Perm Rods & Natural Hair: Which Size Will Create Your Desired Look?

Perm rod sets or cold wave rod sets are very popular amongst the natural hair community and the rods come in a variety of different sizes and colors. Sometimes we see so many women wearing perm rod sets that we can’t keep up with what kind of curls you can expect from each sized rod. Below is a simple breakdown on different perm rods and what each size rod has to offer.

Red, Yellow, Mauve, and Blue

The red, yellow, mauve and blue rods are probably the least popular of all the perm rods. These rods are the smallest of the bunch and create very tight and kinky curls. If your hair is 2 to 3 inches long, then this size is perfect for you. Of course, if you have long hair, you can use this size for very springy and tight curls. Unfortunately, you would need an excessive amount of rods if you have longer hair.

Gray

Gray perm rods seem to create the perfect curl. They are great for women who are between the TWA and medium length hair stage. If your hair is shorter, the curl will be a bit looser. YouTuber Kadijah Nicole used mostly gray perm rods with a few pink ones for this look. She has longer hair; therefore her curls came out tight and bouncy.

White

White perm rods are very popular amongst natural ladies that have medium length hair. This is probably because the curl that the rod creates isn’t too small, but isn’t too large either. This natural young lady below is wearing a funky rod set. Her red tipped hair really makes the curls pop.

Pink

Pink rods will give you a slighter larger curl than the white rods. If your hair is shorter than 3 inches, the rods will create more of a loose curl or wave. Instagram naturalista, @Justcallme_dee, is seen wearing beautiful curls as a result of using pink perm rods on her medium length hair.

Orange

The orange rods create large buoyant curls. Instagram beauty, @Naturallyjael, nailed it with her rod set using orange rods. She started on blown out hair and used 60 rods to create her curls. I don’t think her curls could have been any more awesome!

Green

Green perm rods create less curl and more body for your hair. If your hair is short, I wouldn’t bother using them because they would only leave your hair with a slight bend. If your hair is long and you want a lot of volume, then definitely go for it! @Amber_belovely shows off her volumous hair after using green perm rods.

Purple and Black

Black jumbo rods are the largest of the bunch and create the most volume for your hair. If your hair isn’t super long then you will definitely have less of a curl and more of a wave. If you have very long hair like instagram cutie, @Jewejewebee, then you will have beautiful large curls with tons of volume. She started her hair on wet hair and rolled her hair with purple rods. The purple rods are twice as large as the black rods.

Which perm/cold wave rod is your favorite?