In perm processing, which term describes the chemical treatment stage?

• A. Chemical Phase
• B. Physical Phase
• C. Thermal Phase
• D. Aesthetic Phase

Answer: (A)

The chemical treatment stage is the chemical phase. This is the part of perm processing where chemical agents—like waving lotions that break bonds and neutralizers that rebuild them—act on the hair to chemically alter its structure. It’s the phase where the hair’s disulfide bonds are temporarily disrupted and then reformed to hold a new shape.

This differs from the physical phase, which involves wrapping the hair around rods and shaping it mechanically, and from any thermal or finishing steps, which rely on heat or styling rather than chemical change. So the term describing the chemical treatment stage is the chemical phase.