When performing a curl reformation, there are generally three main chemical processes involved :
- Reduction (Rearranging) : This first step involves applying a chemical relaxer or rearranger (often containing ammonium thioglycolate) to reduce the natural curl pattern by breaking down the disulfide bonds in the hair's keratin structure. This step relaxes overly curly hair to prepare it for a new curl pattern
- Reforming (Curl Formation) : After reduction, the hair is wrapped around large perm rods to create the desired curl size and pattern. A waving lotion or booster is applied to help form the new curls while the hair is processed chemically
- Rebonding (Neutralization) : The final step is neutralization, which involves applying a neutralizer (usually containing an oxidizing agent like hydrogen peroxide) to reform the disulfide bonds and lock in the new curl pattern permanently
These three steps-reduction, reforming, and rebonding-constitute the full curl reformation process, often described as a double-process perm service designed to change overly curly hair into larger, more manageable curls or waves
. In summary, curl reformation involves three key chemical processes: reduction, reforming, and neutralization
