Turn of the century advertisement for Nessler's permanent wave machine.

Permanent wave machine invented in 1928 by Marjorie Joyner - The first African American woman to receive a patent

A permanent wave, commonly called a perm, is the chemical treatment of hair to produce curls. In cosmetology, it is termed a type of curl reformation. Humans have been attempting to add curl to straight hair for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians did this by wrapping their hair around wooden sticks; slathering it with mud from hot springs; letting it bake dry in the sun and then removing the mud. Presumably the mud had an alkaline chemical makeup that helped to set the curls. Image File history File links Oldpermwavead. ... Image File history File links Oldpermwavead. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (376x619, 16 KB)Permanent wave machine invented by Marjorie Joyner in 1928 (The first African American woman to recieve a patent)- Patent Expired The text of U.S. patents are in the public domain worldwide [1]. Patent illustrations may be copyrighted... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (376x619, 16 KB)Permanent wave machine invented by Marjorie Joyner in 1928 (The first African American woman to recieve a patent)- Patent Expired The text of U.S. patents are in the public domain worldwide [1]. Patent illustrations may be copyrighted... Patent image of Permanent wave machine invented in 1928 by Marjorie Joyner Marjorie Stewart Joyner (October 24, 1896 - December 7, 1994) was born in 1896, in Monterey, Virginia. ... A strand of human hair under magnification Hair is also the name of a musical, see respective articles for the stage production and the movie. ... Cosmetology is the treatment of skin, hair and nails and includes, but is not limited to, manicures, pedicures, application of artificial nails, special occasion hairstyling, shampooing hair, cosmetic application, body hair removal, chemical hair relaxers or straighteners, permanent waves, coloring and highlighting of hair, and hair extensions or wig treatments. ...

History

The first chemical treatment for curling hair that was suitable for use on people was invented in the year 1906 by the German hairdresser Karl Nessler (1872-1951). He used a mixture of cow urine and water. The first public demonstration took place on October 8, 1906, but Nessler had been working on the idea since 1896. Previously, wigs had been set with caustic chemicals to form curls, but these recipes were too harsh to use on human skin. His method, called the spiral heat method, was only useful for long hair. The hair was wrapped in a spiral around rods connected to a machine with an electric heating device. Sodium hydroxide, a strong alkali, was applied and the hair was heated (212°F; 100°C or more) for an extended period of time. The process used about twelve, two-pound brass rollers and took six hours to complete. These hot rollers were kept from touching the scalp by a complex system of countering weights which were suspended from an overhead chandelier and mounted on a stand. His first experiments were conducted on his wife, Katharina Laible. The first two attempts resulted in completely burning her hair off and some scalp burns, but the method was perfected and his electric permanent wave machine was patented in London in 1909. It subsequently went into widespread use. Karl Ludwig Nessler (*2 May 1872 in Todtnau; †22 January 1951 in Harrington Park (New Jersey, USA)) was the german inventor of the permanent wave. ... A caustic substance, in chemistry, is one that causes corrosion, the deterioration of a material. ... Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), also known as lye or caustic soda, is a caustic metallic base. ... Acids and bases: Acid-base reaction pH Self-ionization of water Buffer solutions Systematic naming Acid-base extraction Acidity function Proton affinity Acids: Strong acids Weak acids Superacids Lewis acids Mineral acids Organic acids Bases: Strong bases Weak bases Superbases Lewis bases Organic bases edit In chemistry, a base is... For other uses, see Brass (disambiguation). ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Nessler had moved to London in 1901, and during World War I, the British jailed Nessler because he was German and forced him to surrender his assets. He escaped to New York City in 1915, buying passage on a steamship under an assumed name. In New York, he found that hundreds of copies of his machine were in use, but most did not work well and were unreliable. Nessler opened a shop on East 49th St., and soon had salons in Chicago, Detroit, Palm Beach, Florida and Philadelphia. Nessler also developed a machine for home use that was sold for fifteen dollars. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Nickname: Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1625 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area  - City  468. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Being largely seasonal, downtown Palm Beachs streets are virtually vacant in the summer. ... Nickname: Motto: Philadelphia maneto - Let brotherly love continue Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States Commonwealth Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Government  - Mayor John F. Street (D) Area  - City 369. ...

After World War I, short hair came into vogue. Because Nessler's method wrapped the hair in a spiral along the rods, it couldn't be used with short hair and alternate systems began to be developed. The croquignole method, where the hair is wrapped straight up the rod from the ends to the scalp, was invented in 1924 by a Czech hairdresser, Josef Mayer. It quickly became popular because it could be used with many different lengths of hair. Also during this time, a machineless method that applied preheated clamps over the wrapped rods was invented, but it still used the strong alkali solution. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

In 1931, at the Midwest Beauty Show in Chicago, Ralph I. Evans and Everett G. McDonough showed a heatless system for the first time. Their method used bi-sulphide solution and was often applied at the salon, left on while the client went home and removed the next day, leading it to be called the overnight wave. A beauty salon is a place where people go to receive beauty treatments, and purchase beauty products. ...

While the later methods were improvements on the original, all of those mentioned above used very strong alkali solution, tight wrapping, long developing times and more often than not caused hair damage and scalp burns. The scalp is the anatomical area bordered by the face anteriorly and the neck to the sides and posteriorly. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Modern perms

In 1938, Arnold F. Willatt invented the cold wave, the precursor to the modern perm. It used no machines and no heat. The hair was wrapped on rods and a reduction lotion containing ammonium thioglycolate was applied. This chemical breaks open the disulfide linkages between the polypeptide bonds in the keratin (the protein structure) in the hair. The disulfide bonds give hair its elasticity, and can be reformed with chemicals. Next, an acid neutralizer lotion was applied, (hydrogen peroxide), to close the disulfide bridges again and the hair was reformed to the shape of the rod. The entire process took 6-8 hours at room temperature. Ammonium thioglycolate, also known as perm salt, is a weak salt, made by mixing a solution of ammonium hydroxide with a solution of thioglycolic acid. ... Peptides are the family of molecules formed from the linking, in a defined order, of various amino acids. ... Microscopy of keratin filaments inside cells. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... A strand of human hair under magnification Hair is also the name of a musical, see respective articles for the stage production and the movie. ... Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a very pale blue liquid which appears colourless in a dilute solution, slightly more viscous than water. ...

Perms today use this method with sodium thioglycolate instead of ammonium thioglycolate, at a pH of 8 to 9.5. This method takes only 15-30 minutes until the neutralizer is applied to bring down the pH and rebond the hair. The correct title of this article is . ...

In the 1970s, acid perms were invented. These use glycerol monothioglycolate instead and contain no ammonia. They are sometimes called buffered waves. This perm is slower but gentler to the hair. Heat is usually added by placing the client under a dryer, after covering the wrapped head with a plastic cap. The reaction is endothermic and the additional heat causes the pH to rise from 6.9 to 7.2. Ammonia is a compound with the formula NH3. ... In thermodynamics, the word endothermic describes a process or reaction that absorbs energy in the form of heat. ...

Other types of modern perms include exothermic perms, which are self timing and self heating; and neutral, or low pH, thioglycolate free perms. In thermodynamics, the word exothermic describes a process or reaction that releases energy in the form of heat. ...

The permanent relaxer straightens the hair instead of curling it. The same chemical methods can be used for this, but the hair is not wrapped around rods. This process is commonly used by African-Americans and others with naturally curly hair.

Technical considerations

There are two parts to a perm, the physical action of wrapping the hair, and the chemical phase. Both of these can affect the result. Important physical variables involved are what type of rod is used, how the hair is wrapped and how end papers are used. The two most common types of rods are straight and concave; each giving a different curl effect. The wrapping method is either spiral or croquinole, and various types and positionings of end papers can be used with any combination of the above. Generally, smaller rods will produce smaller, tighter curls and increase the appearance of shortening the hair. Look up Concave in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The chemical solution used in the perming process is determined by the client's hair type and the pH of the solution. Classic alkaline perms are used for stronger, coarser hair. They work at room temperature and usually contain ammonium thioglycolate in the pH range of 9-10. Acid perms are used on more delicate or thinner hair. They require outside heat application and usually contain glycerol monothioglycolate in the pH range of 6.5-8.2. The common (Arrhenius) definition of a base is a chemical compound that either donates hydroxide ions or absorbs hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. ...

Safety considerations

Due to the harsh nature of the chemicals, it is important that contact with the skin be minimized. Modern chemicals are less irritating, but measures should still be taken to reduce contact with anything other than hair. In zootomy and dermatology, skin is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial tissues that guard underlying muscles and organs. ...

A poorly performed permanent wave will result in breakage of the disulfide bonds through chemical reduction, because it fails to fix the newly formed bonds. This results in hair that is no longer elastic and flexible, but brittle and fragile. At this point, even combing the hair will result in hair loss. The hair shafts will experience fracture where they exit the scalp. Because the bulb of hair has not been removed though, the hair follicle is not damaged and the hair will regrow; however, the temporary hair loss may be distressing.

Home perms

A number of brands of home permanent kits are available, but their numbers have decreased as permanent waves are not as popular as they were in the 1980s. The first popular home permanent was the Toni brand. The Toni company used a set of twins to advertise their products — one with a salon perm and one with the home perm. Another brand that was a household name in Britain in the late 1960s and 1970s was Twink. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979. ... Twink product box front - 1970s Silky Curler Twink by Elida was a popular brand of home perm kit that was available in Britain in the late 1960s and 1970s, retailing for about 37 pence. ...

References

• Karl L. Nessler. Retrieved on 2006-07-24.
• (2004) Salon Fundamentals: A resource for your cosmetology career. Evanston, IL: Pivot Point International. ISBN 0-615-11288-9. 

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 24 is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Pictures of Nessler's permanent curling machine
• Disulphide bonds in hair
• The chemistry of a permanent wave
• Old advertisement for Toni brand perm
• Getting a perm in 1950 (demonstration)