the top. Repeat this process till all the parts of your hair are curled on perm rods. Attach the drip guard around your hairline and have a towel wrapping up your neck.
Now is the time to start opening your perm kit. Mix the waving lotion with the heat activator. Turn it upside down every 30 seconds to get them to mix together twice and then gently shake it to thoroughly mix them together. Be very generous with how much product you are using since the mixture will be a one-time use. Use a cotton ball to absorb any excess product. Apply this mixture on the perm rods and wait the instructed amount of time on the box. You could also cover the hair with a plastic shower cap so there is no dirt getting into your hair during this time.
Take out one perm rod after the instructed time to see if there are S-shaped waves on your hair. Once the S-waves are formed, it’s time to rinse your hair well with the perm rods on. Then apply the neutralizer and apply it on the rods, leaving it there for 5 to 10 minutes. After that wash out the neutralizer out of your hair. Then blow dry your hair and gently remove the perm rods from your hair. You could also take out the perm rods and use a bonnet dryer or a hooded dryer if you have one.
Expert Verdict
We have one word for the Ogilvie Salon Styles Home Perm Kit for Color-Treated, Thin or Delicate Hair: best! It is easy to use, the instructions are clear, and there is no hassle. Not to mention that this is one of the best products you can use on your bleached hair because of how conditioning the products are. The only problem that one might face is if they want really curly hair. This gives a good curly perm, but maybe not as much as one would hope, especially for thick hair. However, because of how safe the solution is for your hair, it is best to use this product for chemically treated or bleached hair.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Deeply conditions hair | Doesn’t give very curly hair, especially for people with thick hair |
| No frizzes or tangles | |
| Best for bleached hair |
Best Perm for Blonde hair – Zotos Quantum 5 Mega
Specification
- Product Benefits: Curl-defining, color retention
- Hair Type: Blonde hair
- Perm Type: Alkaline exothermic perm
Description
Quantum 5 Mega Firm Exothermic Perm is a patent-pending formula that delivers unsurpassed results on 5 key benefits: enhanced curl definition, More shine, Incredible conditioning, Improved color retention, and New Aroma-Fresh odor block.
Features
Firm Exothermic Perm: self-warming and delivers springy, firm curls
Shine and condition: leaves a nice shine and incredible conditioning
Color retention: does not interfere with your color
How to use
After you get your hair prepared for perming, all you have to do is mix the solution. But be careful because the reaction will produce an exothermic, or heat-releasing, reaction. So you have to apply the mixture of heat-activator and waving lotion and instantly start applying it to the perm rods. And then you go through the regular perming steps where you check for the S-waves before washing the hair in warm water. And then you add the neutralizer solution to your rods and wait for 10 minutes before also washing it out. As the product states, you may or may not dry your hair with a blow dryer because of the heat that the solution gives.
Expert Verdict
If you have bleach-blonde or platinum-blonde hair, then this is definitely the product for you! It does not interfere with the color of your hair and doesn’t further damage your hair. It also gives a very perm after you are done, with soft bouncy hair for your ends. The only thing we will say is the fact that the product label is a bit misleading. You will not get a good firm perm by just relying on the products themselves. For the best result, you should blow dry your hair after you wash out the neutralizing solution.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Firm curls | Product label is misleading; still need to blowdry your hair for the best result |
| Does not damage the color of your hair | |
| Good shine and conditioning |
Best Professional Perm for Bleached Hair – Zotos Warm & Gentle
Specification
- Product Benefits: Soft curls for tinted hair
- Hair Type: Bleached hair
- Perm Type: Acid perm
Description
Warm and Gentle Perm combines a true acid perm with an exothermic neutralizer for faster, longer-lasting, and natural-looking styles.
Features
Firm curls: gives firmer, stronger, longer-lasting curls
Body, volume, and resilience: creates body, volume, resilient curls
Fast and easy: faster, gentler process that is easy to use
How to use
With this perm, you will be using it like all the other perm kits. Make sure to mix the products correctly as you will have to make two different mixtures for this one. Gently shake the product to mix them. This will not come with drip guards and endpapers so you will need to get them separately. As such, just make sure to follow the instruction mentioned here and the one mentioned on the inside of the box.
Expert Verdict
The good thing about this product is that it is gentle and usable on tinted hair or bleached hair. It is very easy to use and fast-acting so you don’t have to wait too long to get your desired perms. What we have noticed is that it adds a good volume and body to your hair. Not to mention that it is an acid perm, so your chemically treated hair will be happy to receive this for a hair perming session. Yet, the one thing we have noticed is that a normal hairdryer is not really enough to get those firm and bouncy curls. For that, you will need a bonnet dryer or a hooded dryer to get your desired result. That is why we categorized this as the best professional perm for bleached hair so that you know that this is something that you would have to go out and get for maximum curls!
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Perfect acid perm for your bleached hair | Needs a bonnet or hooded dryer |
| Good volume and body added to hair | |
| Easy to apply and fast |
Best Home Perm for Bleached Hair – One ‘n Only Moisturizing Alkaline
Specification
- Product Benefits: Argan oil
- Hair Type: Bleached hair
- Perm Type: Alkaline perm
Description
One ‘n Only Moisturizing Alkaline Perm uses the natural benefits of argan oil to help moisturize your hair when you perm it. Made for tinted and highlighted hair to give them a natural style without over-processing normal hair types.
Features
Argan oil and vitamins: great for moisturizing and strengthening chemically treated hair
Stops frizzing: stops dryness and frizzing, making your curls more manageable
No over-processing: allows hair to remain as natural as possible
How to use
The process of perming is very similar, but you will have to note that you need to buy endpapers for this one as it is not included in the package. When applying the waving lotion and activator mixture, make sure that you are applying them on all parts of the perm rods to get the maximum curl that you are looking for. Cover your hair with a plastic cap after putting this mixture in. If any of the mixtures gets on your skin, then take a fresh cotton ball or towel to gently wipe it off and use cold water to soothe the skin.
Expert Verdict
While the Zotos Warm & Gentle Perm is for professional perm on bleached hair, One ‘n Only Moisturizing Alkaline Perm is the perfect solution for you to get a perm for your bleached hair at home! It is easy to apply on your perm and the argan oil will help to both moisturize and make your curl more manageable. The ingredients also do not over-process your hair which is great for bleached-blonde hair. This comes with the catch, where the curls are not really held in place for too long. Your perm will feel more manageable but it will lack the bounce if you are looking for that.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Argan oil helps with moisturizing your curls and making them frizz less | Less firm curls |
| More manageable curls | |
| Less harm is done to your bleached hair |
Best Curl Cold Wave Perm – Hollywood Curl Cold Wave Perm Kit
Specification
- Product Benefits: Natural product
- Hair Type: All types of hair
- Perm Type: No heat perm
Description
Hollywood Curl Cold Wave Perm Kit is a permanent curl kit that is ideal for women who are on the go and need the flexibility of a beautiful low-maintenance hairstyle. Use it in the morning and before special events to keep your style looking fresh before special occasions.
Features
All-natural: uses natural oil to help condition your curls
Long-lasting shine: be party ready with a long-lasting shine on your curls
Fortifying and volumizing: be sure that your hair is fortified and volume to the max
How to use
As this is a cold wave perm, you will need no heat setting or drying. So just follow the usual perming preparation of using the shampoo that is included with the product. This will help with fortifying your hair for the cold perm. For the rest, follow the instruction that is included on the side of the box. For the activator, massage it directly onto your hair and make sure to wash it all with running water with adequate water pressure.
Expert Verdict
When you want to get curls ready fast for your party, a cold wave is the perfect solution for you. It is amazing how much volume you will add to your curls with this product without needing to set it with a hooded dryer. Its fast action means you will be ready just hours before the party. The natural oils in the product will also help lock in the moisture that you might lose from your hair. Other than that, your hair might feel a bit weighed down by all the oil you will use so make sure to wipe off any excess oils from your curls with a microfiber towel to maintain your hair properly.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to apply and quick | Oils might make your hair feel weighed down |
| Very volumizing | |
| No frizz even with a cold wave perm |
Best Permanent Hair Dye for Bleached Hair – One ‘n Only Shiny Silver Perm
Specification
- Product Benefits: Anti-yellowing formula enhances natural silver hair
- Hair Type: hair with permanent dye on bleached hair
- Perm Type: Alkaline perm
Description
One ‘n Only Shiny Silver Perm uses the natural benefits of argan oil and controlled processing through natural body heat. Prevents grey hair from yellowing and keeps your grey curls looking natural.
Features
Exothermic goodness: gentle self-heating formula assures deep, even processing on coarse hair
Aftercare: after-perm conditioner leaves hair soft and manageable
Firm shiny curls: get firm curls with the use of argan oil to keep them shiny
How to use
The process of perming is very similar, but you will have to note that you need to buy endpapers for this one as it is not included in the package. Make sure that your hair remains damp with a bottle water spray. When applying the waving lotion and activator mixture, make sure that you are applying them on all parts of the perm rods to get the maximum curl that you are looking for. Cover your hair with a plastic cap after putting this mixture in to let the exothermic reaction do its work. Don’t shampoo or condition your hair for up to 3 days after, and then use the aftercare products included with the product.
Expert Verdict
If you have gray permanent dye applied to your bleached hair, then look no further than the One ‘n Only Shiny Silver Perm. The fact that your bleached gray hair will not face any yellowing after getting your perm done is the added bonus. The argan oil used helps keep your hair nice and conditioned, with the aftercare shampoo helping with any frizz you might encounter after perming your hair. However, the curls will not last long. We have tried it and found that it will last maybe 2 to 3 weeks before returning back to your natural hair type.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| No yellowing of gray hair | Might not be lost lasting curls; up to 3 weeks of curls at most |
| Hair kept nicely conditioned and moisturized with argan oil | |
| Aftercare shampoo helps with frizzing |
Best Texture EFX Color Perm – Zotos Texture
Specification
- Product Benefits: Specifically made for colored hair
- Hair Type: Chemically treated hair
- Perm Type: Cysteamine Perm
Description
Zotos Texture EFX Color Perm is a thio-free, damage-free, cysteamine perm kit that produces damage-free results so hair feels as good as it did before perming and giving you a really permanent curl.
Features
Thio-free perm: makes it less damaging to your hair
Cysteamine enriched: gives your bleached hair the definition it needs
Long-lasting: expect your curls to last for a very long time
How to use
As with other products on the list, you will have to get your own endpapers to perm your hair. Make sure that your hair is cleaned properly with clarifying shampoo before you start with perming. Gently shake the bottles with their appropriate mixture and apply it all over your perm rods. Use cotton balls to soak up any excess solution.
Expert Verdict
Bleached hair might start losing its color and texture over time. That is why with the Zotos Texture EFX Color Perm, you are sure to get the texture and color back into your hair with some curls this time! Its thio-free, cysteamine formula makes sure that your hair will be back to its natural texture in no more than 20 minutes. Not to mention that the curl you will be getting will last a really, really long time! Expect it to not go away for at least a few months. But with all the good it brings, the hair might feel a bit dry over the course of the perm. So you might want to use a hair moisturizer and conditioner for treated hair to make sure to keep your hair from frizzing.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Up to 3 to 4 months of long-lasting curl | A bit drying; used best with a hair moisturizer |
| Thio-free making your hair look natural | |
| Cysteamine helps return your hair’s texture |
Best Perm for Natural Blonde Hair – Quantum Classic Body
Specification
- Product Benefits: Equalizer for no-heat perm
- Hair Type: Natural blonde hair
- Perm Type: Acid perm
Description
Quantum Classic Body Acid Perms balances porosity for even, predictable curl formation. Advanced conditioning neutralizers provide smooth, manageable, and healthy-looking curls.
Features
Equalizer: no need to blow dry your hair because of the included equalizer with the product
Mild perm: a mild acid perm that keeps your natural blonde hair from getting damaged
How to use
With this product, you will follow the normal steps of perming: cleaning your hair, setting the perm rods, applying the mixture of waving lotion and heat activator, washing the hair again, applying the neutralizer, and then washing that off too. But at the last step, instead of blow drying your hair, instead you towel dry your curls and then apply the equalizer generously on your hair. Make sure that your hair is not wet as the equalizer has to be applied to completely dry hair. Keep it in the hair and then wash it off with warm water only.
Expert Verdict
Quantum Classic Body Acid Perms is benefitted from a no-heat perm because of the equalizer. This means that your hair will face no issue of extra damage from heat. It is also a mild perm so your natural blonde hair will face no discoloration or extended damage from using this product at all! It can even work for tinted hair so you will face no problems when using this product. It also gives the curls a good amount of volume. It also works to fix bad perms setting. You might get tight curls, but it will mostly be loose. That would be the only problem with this product.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Little to no damage to the hair | Loose curls |
| Best for natural blonde hair; works on tinted and highlighted hair too | |
| Adds volume to your curls |
Best Perm Lotion for Bleached Hair – Ogilvie Precisely Right
Specification
- Product Benefits: Conditioning; softens hair
- Hair Type: Thin hair
- Perm Type: Acid perm
Description
Ogilvie Precisely Right Perm is a heat-activated waving lotion that gives you long-lasting curls and waves. Built-in conditioners in every step ensure shine and soft results in less time, even for hard-to-wave hair.
Features
Conditioning: leaves your hair feeling soft and conditioned
How to use
By now you know the drill: clean your hair with clarifying shampoo, set the perm rods in your hair; dampen it when necessary, apply the mixture of waving lotion and heat activator, wash the hair again in warm water, then apply the neutralizer, and then wash that off too. And finally, blow dry the hair with a hooded dryer.
Expert Verdict
Ogilvie Precisely Right Perm is the best perm lotion out there. When you apply the lotion (the neutralizer), you can immediately tell the hair feels softer and lighter. This however, has the disadvantage of making your curls less tight than you might want them to be, especially for thicker hair which we have found to not curl that well at all with this product. It does give a little lasting loose curl. It is also heated and time-activated so it prevents the hair from being over-processed.
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Deep conditioning leaves the hair feeling soft | Might not be the best on thicker and coarser hair |
| Time activated so it does not over-process the hair | |
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Can You Perm Highlighted Hair?
The thing about perming highlighted hair is that be porous and damaged from being chemically treated. This makes it so that when you add the mixture for curling, it will damage the already damaged hair, frying it and leaving it brittle. The main problem with highlights is that it attacks the inner structure of the hair making it porous. This leaves it vulnerable to anything that is added to it. It might be semi-permanent, but it will still hurt your hair.
That is why it is important to wait about 2 to 3 weeks before you start perming your hair after getting highlights. Another thing most manufacturers will say is that you should only have at most 40% of your hair highlighted if you want to perm it. The highlights should also be towards the end of the hair and not the roots. If the roots are vulnerable and you add chemicals to them, then you risk compromising your scalp even further.
You can definitely perm highlighted hair. A simple test you can carry out to test your hair’s porosity is to take a few strands in a glass of water. If the hair sits on top of the water, then it has no damage to it. If it floats, then it is a bit damaged but not so much that the water is entering into the hair. But if it sinks into the bottom, that’s a sign of your hair being extremely damaged and is in no shape to be permed or highlighted for that matter.
When Is It Safe to Perm Hair After Bleaching?
Bleaching hair is to get rid of the natural color of the hair. Some people will add a tint or dye to bleached hair to make sure that the color lasts for a longer time on their hair. But because bleaching the hair causes the inner structure to be completely damaged and porous, it will take a long time before your bleached hair retains its natural texture.
The timeline for your hair returning back to a non-porous and healthy state depends on a lot of factors. How dry your hair is, the products that you use on your hair, and how thin your hair was to begin with all might factor in how long it will take to recover from bleaching. Most people will tell you that it would be back to normal in about 2 to 3 weeks. But some stylists will say that you will need to wait about a month or even longer before you can perm your hair. It all depends on the time it will take your hair, which is determined by the weather as well!
To be completely safe for perming, you can perm your hair a month after bleaching. But do be warned that the additional chemical during the perming might make your bleached hair even worse than before.
FAQs
Is there a perm safe for bleached hair?
Cysteamine waves and thio-safe perms are the safest for bleached hair. Along with this, acid perms are safe because they match the pH levels of the hair. Alkaline might cause too much damage to your hair so be careful about using it.
Can bleached blonde hair be permed?
Yes, bleached blonde hair be permed! The Quantum 5 Mega Firm Exothermic Perm is the perfect product for your bleach-blonde hair.
What comes first perm or bleach?
If you bleach your hair after having it permed, you will lose the perm so it is better to wait the month after bleaching to get it permed.
When should you not perm your hair?
You should not perm your hair within the first month of bleaching and if your hair is porous. Otherwise, you risk damaging the hair cuticles.
How long after bleaching hair can I perm it?
Some would say 2 to 3 weeks is fine, but it is advisable to wait at least a whole month before perming it.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it! These products should be perfectly good for your hair after getting it bleached. Remember that the type of hair matters along with the time you wait between your bleaching and perming. But you should be fine to get it permed a month after bleaching your hair. So don’t be afraid of the labels warning you about perming chemically treated hair because you absolutely can get it permed if you want!
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