I got a perm for the first time in 10 years, and I'd been researching various styling methods, but I could only get a loose perm, so I bought this. It's great! I'm not very good at styling my hair, but just rubbing it into my hair gives it a nice perm! I divided my hair in half and used about 3-4 pumps on each side. I then added another pump or two depending on how it went. It didn't dry out over time. The scent is a little unique, perhaps. It reminds me of perm products. But it doesn't last, so it's not a problem.