Perming short hair can be a disaster for some and a miracle for others. Depending on your hair genetics you can have a great curly perm, even if your hair is short. Good perm methods for short hair are poodle perms or afro-perms. You can create these nice looks with a few pointers on how to perm curly hair.
Comb your clean dry hair and roll it into the perming rods. Since the hair is short you won't have to wind for very long. Make sure to wind the hair in a natural pattern, the way it would if you had naturally curly hair.
Wrap a towel around the base of the hair and forehead to prevent the perming solution from dripping.
Begin applying perming solution to the rods. You should have a perm specific to short hair, so the solution will make more relaxed curls than tight ones.The towel around your head and the one on your shoulders will prevent the solution from dripping and ruining your clothes.
Wait the specified amount of time set by the curling kit instructions, and then rinse the curls. The water should be tepid and comfortable to rinse for 3 to 5 minutes.
Neutralize the hair carefully, saturating each rod, and wait the specified amount of time on the kit for neutralizer to take effect.
Unroll the perming rods and rinse the neutralizer out of the hair completely. Take care to be gentle so as not to tangle your curls.
Condition the hair. Blow dry and style your new curls as desired.