Chapter 15 Chemical Texture Services

acid-balanced waves

perms with 7.0 or neutral pH; because of their higher pH, they do not require the added heat of a hairdryer, process more quickly, and produce firmer curls than true acid waves; always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using

alkaline waves

also known as cold waves; have pH between 9.0 and 9.6, use ammonium thioglycolate (ATG) as the reducing agent, and process without the addition of heat according to the manufacturer’s instructions

ammonia-free waves

perms that use an ingredient that does not evaporate as readily as ammonia, so there is very little odor

ammonium thioglycolate (ATG)

active ingredient or reducing agent in alkaline permanents

base control

perm rod’s position in relation to its base section; determined by the angle at which the hair is wrapped

base cream

also known as protective base cream; oily cream used to protect the skin and scalp during hair relaxing process

base direction

angle at which the rod is positioned on the head (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally); also, the directional pattern in which the hair is wrapped

base placement

refers to the rod’s position in relation to its base section; base placement is determined by the angle at which the hair is wrapped

base relaxers

relaxers that require a separate application of a base cream before a relaxer application; applied on the entire scalp, next to the entire hairline, the nape of the neck, and the top and back of the ears

base sections

subsections of panels into which hair is divided for perm wrapping; one rod is typically placed on each base section

basic wrap

also known as straight set wrap; perm wrapping pattern in which all the rods within a panel move in the same direction and are positioned on equal-sized bases; all the base sections are horizontal and are the same length and width as the perm rod

bookend wrap

perm wrap in which one end paper is folded in half over the hair ends like an envelope, eliminates excess paper and can be used with short rods or very short hair lengths

bricklay wrap

perm wrap similar to actual bricklaying technique; base sections are offset from each other row by row to prevent noticeable splits and blend the hair’s flow

calcium hydroxide

or Ca(OH)² active ingredient in a no-lye based relaxer; pH level of a no-lye relaxer is typically lower than a lye-based one; often associated with dryer hair

chemical hair relaxing

process or service that permanently rearranges curly hair’s structure into a straighter or smoother form

chemical relaxer

product that removes curl or wave; leaving hair smooth or straight

chemical texture services

hair services that cause a chemical change that alters the natural wave pattern of the hair

concave rods

perm rods that have a smaller diameter in the center increasing to a larger diameter on the ends

croquignole wrap technique

perm in which the hair strands are wrapped from the ends to the scalp in overlapping concentric layers

double flat wrap

perm wrap in which one end paper is placed under and another is placed over the hair’s base panel (subsection) bring wrapped

double-rod wrap

also known as piggyback wrap; a wrap technique whereby extra-long hair is wrapped on one rod from the scalp to midway down the hair shaft, and another rod is used to wrap the remaining hair strand in the same direction

endothermic waves

perm activated by an outside heat source, usually a conventional hood-type hairdryer

end papers

also known as end wraps or perm papers; thin, absorbent papers that control the hair’s ends when winding hair on perm rods

exothermic waves

create an exothermic chemical reaction that heats up the waving solution and speeds up processing

glyceral monothioglycolate (GMTG)

main active ingredient in true acid and acid-balanced waving lotions

half off-base placement

base control in which the hair is wrapped at an angle of 90 degrees or perpendicular to its base section, and the rod is positioned half off its base section

hydroxide neutralization

acid-alkali neutralization reaction that neutralizes (deactivates) the alkaline residues left in the hair by a hydroxide relaxer and lowers the pH of the hair and scalp; hydroxide relaxer neutralization does not involve oxidation or rebuild disulfide bonds

hydroxide relaxers

used to relax the hair; contains a very strong alkali with a pH over 13; the hydroxide ion is the active ingredient in all hydroxide relaxers

keratin-based smoothing treatment

also called Brazilian keratin treatments, semipermanent treatment that smooths curly and wavy hair textures and eliminates frizz for up to 12 weeks

lanthionization

process by which hydroxide relaxers permanently straighten hair; they remove a sulfur atom from a disulfide bond and convert it into a lanthionine bond

loop rod

also known as circle rod; tool that is usually about 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) long with a uniform diameter along the rod’s entire length

low-pH waves

perms that use sulfates, sulfites, and bisulfites as an alternative to ammonium thioglycolate

lye relaxers

also known as sodium hydroxide or caustic soda; used to break the disulfide bonds and loosen curls

metal hydroxide relaxers

ionic compounds formed by a metal (sodium, potassium, or lithium) that is combined with oxygen and hydrogen

no-base relaxers

relaxers that do not require application of a protective base cream

normalizing lotions

conditioners with an acidic pH that restore the hair’s natural pH before the final neutralizing shampoo for hydroxide relaxers

off-base placements

base control in which the hair is wrapped at 45 degrees below base section’s center so the rod is positioned completely off its base

on-base placement

base control in which the hair is wrapped at a 45-degree angle beyond perpendicular to its base section, and the rod is positioned on its base

panels

perm sections; size, shape, and directions vary based on wrapping patterns

partial perms

permanent waves that curl only specific areas of the head

permanent waving

adds wave or curl to the hair; also used to loosen curls; two-step process whereby the hair undergoes 1) a physical change caused by wrapping the hair on perm rods the hair then undergoes and 2) a chemical change caused by the application of permanent waving solution and neutralizer

relaxer retouch

application for hair that has received a chemical relaxer service

single flat wrap

perm wrap that is similar to double flat wrap but uses only one end paper, placed over the top of the base panel of hair

sodium hydroxide relaxer

also known as lye relaxer or caustic soda; used to break the disulfide bonds and loosen curls

soft bender rods

also known as flexible foam rod; a tool about 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) long with a uniform diameter along the rod’s entire length

soft curl permanent

also called chemical curl reformation service; this thio-based chemical process loosens very curly hair into larger soft curls or waves

spiral perms

utilize the spiral wrap technique in which hair is wrapped around the rods vertically until it fills the length of each rod like stripes on a candy cane; as long as the angle remains constant, any overlap will be uniform along the length of the rod and the strand of hair

spiral wrap technique

used in spiral perms; the hair is wrapped around the rods vertically until it fills each rod’s length like stripes on a candy cane

straight rods

perm rods that are equal in diameter along their entire length or curling area

thio-free waves

perm that uses an ingredient other than ATG as the primary reducing agent, such as cysteamine or mercaptamine

thio neutralization

relies on an oxidation process to stop the action of the relaxer solution and rebuild the hair into its new form

thio relaxers

use reduction and oxidation to break the disulfide bonds and then reform them to a more relaxed hair texture, uses the same ammonium thioglycolate (ATG) that is used in permanent waving, but at a higher concentration and a higher pH (above 10)

true acid waves

have a pH between 4.5 and 7.0 and require heat to process; process more slowly than alkaline waves and do not usually produce as firm a curl as alkaline waves

virgin relaxer

application used for hair that has not had a previous chemical relaxer service

viscosity

measurement of a liquid’s thickness or thinness