Found a stat that really got me thinking about old perm rollers

I was reading through an old trade magazine from 1989 I picked up at a flea market last Saturday. It said back then the average salon did 15 to 20 perms a week, easy. Nowadays I'm lucky if I see 3 perms in a month at my chair. Made me wonder what changed besides just fashion trends. Any of you still getting requests for a traditional perm, or is it mostly the 'loose wave' stuff now?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_shane18d ago

That line about "15 to 20 perms a week" hit me hard. My mentor did that many back in the day. Now I get maybe one perm a month and it's always a loose beach wave. Nobody wants the tight curly look anymore, they want the "I woke up like this" vibe.

black.wesley18d ago

Gotta ask, do you think it's the perm itself that's dying or just the old school way of doing them? Seems like everyone in my shop is scared to touch anything past a curling iron these days. I wonder if the younger stylists even know how to wrap a proper rod set for tight curls. Maybe the skill is just fading out along with the demand.