CURL Power

Want Alexa’s chunky tousled chop, Gisele’s gorgeous waves or Kate’s soft curls? If so, it could be time to have a digital perm.

HELLO! talks to
Zoltan Vargyai – the modern master of hair retexturising

When you think perms, do you imagine tight curls and frizz? Then think again because, just like the rest of the world, perming has gone digital. That means you can control the amount of curl and create everything from the look of a perfect blow-dry, through to beach waves and deconstructed curls.

“My clients ask me to create everything from the Duchess of Cambridge’s perfectly groomed blow-dry to Gisele’s beachy locks and even that undone Alexa Chung texture, all with a perm,” says Zoltan Vargyai, London’s leading expert in hair texturising.

Zoltan is well known for Brazilian straightening and smoothing and was one of the first technicians to master Yuko Japanese hair-straightening a decade ago, essentially using perming solution to straighten hair. But a growing number of women now want waves they can wash-and-go.
“We all lead busy lives and what women want is hair that can be washed, then either roughly styled with a little product, left to dry naturally, or blow-dried in the minimum time and with the minimum effort. And that’s where modern perming techniques can come in,” says Zoltan.

The end result is a catwalk- cool look that usually takes waving wands, tongs, rollers and hours of blow-drying by a great hairdresser.

So what exactly is a digital perm?

“It is the most modern way to add customised waves to your hair,” Zoltan explains. “It involves plugging in each roller to a heat source so that each strand of hair is heated to activate the perming solution. I can choose what size perming rod to use from 1cm to 3.2cm, giving everything from a spiral twist to a super-soft wave. I can even choose to leave out fringes, or only perm the mid lengths or ends of the hair,” he adds. “Then I can control the temperature depending on the hair length, thickness and type. It really is a couture service tailor made for each client.”

But can a generation of women over 40 – scared by memories of local salons, teenage frizz and wash-and-wear perms left over from the 1980s and ’90s – really be sold on perms again?

“Perming technology has come so far in the past 20 years. It is light years ahead of what was available then,” says Zoltan, who scours the world for the latest hair innovations. “The technology is mainly coming from Korea, Japan and the Far East and it is very high-spec, even to the point that the perming papers are charged with positive ions to help the solution evenly attract to and absorb into the hair.”

Once permed, you’ll save time on your hair-styling routine. “I advise my clients to use shampoos and conditioners for colour-treated hair, as these are gentle and nourishing for chemically processed hair. Then, choose styling products for naturally curly or wavy hair.”