Harper Beckham asked for a perm with a presentation, and Victoria said "no": what to know before going back to eighties curls

Harper Beckham is 15 and, instead of begging, she prepared presentations. Two of them. In the first she pitched a beauty brand to her mother, Victoria Beckham. In the second she asked for permission to get a perm. The answer to the second was a categorical "no" - Victoria told the story on 13 October on the American show "Today with Jenna & Sheinelle".

If even Victoria Beckham, founder of her own fashion brand, says "no", it's worth knowing what a perm actually means today. Eighties curls are coming back: according to a 2019 report by the Treatwell platform, perm bookings rose by 82 percent compared with previous months. But being in fashion doesn't mean it's for everyone.

First, what result do you want. A "perm" can mean small, tight curls, but also open, soft waves. It all depends on the thickness of the rollers: thin ones give a closed curl, thick ones a more open shape. Which roller is most requested? "The thick one," says Camilo Mutis, a hairdresser at the Madrid salon Zach Estilistas.

The hairdresser has to know your hair's history. Highlights, bleaching, straightening, treatments - even ones done at another salon. Chemicals don't forgive when they meet a forgotten treatment. That's why a test on one strand is recommended, to see how the hair reacts. According to Mutis, "strong hair" handles it best.

The roots grow in natural. New hair keeps its natural shape, so as it grows the perm moves further and further from the roots. If you want to give it up, one option is to let your hair grow and cut off the styled part, instead of putting a new chemical treatment on top of the old one.

A test without chemicals. Before you decide, do a temporary style with rollers. That way you'll see whether you like the volume, whether it suits your haircut and whether you really want to maintain it. After a perm you need products for treated hair and a diffuser when drying, so the curl gets defined.

And a teenager asking for a perm? "I'd talk to her," says Mutis. The hairdresser offers a conversation where Victoria chose a ban - advice that may be worth something outside the salon too.