If you have no perm rods available, you can use their alternative.
Over the last few years, we are noticing the curly hair textures in trend again. People are employing different methods to get wavy manes. However, the perm kit is the only way to turn your straight hair curly and textured for months.
If you perm your hair at home, you will know its procedure involves using different tools. And when you run out of any, you have to look for an alternative.
So, what can you use instead of perm rods?
You can use hair rollers instead of perm rods to get tight or loose waves on your manes. However, every type of hair roller will not be suitable with a perm solution.
I have been doing hair perms for years now. And I have experimented with great alternatives for perm rods and endpapers.
In the later part of this article, I have a surprise technique for you! It makes you perm your hair without rollers or rods.
Further in this article, I will explain different types of hair rollers that you can employ instead of perm rods. So, let’s get started!
What To Use Instead Of Perm Rods?
You can use hair rollers instead of perm rods to produce different shapes and sizes of curls. Some hair rollers are made of the same material as perm rods. So, they can be an excellent alternative to perm sticks.
However, every type of hair roller will not be suitable for pulling off a fantastic perm. So, I have put together a few of them and have explained how to use them correctly.
1. Magnetic Hair Rollers
Contrary to what their name suggests, these hair rollers don’t have magnets. Magnetic hair rollers come in varying sizes and can be the best alternative to perm rods.
These hair rollers require pins or snap-on clips to hold the hair around them. I suggest you opt for those with built-in buckles or straps.
They will be easy to use and efficiently keep your hair wrapped around them during the perm.
A set of different sizes of Dianne Hair Rollers is all you need.
If you want loose curls, the magnetic roller with a bigger diameter or size is a suitable option. However, if you wish your hair to be waved the other way, smaller-size rollers will do the job.
People also love wearing different sizes of curls on their hair at one time to create a more natural look. For that, you can use a mix of these hair roller sizes.
2. Foam Roller As an Alternative to Perm Rods
Foam rollers are one of those classic hair rollers your grandparents might have used to get voluminous and textured manes. But they never went out of trend. Ladies wrap their hair around them for 10-12 hours to achieve the appearance of wavy and thick locks.
However, you can use foam hair rollers in place of perm rods. Unlike hard plastic rollers, they are soft and spongy and don’t feel like pulling your hair out of its root.
Foam rollers are spongy, which can suck the perm solution, making your hair not get the curls. So, you will need to wrap perm paper around them, which is a standard practice in the perm procedure at saloons.
As these rollers are not plastic, you can’t substitute perm endpaper with tissue paper because it is permeable and won’t block the sponge roller from sucking the perm solution.
The foam hair rollers come with a built-in plastic lock. Therefore, you won’t need straps or bobby pins to hold your hair in place on the rollers.
Like the perm rods, there are different sizes of foam rollers available. So, you can get varying patterns and shapes of curls with them.
3. Flexi Rolling Rods
As the name suggests, Flexi rods are flexible long circular bars made of foam. Unlike foam rollers, they have a protective covering on them. So, Flexi rods won’t suck the perm solution that much. However, you still have to use the end paper.
Flexi rods are a great alternative to perm rods because of their flexibility and softness. You will not need to use any pins or plastic locks to secure your hair on them. Instead, You can lock your manes by turning Flexi rods around them.
While Flexi rods are available in different diameters, the most commonly used are 9/16. If you love wearing tighter curls or ringlets, you can replace perm rods with Flexi rods.
You can also employ these tools to curl your relaxed hair that can’t be permed permanently.
How To Do a Perm Without Perm Rods?
Did you know that you can perm over braids to generate bouncy and textured hairstyles? French braid perm is in trend nowadays. Using this technique, you can get tight or loose curls with a perm kit where you don’t need to employ perm rods.
The whole procedure of braid perm is almost the same as a conventional perm. The challenging part is braiding your hair correctly in order to produce ringlets or waves.
If you have some experience getting yourself any braid, this perming technique can do a miracle for your locks.
Once you have decided which shape and size of curls you want, you will need to look out for a braid pattern that you can employ instead of perm rods.
Subsequently, you will require an acid or alkaline perm kit per the texture and health of your hair.
Acidic perm is designed to be gentle and works well on thin and fine hair or for someone who wants loose curls. On the contrary, an alkaline perm solution is aggressive and is employed for thick and textured locks.
Ask someone to help soak your hair well with perm solution when doing a braid perm at home. Further, don’t un-braid your manes until you apply the neutralizer solution to set the curls.
Wrapping Up
There are a few great options that you can use instead of perm rods to produce absolute-looking curls over your straight hair. If you don’t have anything or want anything to wrap your hair around during the perm, you instead get a french braid perm. Hair rollers, including magnetic, foam, and Flexi rods, are also good alternatives for perm rods.
