As a child of the 80s, I am certainly no stranger to the concept of a perm. In fact, I have always been very familiar with the process, one of my first “jobs” in a hair salon was detangling the tiny pink rollers required to set my grandmother’s hair from the floor of her beauty salon. During my teen years, a perm meant tight curls picked out to heights that defied gravity. The memory of those epic curls are so visceral I can almost smell the mix of processor and Aquanet. I think that for the last twenty years, we have culturally been recovering from a perm hangover. Maybe that’s why in my career as a stylist, the perms I have been asked to give clients are few and far between. With that in mind, I am about to say something quite controversial, the perm is back, baby!

Don’t get it twisted though (get it “twisted”, haha).the perms that I have been finding inspiration from lately are a much looser, more natural looking version of the iconic style. Think more loose California waves and less tight corkscrew curl. In fact, the great thing about the modern perm is that there are so many different variations to match every style. The look can be so fun and effortless, and though the process of getting a perm can be somewhat time consuming, a permed style can often be very easy to style and care for between visits to the salon. Take a look at a few permed curls that I have found major inspiration in lately.

One of the things that really inspired me to write this love letter to perms is that we have been seeing more and more requests for the treatment at Wayward lately. I attribute the need for a more fun and carefree style to a couple of factors. First, Spring is just around the corner. Though the weather is still a little chilly here in Brooklyn, you can feel the air changing a little bit every day. Every spring we have clients start to come in requesting styles that are a little more daring and fun. Sometimes that translates into vivid colors or dramatic cuts, but it is starting to feel like 2021 may be the spring of the curl. The other factor that may be inspiring more people to embrace the twist is the fact that we can all kind of feel the end of the pandemic around the corner. With the vaccine getting distributed, it almost feels like we may be at the tail end of this terrible season of our lives, and people are ready to let loose and have a little more fun, or at least their hair is.

Check out this recent client of Hazel’s. When she walked through the door a couple of weeks ago, she was beautiful but her fine straight hair needed a boost. Two hours later and you can see how happy and confident her curls have made her. I love the look, and think Hazel was able to accomplish the perfect texture of curl to complement this client’s style and personality. Hazel is really such a talent with curls, whether they are natural or the result of one of her awesome perms, she can create the perfect cut to complement the bend.

I am so thrilled the perm is back. And with the return of the perm, it means that naturally curly girls will likely put away their flat irons and embrace their bounce as well. This ubiquitous style of the 80s is officially back, with a fresh new look and a cool new attitude. So get ready New York, it’s time to twist and shout!

This is not your mama's perm!