9 Best Perms For Bleached Hair In 2023 (That Are Gentle)

It is inevitable to deem the best perms for your bleached hair that are gentle because you already have weakened your hair with chemicals.

Modern Day hair perms are no small talk as the 80s hairstyles became trendy again. It is natural to lean on the trends, especially when they make you look elegant.

While today’s perms are less damaging and gentle compared to traditional ones, they still might weaken and dry your hair. And when you have bleached your hair, it is crucial to give it time to recover before perming it.

Also, always opt for a gentle perm solution to prevent hair damage when you want to get buffy curly hair or sleek straight manes after the bleach.

All hair types can’t withstand the chemical treatments like bleaching and perming. Therefore, before getting your bleached hair permed, there are a few crucial points to consider, like whether you should opt for an acidic or alkaline perm.

This article explains which type of perm is best for your bleached hair and when you should get it. We also have listed suitable products for your chemically treated hair.

Which Perm Is Best For Bleached Hair?

Acid perms are best for bleached hair because they are more gentle than alkaline. They contain glyceryl monothyioglycylate and have a pH of 4.5 to 6.5. Since your hair has a pH of 5, acidic perm does not damage it much.

Zotos Hair Texture EFX Perm has a reputation for being relatively safe for bleached or color-treated hair. And a few others are also quite good in this regard!

If not an acid perm, you should opt for a thio-free perm for your bleached hair. Thio-free perms are relatively safer because they don’t swell the hair cuticle.

Hair bleaching is a harsh chemical treatment that may weaken and injure your manes. So, using a mild perm like an acid perm or thio-free perm reduces the chances of further hair damage from perming your bleached hair.

Also, always employ bond repair treatment after bleaching or perming your hair. Redken’s Bonding Repair Conditioner is very famous and effective in doing that.

People with weak hair and receding hairlines always prefer acid perm. However, It can’t give tight, lasting curls because of its mild nature.

On the other hand, alkaline perms are harsh, with a pH range of 8.2 to 9.6, which is nowhere near the normal pH of your hair. Thick and strong hair doesn’t get curled easily but can withstand harsh chemicals.

Therefore, alkaline perms are best suited for it, which induce tight and long-lasting spirals.

If you are wondering about the perm procedure instead of perm kit for your bleached hair, getting Airwave or Digital perm from a professional will not hurt your hair much.

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The following table briefly overviews the best perm kits for bleached hair. You can read their detailed review further down in this article.

Can You Perm Bleached Hair?

Bleaching is a harsh chemical process that leaves your hair weak, dry, and frizzy. Therefore, treating your bleached hair with perm solution may worsen its health.

While using perm over your hair after the bleach is acceptable, experts suggest giving your hair a few weeks to recover. Otherwise, you may experience hair breakage, split ends, and roughness.

How do you recover your damaged hair from bleaching and perming?

Just use Redken’s Bond Repair conditioner, which does miracles for broken, dry, and brittle hair.

Secondly, always wash your manes with gentle shampoo Like Redken’s All Soft Shampoo, which contains argan oil.

If you plan to straighten your hair after bleach or curl it using the perm solution, wait for at least two weeks to allow your mane to get stronger. Also, moisturize and nourish your hair strands with coconut oil and avoid excessive washing.

When Is It Safe to Perm Hair After Bleaching?

Bleach is a great way to pull off different hair textures, but it contains strong chemicals that can damage your hair—and getting your hair permed just after bleaching is like a chemical bomb for your manes.

Therefore, combining two procedures can ruin your hair, making it dry, frizzy, rough, and broken.

So, when is it safe to perm hair after bleaching?

No matter how healthy your hair is, it needs to recover from the chemical treatment, which takes two weeks. Thus, waiting 10 to 14 days before perming your hair after the bleaching is best.

Nourish and moisturize your hair in these two weeks, using the least chemical products like shampoos, gels, and hair sprays. And always opt for acid perms for your bleached hair to avoid hair damage.

How To Check If Bleached Hair Is Ready For Perm?

While waiting for at least two weeks before perming your bleached hair is recommended, you can test your hair strands to know if they can withstand a perm.

You can use the following hair porosity test to check how damaged and porous your hair strands are. 

• Placing Hair strands into the water: Cut your hair ends from different places and put them into a glass of water at room temperature. If they sink into the water before 5 minutes, you have high porosity hair—damaged manes.

If your mane shafts are severely injured, you may notice white tips on your hair that are a sign of hair damage.

Best Perms For Bleached Hair

The perm kits, which are mild and do not change the pH of your bleached hair much, are perfect for preventing any damage you may expect from perms after bleaching.

We choose the following six best perms for bleached hair that give you tight curls and don’t damage your manes.

1. Zotos Warm and Gentle Perm

As the name suggests, this perm solution is formulated to be gentle for weak, thin, or chemically treated hair. That’s why many folks employ it to reverse their bad perms. 

However, it will work well to get you sleek straight hair or those loose curls. At the same time, it won’t damage your bleached hair unless it is already stumbling.

The Zotos Warm and gentle perm will not get you tight curls. You must look for an alkaline perm, which can prove aggressive and damaging for your bleached locks. 

The following are the prominent features of Zotos Gentle Perm.

• Gentle for bleached hair.
• It gets you loose curls or straight hair.
• Easy to use at home.
• Economical.
• Trusted brand.
• Least damaging unless your hair is already aggressively damaged.

2. Zotos Hair Texture EFX Perm (Cysteamine Perm)

Zotos Professionals is a renowned brand for its high-quality perm kits. They produce different perm solutions, serving the needs of every client.

Zotos has two thio free perms. They produce soft curls and last a bit less than the thio or ammonia perm.

If you are looking for a thio-free perm that is gentle and doesn’t smell odd, Zotos Hair Texture EFX Normal & Resistant Perm is big yes!

What Does This perm kit have to offer you?

• It’s thio-free
• This thio-free waving formula employs cysteamine as the main ingredient.
• You will not have to suffer the bad smell from perm.
• It generates soft waves.
• Texture EFX perm lasts a month less than a usual perm.

The second thio-free perm Zotos has to offer is for color-treated hair. It is gentle with no bad smell. 

This perm solution will take five or fewer minutes to produce soft waves on your colored hair. It is because your manes are more porous due to the color treatment. 

Zotos Texture EFX Perm For Color Treated Hair has the following things to offer:

• It is an easy home perm.
• Gentle on hair 
• Thio-free
• No bad-smelling odor
• It lasts 3-4 months
• Softer curls

3. Zotos Quantum Extra Body Acid Perm

Normally, acid perms require heat to induce curls, but this perm kit comes with an equalizer, which means you don’t have to use a blow dryer. It is a great thing about this product because using heat in addition to perm adds an extra risk of damage to your bleached hair.

It is specially formulated as a mild perm that you can use over your colored or bleached hair. This kit even balances the porosity of your hair. Additionally, it contains argan oil that gives your hair extra shine.

• It is easy to use perm kit.
• Give your hair an extra dense look.
• Near to no hair damage.
• It is from a reputed brand.
• Affordable
• It works great every time.
• I have personally tested it multiple times.

We like this perm kit because it produces tight curls, even being acidic, which normally induces loose curls. People employ it for various reasons, like setting down hair that sticks up or reversing a bad perm.

4. Ogilvie Salon Styles Professional Perm for Color Treated, Thin or Delicate Hair

This product is specifically designed for weak, thin, color, or chemically treated hair and has the following pros for your bleached hair.

• It is easy to use at home and gets you a salon-finish look.
• It contains conditioning ingredients you must apply before perming to prevent dryness and frizz.
• Perm kit helps you get not very tight but good curls that look exquisite.
• The perm solution is gentle, and you attain smooth and shiny hair curls as your final look.
• Personally tested.

The product is affordable with a lot of reputation among customers. However, it might not get you perfect curls if you have thick and strong hair.

5. Zotos Lamaur Apple Pectin ACID pH PERM

Not all of the perm kits are easy to use at home. This gentle acid perm is an easy yet effective formula for weak and bleached hair.

It induces loose and soft curls, unlike the alkaline perms. We know you might not adore loose perm, but it is still better than being completely out of the trend.

• One of the best gentle perms.
• Economical and easy to use.
• It works excellent for chemically treated and fine hair.
• I haven’t tried it personally.

While this Apple Pectin Acid Perm does not tangle your hair, you have to blow dry your hair to get good curl

6. ISO Option 1 Damage-Free Waving

ISO Option 1 is specifically designed for weak, thin, color, or permed hair. It has a good reputation among thio-free perms and has won awards for Stylist Choice for Permanent Waving. 

It doesn’t swell hair cuticle as the thio perms. It has the following standing points.

• It is Thio-Free, which means lesser hair damage.
• This perm does not smell bad.
• It is easy to use at home and gets you a salon-finish look.
• Perm kit helps you get not very tight but good curls that look exquisite.
• The perm solution is gentle, and you attain smooth and shiny hair curls as your final look.
• It may not last long as usual perms.
• Personally tested

The product is affordable with a lot of reputation among customers. However, it might not get you perfect curls if you have thick and strong hair.

7. Ogilvie Precisely Right Perm: Best Solution For Delicate Color-Treated Hair

Someone with color-treated, thin, or delicate hair will seek a perm to give them beautiful curls without causing notable hair damage.

After trying out the Ogilvie Precisely Right Perm, I can confidently say it’s an excellent option explicitly designed for chemically treated hair.

Let me share my and my customers’ experience and summarize the features that make it a comparatively safe choice for bleached hair.

It’s a game-changer for people with thin, limp hair who desire that classic 80s-style look. Ogilvie’s perm is worth every penny due to the impressive results it delivers. Say goodbye to flat, lifeless hair and embrace the transformation with this perm.

This perm is ammonia based; however, it does not produce results in terms of hair damage, different from thio or cystamine perms.

You will need to buy the curling rods as the Kit comes with perm endpapers, waving lotion, and an activator.

Ogilvie has made this perm, which is easy to use at home and produces exceptional results for bleached hair. The only thing I have found contrary to what has been advertised is its fragrance.

The perm smells almost the same as other ammonia-based waving lotions.

8. 5 Classic Volume Acid Perm

This perm kit has been named after the five ways it differs regarding results from most of the other hair-waving lotions on the market.

Soft Body and Supportive Waves: The Zotos Quantum 5 Classic Volume Acid Perm is designed to create a smooth body and supportive waves in the hair. It adds volume and texture without compromising the hair’s natural softness.

Incredible Shine: This perm delivers noteworthy shine to the hair, enhancing its overall appearance. The resulting curls or waves will have a glossy and healthy-looking finish.

Impressive Color Retention: One of the standout features of Zotos Quantum 5 Classic Volume Acid Perm is its ability to retain hair color exceptionally well. It is particularly beneficial for those with bleached hair who want to maintain their desired color while enjoying the benefits of a perm.

Ideal for Normal to Moderately Porous Hair: This perm is specifically formulated for hair within the normal to moderately porous range. It ensures optimal performance and results for hair that is not overly damaged or excessively porous.

Suitable for Tinted or Highlighted Hair: Zotos Quantum 5 Classic Volume Acid Perm is particularly well-suited for hair that has been tinted or highlighted. It supports and enhances the texture of color-treated hair, allowing for a beautiful blend of curls and highlights.

Fitting for All Hair Types: Whether you have straight, wavy, or curly hair, this perm is ideal for all hair types. It can transform and enhance your hair’s natural texture, giving you a versatile and customized look.

9. K-PAK Acid Perm

If you have bleached your hair with 20 volume developer or less (lifted hair color to two levels), K-Pak acid perm can help you pull off fantastic medium to loose curls with minimal dryness and breakage.

The K-Pak Acid Perm is formulated to provide a reconstruction treatment to your hair, leaving you with beautifully formed, healthy, and strong curls.

It is one of the gentle perms on the market and is best for colored, highlighted, bleached, and tinted hair.

While the brand claims that their perm formula repairs your damaged cuticle, I haven’t experienced anything like that.

However, it is good at preventing further damage to your bleached hair while getting you smooth and gentle curls.

So, if you are looking for a perm kit that creates long-lasting normal to loose waves on your bleached hair, K-Pak won’t overprocess your manes.

You should not use it if your hair color is lifted above 2-3 levels.

Wrapping Up

It is perfectly fine to perm your bleached hair. However, giving your hair a two-week rest between two procedures is recommended.

As bleaching weakens and damages your hair, opting for an acid perm, which is mild, can prevent further hair damage from perming. Above, we have listed the best perms for bleached that might interest you.