Hello! My name is Stephanie. And right before the pandemic started last year, I decided to get a perm.
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And because my hair is so thin, I usually opt for short cuts, like this pixie cut.
Going into it, I'm not going to lie: I was really scared I was going to look like the clown emoji or my grandmother.
My hairstylist used three different rods: white, purple, and the peachy one.
Ta-da! He permed only the top of my head because of my pixie cut, and did a taper of curls into the straight part of the back of my head.
Here's a little before and after of my perm! It looks like the perm made my hair lighter, but it's actually just my previously bleached hair shining through.
As my hair started to grow out, I found that I really loved how it looked at every length. Every few weeks, the style of my hair looked completely different. The curls would move my hair in various directions. I had so much volume, and honestly, my confidence in my look really skyrocketed with this perm!
Let's talk about care, though. How do I keep my curls looking good?
The not-so-great news is that my curls get out of whack when I sleep. I would sleep on my satin pillowcase and would wake up and look like some type of peacock. The only way for me to get my curls looking normal again is to wash, dry, and style them. The good news is...that process is pretty easy!
First, I wash my hair with sulfate-free shampoo and rinse with cold water to keep the curls looking 🔥. Then I use a cotton T-shirt and squeeze the water out of my hair while bending forward. Afterward, I apply argan oil anti-frizz serum and finish with styling creme, which I apply by ~scrunching~ it into my hair. That's it! No heat.
After six months with my perm (and getting a trim halfway through), I went again for another one to curl the new hairs that had grown in.
The result? Another really adorable hairstyle, IMHO.
Here is an 11-month difference of my hair from the first perm to now. Obviously, the curls are not as tight anymore but I love how natural it looks at the moment.
Let's talk the pros of getting a perm! ✨
Pros: It's very easy to maintain! A simple wash, style, and dry, and I'm ready to go. It was also a really good investment. It cost me about $90 for the perm and a cut, which lasted me about six months before I needed to re-perm my hair.
Now we need to talk about the cons of getting a perm. 🙅♀️
Cons: It's literally *permanent* (hence the name). So if you want your hair to be straight for a day, you have to flat-iron it, and it's really hard to keep it straight. Also, it's HIGHLY recommended you do not color your hair when you have a perm. However, you can use semipermanent color. I have been too paranoid to ruin my hair; I haven't colored it in a year, resulting in all of my grays shining through.
Lastly, it's a serious commitment. If you want to go back to your regular hair, you'd essentially have to chop off all the permed hair or flat-iron it every single day.
Me, when I'm sick of my perm one day.
In conclusion: I LOVE MY PERM. And would recommend it! I really don't have any regrets and it has been such a fun year of cute hairstyles (even though no one has *really* seen it because we've been stuck inside). Perms: They're not just for grandmas!
