I got a perm.
No, this isn’t a republished article from August 1995. I willingly walked into a salon and let my stylist put rollers and perm solution in my hair. On purpose.
Here’s what happened.
Like a lot of straight-haired ladies, I’ve always fawned over big, curly hair. I had a good friend in high school with the most beautiful, bouncy curls, and I adored them.
I was too afraid to get a perm after all the horrible spiral perms I got as a kid. But then one day I saw that Julianne Hough got a perm, and that’s all it took for me to hop in that chair.
💇♀️ Love hair transformations? You might like this post about hairstyles for short hair, too — it’s one of my most-read hair stories.
The look I was going for was loose waves. Although I love super curly hair, my hair isn’t very long at the moment, and I didn’t think it would look good. I really wanted some beachy-type waves that looked natural.
We used large 1″ rollers.
Let me tell you something… in that picture above my head HURT. Do you know how heavy those rollers are?? I had no idea!
When it was all done and I left the salon, I was disappointed. We had put some curl cream on it and the result was crispy curls. NOT the result I wanted.
It took me a few days to figure out how to style my hair the way I liked, and once I did, I fell in love with the perm.
🛒 Shop This Perm Experience
Want to try a modern perm for yourself or just see what it’s all about? Here are some of the products I used and recommend:
- Nexxus Blowout Cream – Use the Nexxus Weightless Style Blow Dry Cream prior to blow-drying your hair to heat protect, give frizz control, and boost volume.
- Davines NOUNOU Conditioner – replenishes moisture & protects frazzled strands. Ideal for bleached, permed, or relaxed hair.
- Curl defining brush – This one is my absolute favorite. If you have any sort of curl in your hair, you should give it a try.
- Wavy Talk Hair Dryer – This hair dryer releases millions of negative ions during use, neutralizing static, taming frizz, and boosting shine.
Here’s how I style it:
- After I wash it I use a small amount of blow out cream (too much makes it really greasy)
- Then I let it air dry until it is almost entirely dry but has a little dampness left (like 95% dry)
- I blow-dry it at that point on low just to break the curls up. If I break them up with a brush it goes crazy.
- When it’s dry, I use a tiny amount of Frizz-Ease Secret Weapon touch up cream.
- DONE!
That’s why I love this so much. It’s SO easy.
When I want to dress it up a bit and look a little more styled than beachy, I just add like 4-6 big curls with a 2″ iron.
Easy peasy!
☕ Not ready to change your hair? Change your drink. These dirty soda combos have zero commitment and maximum fun!
If you’re thinking about getting a perm, my advice is to go for it. The thing about hair is that you can always fix it. If you feel like having straight hair again, just grab a straight iron. My guess is that you’ll love the ease and convenience of these fun, loose waves!
And friends, you are going to want to go take a peak at this: 9 of my favorite CHEAP makeup that works like magic. Yes, I said magic and I meant it. Incredible $5 foundation, anyone??
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Liz is a just a mom trying to keep it real about how little she sleeps, how often she gets puked on and how much she loves them. You can find her here every day writing about real-mom moments.
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