A home perm can give limp, lifeless hair some much-needed body by adding curls, but there are certain hair-care procedures that should be taken to keep permed hair as curly and healthy for as long as possible. A prominent home-perm kit is the Matrix Biolage Acid Wave Perm kit, and following four key steps will ensure the results of a Biolage home perm will last for months.

After getting a Biolage Acid Wave perm, it is recommended that you not wash your hair for at least 24 hours (although it can be moistened with water). The reason for this is that hair needs a full day to adjust to the chemicals, and shampoos and conditioners can damage fragile hair during this period. When the 24 hours have passed, hair should be washed with a special shampoo designed for chemically treated hair, which will clean hair without drying it out. It is also important to condition hair after washing it, as conditioner will close the hair cuticle (which protects hair from the environment and locks in the curl) and will also serve as a detangler.

After washing, try not to rub hair too vigorously in the towel, as this will cause hair to become matted and hard to comb. When combing permed hair, don’t pull too hard, as this may lead to broken, frizzy ends. If hair feels tangled, a spray-on detangler can be used, especially detanglers that contain nutrients that nourish the hair, which can be beneficial for chemically treated hair. When combing, it’s also essential to use a wide-tooth comb or even just fingers, which should be pulled gently through the hair.

Whether you prefer the wet look or a blow-dried style, it’s important to remember that many styling products contain high levels of alcohol, which will dry out permed hair. Unless you use an alcohol-free styling mousse, Biolage-permed hair will react better to a glaze or gel, which contain less alcohol. Blow drying hair that has been permed also requires caution, as over-drying can cause frizzy hair and split ends. Hair should be left slightly damp, and should only be blown out to about 85 or 90 percent of full dryness.

Perhaps the best way to maintain a Biolage perm so hair remains curly and healthy is to cut it. Within four to six weeks of getting a perm, hair should be trimmed. This will keep hair healthy and also spring up the hair’s curls. While it may seem that not cutting hair will result in a perm lasting longer, this is actually the opposite, as waiting too long to cut hair may cause more-severe split and damaged ends and result in more hair needing to be cut than if it had been cut earlier.