Loose curls: If you have long hair, you will use about 30 medium rods or just 20 large rods for a more beachy wave.

People with short and medium hair will use between 20 and 40 rods to achieve tight curls.

Tight curls: For tight curls, like 2C hair, in long hair, expect to use close to 50 small-sized rods.Match your hair and style to this list to get an idea of how many rods you need: Tighter curls need more rods than perms with looser curls or waves, and people with longer hair need more rods than people with shorter hair. Note: These rollers aren’t used in chemical perms.ĭetermining how many perm rods to use depends on the desired outcome and the length of your hair. Self-fastening perm rods: Covered in tiny teeth, these plastic rods cling to your hair like a hook-and-loop closure, making it easier to roll on hair while keeping the rollers in place.Their smooth, wooden surface can also make it more difficult to keep hair rolled onto them. Wooden perm rods: For those wanting to reduce plastic use, wooden rods make a good choice, although they make cleaning and disinfecting a bit more difficult.Plastic perm rods: The most common type of perm rod, you can easily clean and disinfect plastic perm rods.Just as perm rods come in different shapes and sizes, they come in the following materials, each with its own benefits: These rods can’t be rolled close to your head, especially with longer hair, and make a great choice when wanting body waves. Straight rods have the same thickness end to end and create uniform curls.Because of its concave shape, these rods can sit closer to your head and produce curls of varying thicknesses. Concave rods, the most commonly used rods, produce curls that are tighter at the center but looser near the ends.When choosing, consider these differences: Use them at home to achieve a variety of curl results.Ĭhoosing between concave or straight perm rods depends on the look you want to achieve. They come in various diameters like other rods, allowing loose waves or tight ringlets. Flexi-rods: As the name says, flexi-rods have flexibility so you can wrap your hair around them as well as flex the rod into shapes, which adds even more texture and body to your hair.Use these rods to create curls of varying tightness. Concave perm rods: The most commonly used perm rods, concave perm rods measure thinner in the middle and thicker at the ends.Straight perm rods: Straight rods have the same diameter for the entire length of the rod.In addition to different sizes, perm rods come in the following different types: 1 1/ 2-inch perm rods: The largest curl rod, use these only to add body.1 3/ 8 -inch perm rods: Too large for short hair, these rods add body to medium to long hair.Otherwise, use it to add body to medium hair. 1 1/ 4-inch perm rods: Rods of this size can create true curls only in long hair.1 1/ 16-inch perm rods: This jumbo rod works great for creating bouncy, beachy curls in medium to long hair.These jumbo perm rods measure over 1 inch in diameter: People with short hair can achieve an excellent body wave from these rods.

12/ 16-inch perm rods: Great for medium-tight curls on long and medium-length hair.11/ 16-inch perm rods: Ideal for medium-sized curls, this size rod produces voluminous curls for any hair length.The following large perm rods create medium-sized curls and luscious waves. Expect tighter curls than available from large rods. 5/ 8-inch perm rods: These rods create firm, springy curls for any hair length.They create spiral perms for those with long hair. 9/ 16-inch perm rods: These rods deliver tight, bouncy curls.Larger than small rods, these medium rods can still deliver tight curls: 1/ 2-inch perm rods: These rods are great for small, tight curls and can be used on hair of any length, depending on the desired curl.7/ 16-inch perm rods: Great for very tight curl results, these rods can also create spiral curls on medium to long hair lengths.3/ 8-inch perm rods: Use this size for the tightest corkscrew curls available.The following rods produce tight curls and flowing ringlets: Small perm rods have a diameter of a half-inch or less. For example, a ⅜ inch perm rod might be yellow and a 1¼ inch perm rod could be black. Since it can be difficult to identify the different perm rod sizes at a glance, they’re color-coded. Choosing the right perm rod size depends on how you want your curls to turn out.

Jumbo spiral perm rods