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Perm shows staying power, 100 years on
Madonna keeps the perm in Vogue at a 1993 concert. QUICKVOTEYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSLONDON, England -- One hundred years ago, hairdresser Charles Nessler revealed his latest style to an astonished German public. The perm has shown its staying power ever since. Everyone from pop stars Kylie Minogue and Madonna to England footballer Kevin Keegan has worn the look, with the "permanent wave" adapting to suit changing trends. British hairdresser Mark Hill said Thursday the perm was an instant and effective way of curling straight hair, tidying up curly hair and giving styles body and movement. While using tongs was the best way to achieve curls, Hill said new techniques and products mean the perm remains a good way to achieve a variety of looks, especially the "bountiful" hairstyles popular at the moment. "The supermodel Gisele has fabulous soft waves and curls and since turning glamorous fashionista, Christina Aguilera has added a modern twist to classic '50s curls," he told the UK's Press Association. The original technique, unveiled in 1906, took six hours and involved applying sodium hydroxide and wrapping the hair around 12 brass rollers which were suspended from a chandelier. Nessler's wife Katharina had been his long-suffering guinea pig, having her hair and her scalp burned on two attempts before the method was perfected. Early, haphazard techniques gave way to "cold waves" involving chemicals but no heating and 1970s "acid perms" which were gentler on the hair. The 1980s -- the decade of excess -- saw big, permed hair come into fashion with the tightly coiled "bubble perm." Jo O'Neil, international technical education director at hair stylists Toni & Guy, told PA: "Eighties pop icons such as Bananarama and Kylie all opted for the perm with a tighter curl, a mass of spirals, worn both big and high. "These young trend-setters had the benefit of a full-time hairdresser who maintained the style and ensured that it was grown or cut out with total chic." Unfortunately those without their own stylist got the style long after it went out of fashion, she said. In the 1990s the perm was defined by Madonna's more natural-looking finish in the famous Vogue video. "This lighter, looser curl grew out with elegance and as the decade went on non-committal perms that lasted six to eight weeks came into play so everyone could experiment." And with the recent addiction to straighteners giving way the desire for free-spirited curls or "gypsy waves," the perm has made a comeback. "As the perm had evolved into a process designed more for soft movement, the 'boho' trend, set alight by Sienna Miller, was easily achieved," O'Neil said. Luckily for modern perm lovers and fashion followers, the style need not be a permanent fixture. "New technology allows you to put movement in that will gradually fade away," O'Neil added.
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