Learning curve
Things have certainly changed in my life. I now have long hair, which shows I am capable of the virtue of patience; and I’ve permed it, showing I am capable of committing to something that has sort of a bad reputation. The bad boy of beauty treatments has done a Sean Penn, and is now, in my eyes, the most savvy thing you can do for your hair.
This all started with my hating the sound of hair dryers. It’s my version of fingernails on the chalkboard. I have visions of a wheelchair — no, make that a gurney — every day I hear the screeching hysteria of a salon-quality blow dryer. I love my new long hair but cannot, for the love of man, have that bounce and shine without the aural torture.
Curling irons have left me burn marks on my face. The quest for mussy, no-nonsense hair is actually anything but carefree and effortless. Artillery for that hot Guess Girl hair is no joke. I’m a pacifist and I don’t want the Iraq war to lay some real estate in my boudoir. After weeks of deliberation I went to Henri Calayag and asked him to give me a perm.
At first the poodle perm of yore was what he had in mind and he aired his concerns. I, of course, explained that I just wanted beach hair (for those in need of an explanation, it’s how hair looks after it’s been playing in the ocean and dried naturally by the sea air, leaving it looking chunky and textured).
Henri called this a “loose-body wave” and this was the best thing I had done to my hair ever since I stopped my anime phase, bleaching my hair in pastel colors. The result was an instant blow-dried look that had me hooked on this long-haired business.
No hysterical drying instruments needed. I air-dry it and just use Citré Shine curling mousse when it’s half-dried and twist it into a bun until it’s completely dry.
Then it bounces off like loose ringlets and doesn’t turn into a dismayed curtain of fallen fringe. It’s hair that goes the distance.
Like treated hair, it needs extra care. True to the DIY nature of my lazy-maintenance beauty features, I have found another use for EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). It’s great in treating the ends of damaged hair. Yes, expect some hair cuticle rape even with a gentler process. Leave it on for 10 minutes and mop out with shampoo made for permed hair without water. Rinse and try to do this thrice a week. Also, ditch the brush and use a wide-tooth comb instead of your fingers.
Who said perm was a four-letter word?
