Ask A Scientist© General Science Archive

> >   name        rose tulip
> >   status      student
> >   age         15
>
> >   Question -  What makes a perm a perm, how does it work?
>
>Perms break disulfide (sulfur-sulfur) bonds in hair, and then re-form them
>when the hair is in a different position.  This makes the hair keep its new
>shape.  It's a little like chemically heating a piece of plastic so that it
>becomes soft, bending the plastic to a new shape, and then letting it cool
>down.  The plastic will hold the new shape.
>
>Richard E. Barrans Jr., Ph.D.
>Assistant Director
>PG Research Foundation, Darien, Illinois

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