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 manufacture’s instructions when using.

Alkaline waves

Also known as cold waves; have pH between 9.0 and 9.6, use ammonium thioglycolate ad 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

Active ingredient or reducing agent in alkaline permanents.

Base control

Perm rod’s position in relation to its base sections; 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 of the ears.

Base sections

Subsections of panels into which hair is divided from perm wrapping; one rods is typically placed on each base section.

Basic wrap

Also known as straight perm 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 relaxers; pH levels 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 over lapping 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 (subsections) being 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 hair dryer.

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 waving solution and speeds up processing.

Glyceryl monothioglycolate

Main active ingredient in true acid and acid-balanced waving lotion.

Half off-base placement

Base control in which the hair is wrapped ta an angle of 90 degrees or perpendicular to its base sections, 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 the 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 bonds and convert it into a lanthinonine bond.

Loop rod

Also known as a circle rod; tool that is usually about 12 inches 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

Iconic 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 protective base cream.

Normalizing lotions

Conditioners with acidic pH that restore the hairs natural pH before the final neutralizing shampoo for hydroxide relaxers

Off-base placement

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 sections, and the rod is positioned on its base.

Panels

Perm sections; size, shape, and direction 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 loosed 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 long with a uniform diameter along the rods entire length.

Soft curl permanent

Also called chemical curl reformations 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 its fills the length of each rod like stripes on a candy; 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 its 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 new relaxers 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, use the same ammonium thioglycolate 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 then alkaline waves and do not usually produce as firm a curl as alkaline waves.

Virgin relaxer

Application used for hair that has had a previous chemical relaxer service.

Viscosity

Measurement of liquid’s thickness or thinness