Modern Perms at Keith Kristofer Salon Austin TX

Modern Perms at West 5th Street's Premier Salon

Located at the corner of West 5th Street and Pressler, serving Downtown Austin, Old West Austin & Surrounding Areas.

We create the curls and waves of your dreams with modern perm technology. Whether you have straight hair, an uneven curl pattern or just want a different curl pattern than you were born with, we got you.

These aren’t your grandmother’s perms and they certainly aren’t one size fits all. We can create a variety of curls and waves using unique wrapping techniques and different perm strengths. Our perm stylists focus on hair health and creating a natural look, from soft waves to big\open curls or tighter spirals. We can even use our perm systems to tame cowlicks or give consistency to natural curls.

Here’s what makes our perm systems and stylists different:

Choices and Hair Health: We carry seven different perm solutions from multiple brands. None of our curl services are one size fits all and our perms are no different. Your perm stylist will choose the appropriate solution based on your current hair and your desired results, with hair health being a major factor in that decision. We often use buffering conditioners to protect your hair while delivering long lasting curls and waves.

Intensive Stylist Education: Our perm stylists receive comprehensive education on our perm systems and on curly hair cutting and styling. You’ll leave your perm appointment with a fresh curly cut if needed to achieve your goal, along with education on how to style your new curls. We’ll also make product and tool recommendations, and if desired, we can use your phone to film the styling of your new curls so you can refer back to it at home.

Not everyone is a candidate for perms: If you’ve had a long history of coloring your hair, any history of bleaching your hair or keratin treatments in the last few years we most likely will not be able to give you the curls of your dreams right now.  The chemicals that make up perms don’t get along well with the chemicals that make up the services listed above. We also find that very fine hair tends to not perm well. If you want a perm but aren’t sure if you fall into these categories, please send us a text and we will be happy to help you determine if you are a good candidate.

See the FAQ below for more information

Book

All perms require a 30 min, complimentary consultation on a day prior to your service. This consult must be in-person at the salon. What should you expect in the consultation?

  • a review of your hair history to make sure you’re a good candidate

  • discussion of your curl goals

  • a review of pre and after care

  • a price/time quote

Ready to talk about your modern perm? Call the Salon or schedule a 30 min complementary consultation today!

Modern Perm FAQ

  • We use both Curl Cult and Zotos brand perms, giving us a total of seven possible solutions.

    Using these two brands we can choose from three chemical bases:

    Cysteamine - for softer curls & waves

    Ammonium Thioglycolate - for traditional/strong curls

    Diamonium Dithioglycolate - strong curls, but gentler on the hair than traditional perms

  • The results are best on virgin (not colored / bleached / highlighted / or chemically altered) hair. In most cases we can safely service colored or highlighted hair up to 20 volume in a foil, or 30 volume open air bleach as well as previously permed hair. If you are already experiencing breakage you should not get a perm service. If you have any doubt, ask your practitioner to first start with a test strand

  • From 3 to 6 months depending on your hair and the type (custom formulation) of perm you want.

  • No, we’ll take care of everything. If you’re going much shorter, we might cut your hair before we perm it; this will be discussed in the consultation. Cutting if off yourself might deprive us of length we need to craft the perfect cut for your look, so please don’t. Thanks!

  • For best results, wait two weeks after your perm before getting any color services. Why? Because perming first helps preserve the health of your hair—and it may gently lift any existing color by about half to one full level. That’s why we always recommend perming before coloring to ensure your final look is vibrant, even, and long-lasting.

    Please note that it’s really important to tell any stylist you see that you have had a perm. This will ensure healthy results in any future color service.

  • You must wait 48 hours after your service before washing your hair, swimming, sweating profusely, or strongly securing your hair back. If your hair looks or feels flat, you can use a little curly product to refresh your hair until your 48 hours has passed. Expect the treatment to ‘settle in” after the first wash (i.e. loosen a bit).

  • We do require a separate consultation prior to the service for best results, and so we can schedule enough time.

  • We don’t recommend our perm service if you’ve had a Keratin treatment within the past two years as it can lead to unexpected results.

    Additionally, this service should not be done over previously relaxed hair or hair colored with henna.

    We recommend a patch test prior to getting the perm service.

  • When done correctly, and on hair that can take it, NO. This is one of the reasons we require a consultation; to make sure you’re hair can receive the service without damaging it.

    Most of our perms are “softer” and easier on the hair than traditional perms, with less harsh chemicals. Since this is a chemical service like color, however, it would be disingenuous to say there is no change to the texture or feel of the hair. With a perm, you are changing hair texture by default, but our perms don’t produce the kind of radical change and coarse feel that old school perms do with their with powerful chemicals.

  • Perms take between 1.5 hours and 4.5 hours depending on hair length and desired result. Timing is determined during the consultation.

  • A T-shirt you’re willing to get wet is perfect. Don’t wear a shirt with a collar or any clothing you don’t want water on since we occasionally wet clothing around the collar area. To avoid wetting your clothes we may ask you to change into a smock before we put on your chemical cape.

    • Wash and condition with professional, moisture rich curl supportive products.

    • Only use a microfiber or 100% cotton towel on your hair to scrunch and or wrap up. Seriously, this is worth it, you will have way better curl results.

    • Get a silk or satin pillowcase for less frizz and breakage.

    • Get a collapsible universal diffuser for your blow dryer when you want more volume, or need to have your hair dry quicker than air drying.

    • Air drying is going to be your best bet for styling.

    • Use a Bounce Curl brush! They make a difference.

    • Don’t wash your hair for the first 48 hours (see Legally Blonde).

    • NO hard clips or ponytails for the first 48 hours.

    • Don’t wash your hair too often, reactivate curls with water the next day and scrunch in leave-in conditioner or curl cream depending on what your hair needs.