The Perm that Did Not Behave - My Worst Hair Experience Ever

When my husband and I were living in Memphis, Tennessee, a dear friend of mine offered to give me a haircut and a perm. I was very appreciative of her offer, for at that time, my husband and I were on a very limited budget, and every little bit of saving money was helpful. My friend went and purchased the perm kit, and off we went to her home to make my hair beautiful.

Before she began to roll up my hair, my friend showed me different sizes of perm rods and asked me which size that I would prefer. As I looked at the rods, I thought, "Well, if I choose the smaller ones, my perm will be tighter and probably last longer." How silly I was.

I told my friend that I would like to use the smaller rod. She looked at me rather incredulously and said "Are you sure about that?" I nodded my head, and she hesitantly began to roll my hair up onto the rods. She squirted the perm solution onto my rolled locks and wrapped my hair so as to keep the liquid from draining down into my eyes.

We waited until the time came to rinse out the solution and unroll my hair. As my friend was unrolling my hair, I could see the shock in her eyes. I inquired, "How does it look?" She handed me a mirror, and the only word that came to my mind was "Boing! Boing! Boing!"

My hair looked as if I had stuck my finger into an electrical socket. I had curls, curls, and more curls, and I know that my hair had to have been at least 2 feet wide. I looked like the comedian Carrot Top, only with brown hair! I gasped, and my friend tried to reassure me by saying, "Don't worry, we can calm it down." She grabbed some of Biolage's Leave-In Daily Tonic and combed it through my hair. This seemed to help my hair look a little calmer and not quite so poofy.

My friend recommended that I put the Biolage product into my hair every day after I took my shower and comb through it so that it would not dry in super curly mode. In addition, I purchased several barrettes and ponytail holders to help pull my hair back on those days when it just did not want to behave.

My perm did remain for a long time, but as my hair grew longer, my curls did begin to settle down a little. I have not had a perm since that one that my friend gave me and do not plan to get another one. However, for those who do choose to get a perm, be sure and pick the larger perm rod (if you are given the choice), invest in some Biolage Daily Tonic, and purchase some pretty barrettes.