Qld hairdressers seeing demand for 80s perm return

For better or worse, this much-maligned hair-do is making a comeback in Brisbane salons – but not like you might expect.

The iconic ’80s perm has been rocked by stars from Cher to Jon Bon Jovi, and now it’s back in town.

With hairdressers across the state saying they’ve had a spike in clients asking for the hairdo, many are pondering why the popularity of the frizz has returned.

“We started to see the increase about two years ago … before then, we had no clients who wanted a perm … now, we’re pumping them out a lot more,” Luppino’s hairdresser Nico Rinaldi told The Sunday Mail.

The definition of perming your hair has changed, as people now use the ’do for different reasons. Picture: Goldwell Hair

But cringe not, for the classic old-school style has had a makeover itself, the “reinvented” purpose now going beyond for fashion.

“(Perms are) coming back, but they’re reinvented,” Mr Rinaldi said.

“Back in the ’80s, we’d bang out about five perms in a day because then it was more a fashion icon thing…

“People are now getting perms to help their fine hair have more body or to manage their hair better.”

Newmarket’s Epic Hair Designs senior stylist Samantha Jayne perms the hair of Morningside resident Emily Gorman, 32, with Goldwell Colourist Master Stylist Brandon Ford at Newmarket‘s Epic Hair Designs. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“Most of my female guests with all lengths of hair are wanting texture or curls to thicken and enhance for easy manageability for everyday styling,” Newmarket’s Epic Hair Designs senior stylist Samantha Jayne said.

Ms Jayne says the style is like every other fashion trend, coming “in circles”.

And it’s not just a style for women, as more men decide to see what all the fuss is about.

“A lot of my perm guests are currently men, wanting that pseudo-echo look or natural curls and I even have an older gent who still gets a permed mullet every three months,” Ms Jayne said.

“I guess, people want change and like any fashion, it comes in circles … I always said ‘watch this space’.”

Jon Bon Jovi in permier times

Cher hair in the ’80s