A digital perm is a model that employs hot irons with a digital screen, thus the name. Like a regular perm, the application of the iron is completely in the hands of the stylist. The only difference between a digital perm and a regular one is the way the iron operates.
The irons are heated from the bottom up. Rather than heating the entire brush or plucking the hair straight from the root, as with a regular perm, the irons incorporate a thin layer of temperature-resistant ceramic coating on the outer part of the barrel that “warms up” the hair before the stylist applies the heat. Some of the most common digital perm applications include texturizing and adding texture to hair. There are two main types of digital displays used in these processes.
One is a digital display that is just like a large, clear LCD screen. This is usually integrated into a hand-held unit that is used for applications where only small areas of the hair need texturing or moisturizing. The other type of unit includes a digital display and a set of metal rods that are heated up. Digital perm units come in different shapes, sizes and materials, but they all perform the same job. The units are usually composed of ceramic plates or flat plates and a hot plate beneath them.
The ceramic plates are coated with a special kind of material that is highly responsive to human skin temperature and other environmental factors. When the unit is applied to hair, the heating element heats the ceramic plates until they become hot enough to bond with human skin. Then the rods underneath them stretch out, creating digital curls or straight hair-type patterns.
The Great Digital Perm 