The perm is making a modern comeback, and these celebs are very much here for it...

This time, we've ditched stretchy leotards, leg warmers and crispy corkscrew curls in favour of laid-back techniques that leave hair looking more natural and loose. In salons, soft rollers have taken over from plastic rods and medium-sized foam pads have even been introduced to achieve a wave rather than curls. For a nod to the trend, some salons will even plait your hair in the perm solution to lock in that chilled post-braid movement without committing to anything too structured.

But, it's not just a solution for straight-haired girls. Curly girls can implement it strategically in the form of a "placement perm" to give their hair uniformity – especially if their texture is frizzy in some sections, but beautifully curly in others. Different sized curls can be achieved with different sized rollers. In fact, all different texture types are welcome, the only hair types that experts advise against getting the treatment, is those with bleached hair, since the perm solution can leave hair feeling dry for up to three weeks.

Before you think about jumping the gun and DIYing yourself a new style, it's worth waiting until salons re-open to avoid disasters. "A perm uses a chemical ingredient that breaks down the molecular structure of the hair, followed by a second step that sticks it back together again,' celebrity hairstylist, Tom Smith, told the Daily Mail. "There is a matter of minutes difference between a perm and what is known as "gummy breaking hair" (damaged or very stretchy hair) - so this is absolutely best left to the professionals."

But, if you want to give the style a go before then, you can recreate it using styling tools, like crimpers and hair tongs.

Crimping has had a modern makeover and we're back on board

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By Elle Turner

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Or, if you're keen on giving your hair a break, you can give heatless curls a go. We've seen people using straws, foam rods, braids, knots, and our beauty editor even gave sock curls a go 👇.

Once you've worked out whether the style's for you, you can always head into the salon for a professional modern perm, to give you semi-permanent pretty texture, with less need for manipulation and styling. Like heatless perms, they're kinder to heat-styled hair. Even better, they're effortless. "We wanted to give girls the type of hair where they can wet it down and let it dry," explains the trends number one enthusiasts, Seán Paul Nother and Nick Latham (better known as The Hair Bros. Modern perms give "natural beachy waves. No tongs needed for 5 months," they say. Effectively, it's a wake up and go situation. "Ditch the tongs, the hairdryer and the round brushes, just tuck behind your ears and head out," they reckon.

12 ways to wear the modern perm...