I had my hair permed last 14 days ago, having asked for a soft wave to give some body and lift to my hair. Next morning I was upset because I had curls, but I was happy for not having the poodle look. The curls are still tight, but I use conditioner and I’ve manged to get the curl to a wave relaxing the hair without having it chemically straightened again. 
If you have the same problem, the solution is do this by rolling the hair on large rods or rollers the size of the wave that you really want and applying a very milde perm to it. It will process quickly, since the hair is already processed and they are just rearranging it. If you/your hairdresser will try to just comb perm lotion through your hair to loosen it up, that will just make it look dry with an erratic wave pattern. It MUST be done with LARGE rods or rollers. If you’re using only the conditioner, the curls will start loosening up within a few weeks…
This is a picture I took six days after I’ve got the perm. Lol
