It's the new wave! Say goodbye to frumpy sets - the new Digital Perm is the secret to getting curls like Kate Middleton

PLUS: WIN a haircut with top celebrity stylist Joseph Koniak at his Mayfair salon... scroll down for details of how to enter


By Deborah Arthurs


Curly girls: The way that Victoria Beckham and the Duchess of Cambridge prefer to wear their hair - wavy at the ends and sleeker on top - is one of the styles that can be achieved using the Digital Perm


What do Victoria Beckham, Kristen Stewart and Kate Middleton have in common? Aside from the stellar career and millions in the bank, of course, the genetically blessed trio have one more thing that links them: perfectly styled hair.

All have been photographed recently with natural-looking 'boho waves'.

But while they look entirely natural, these springy, healthy, bouncing-about-their-shoulders curls do not come easily, and are more than likely the result of hours of work put in by experienced stylists armed with roller brushes, hairdryers and tongs.


At home, such bountiful curls can be more difficult to achieve without lengthy styling sessions that exhaust the arms and heat damage the hair.

But for those keen to emulate the lustrous locks of the A-list, a pioneering new treatment might just be the answer.

The Digital Perm is a new technique discovered in Japan that is now being used by top stylists here in the UK to introduce wave and body to the hair, giving, they say, the sort of relaxed, tousled waves that celebrities have made so desirable.

Traditional perming techniques have all but died out in fashionable salons, thanks to a cobination of their frumpy image, damaging solutions and limiting effects - because the hair had to be rolled up first, then perming solution applied, the hairdresser had little control over where the solution went, meaning only one type of curl was possible: a tight, round curl that started at the root and curled down to the ends.

Both Kristen Stewart and Ashley Olsen have embraces the boho wave, with natural-looking movement through the mid-length and ends of their hair giving that 'beach babe' effect


The Digital Perm is different in that it does not harm the hair - instead, say experts, leaving it soft and shiny. A pre-treatment step helps protect the hair, then a solution is applied only where a wave is desired - meaning a wave at the bottom of the hair, from the mid-lengths to the ends, is possible, allowing for a more natural-looking wave.

Hair is rolled up in rods, which come in various different sizes, meaning a soft, boho wave is possible - something the old style perm could not offer. Think ‘beach boho’ hair – sexy, relaxed waves - rather than tight curls.

Then, each roller is connected to a machine which digitally controls heat and helps to set the curl. Once the hair is dry, a neutralising solution is applied and then the hair is rinsed and styled.

Another aspect is that the Digital Perm can be done on people who have very tight frizzy curls, in order to relax the hair into softer waves or curls that are frizz free. The perm lasts for up to 4 months, and can be repeated without damaging hair.


Futuristic: Digital Perm specialist Christian E.Toth brought the technique over from Japan and is now making waves across the country

The perm solution is added only where desired, meaning just the ends can be curled, giving a natural effect


Christian B. Toth of West End salon Eleven Hair, who is one of the UK's leading experts in chemical hair treatments, is responsible for bringing the Digital Perm to Britain after discovering it on a trip to Japan, where perming and straightening treatments are very widespread.

Toth brought the Digital Perm to London earlier this year, launching it to the hairdressing industry at Salon International last month. Since then, the technique has gained ever more attention.

Christian says: 'Celebrities have definitely influenced the popularity of loose waves. The Olsen twins, Jennifer Aniston and model Gisele often wear their hair down with this soft curl. It gives body and movement to hair in a very sexy, natural way. '

In Christian's experience, the Digital Perm has gone down a storm with his clients. 'Women love the soft, boho waves that the Digital Perm creates,' he says. 'It leaves hair so easy to style at home, and it looks natural, carefree and very sexy. My clients love that they can get curls without using tongs or hot rollers every day.'

Celebrity hairdresser Joseph Koniak, who has styled Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Erin O'Connor among others, has been trialling the Digital Perm - which for all its modernity requires some seriously medieval-looking equipment - at Eleven Hair.

Joseph says: 'This is a very feel-good, relaxed look for winter that is both modern and sexy. It’s about healthy hair with movement that has a natural flow.

'The Digital Perm makes achieving a natural waves 90 per cent easier because the curl is set into the hair already, so there is no need for much more styling. You can just twist the hair in sections and leave to dry naturally.

'Celebrities like Nicola Roberts and Victoria Beckham have been spotted with the Sixties-inspired centre parting recently, which is the perfect way to wear these natural curls. It’s a real youth giving look as it exposes the face and has a modern feel.



source:dailymail