Do your own hair at home ….. get “at home” results!

If you’re around my age, back in the day you may remember watching your mom put perms in her hair at home. It was the age of the “Toni” and perms curled so tight they squealed. We had to crack the windows and open all the doors just to get the smell out of the house.

My mom and her sisters would gather in the kitchen with all their hair kabobs and boxes of perm mix, and fix each other’s hair. First they rolled it up on those tiny plastic “rods”. That’s where you get the curly-Q curl — the smaller the roller, the tighter the curl. That’s the look they usually went for. I seriously think my mother’s motto was:  Give all the bad guys in the world perms and you’ll have world peace. Perm it to heaven!

I was the recipient of a few of them too. Mom started doing my hair as I got older and naturalness of my contour started to wane. I endured that for awhile before she was content to let a hairdresser take over. One day after a bad perm, and upon realizing that my really thick hair only expanded when permed, I decided to revolt. I took control of my own hair and stopped all perming. Oh glorious day.

Fast forward a few years and I’m back to doing my own hair at home again. No perms in sight — now I color my own hair  (Much to the dismay of my hair gal, I’m sure!) It’s not easy, but the results are pretty good and the gray is held at bay for a little while longer. It’s fun to experiment with color. My hair motto remains: It’ll grow back!

The Doublewide husband has even gotten into the act. It all started when I asked him to put color on the back of my head where I can’t see to do it myself. I tried, but it wasn’t working with me standing there, mirror in one hand and the color tube in the other. I had deep burgundy no. 47 from one end of the bathroom to the other. I thought stains would come off of countertops …  So, now he dons the plastic gloves even before I can get the color mixed up. I think he actually enjoys it. The couple that colors together, stays together I guess.

Coloring is o.k. and l’ll even snip my bangs when they get so long I feel like the fifth Beatle.   Who knows how much I’ve saved by doing my own home hair care?! I’m not saying it’s for everybody. You have to be pretty brave …. and have a supply of nice hats on hand, just in case.

I think my mom still has perm fever, though. Just at her house today, she suggested that maybe I needed her to perm the sides of my hair. (what would that even look like?) My answer was a resounding, “thanks, but no thanks”! I’ve learned my lesson. I know she had a perm-in-a-box waiting, just in case I said yes for old time’s sake.