If you’ve read my previous blog “Pictures of Our Lives” you know that I’ve recently been looking through old pictures. They say a picture is worth 1000 words, well I have one word, right now and that word is PERM, yes that’s right you heard it here – as in your hair – a permanent treatment for your hair – remember perms and body waves?
Going through these old depictions of my college-self and life just after, I realized I liked the perm, the wave it presented to my hair but there was always two problems – the ends didn’t curl without the assistance of a curling iron or styling brush– instead, having an almost blunt end, which may be popular but I was looking for that curvy softness and second, while I seem to have many pictures of me with wavy styled hair, I never felt it stayed very long – considering the time and money put into it. Not that it is the “perm’s” fault – you see my hair is fine, exceptionally fine and bone straight – when I brush it straight down it seems to stick to my head and although you would never know it by looking at the pictures, it’s also very thick. Every hairdresser since I was a child would be astonished by the amount of hair needing to be swept up after a cut.
When it came to perming – my hair being so fine and so straight it took smaller curlers and a lot of them. Depending on the cut, results could look a little poodley when it was wet but the right cut and styled dry, it was great.
Texting a picture from college to my hairdresser her response was …”LOL”
“I’m not kidding” I texted back “Could you do this?”
Kim, my hairdresser is about 30 and while I love the cuts from her, when it comes to additional service she prefers to work color. I think she finds perms to be dated and by showing her a picture of me in college – I guess I was proving her right but I didn’t care – Hair Grows – if I didn’t like the results, it would grow out – it’s not the end of the world there are much more pressing things going on these days.
Kim had me set up an appointment with her partner, Stephanie, who is closer to my age and more perm friendly.
This was initiated in May – Connecticut had just begun plans for reopening so I had plenty of time to ponder my decisions before my appointment at the end of June.
Before I knew it, Kim was cutting my hair and the next week Stephanie was due to be rolling up my soon to be curls. I was excited mainly because of the hopes with more recent chemicals – the curl would stay a little longer and go all the way to the ends and it would have that wavy wave I desired.
The day arrived – I showed up, wearing my face mask – we discussed the procedure and Stephanie sprayed my hands with sanitizer reciting step by step of what the next 2 hours held.
Familiarity starts in – watching her with the curlers, the paper wraps, the smells of chemicals, wrappings around my head and then just sitting there, waiting – the timer goes and she starts to unwrap one little curl to see if it worked. Tightens it back up, we go over to the sink and rinse, the refreshing feeling of cool water flowing over the curlers and then, the pat/squeeze dry with the towel on the curlers – all still in place now is the time for the big reveal she loosens on the curlers and then next one and the next one and there we have it – WAVY hair, I have to say the experience the results pretty much the same after 30 plus years. My cut is different so it is a completely different look – No I did not completely return to the 80s hair but I’m happy with the easy summer look.
So my current take on the “dated” perm? I like it. The flashback technique with a present cut —
Bring back the perm.
Dear Diary, This week I got a perm and I am extraordinarily wavy to the end.
