Which bond is broken by perm solution?

• A. Disulfide Bonds
• B. Hydrogen Bonds
• C. Ionic Bonds
• D. Peptide Bonds

Answer: (A)

Disulfide bonds are the bonds being targeted. In hair, these covalent links form between cysteine residues and give the hair its fixed shape. A perm solution contains a reducing agent that breaks these S-S bonds, converting them into free sulfhydryl groups and allowing the hair to be reshaped around rods. After the wrap, a neutralizer oxidizes the sulfhydryl groups to reform new disulfide bonds in the hair’s new configuration, locking in the curl.

Hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds, and peptide bonds aren’t the primary bonds perm solution aims to break or reform. Hydrogen and ionic bonds can be temporarily affected by moisture and pH, but they don’t provide the permanent rearrangement of curl. Peptide bonds form the protein backbone and aren’t broken during perming, so they don’t drive the curling process.