My Digital Perm

After years of very straight hair, I longed for a change. Over the years, I've dyed it numerous shades of red and brown and had various highlights put it. Still, I wanted something more dramatic. Having permed my hair twice in my life, I was skeptical about trying the new "Digital Perm" that I've come across over the recent months. This is a new process to perm one's hair using hot rods with the temperature controlled by a machine. The perm process itself lasts just like a normal perm, however one of the major difference is that they wash the perm solution out before curling your hair with the hot rods. I did my research on this, read lots of Yelp reviews and checked out many "before and after" pictures. Finally, I decided to take the plunge to have it done at Zippy's Hair Studio in San Francisco only to find out that they're booked out for the next month and half. Oh no! I kindly asked if I could place my name on the wait list in the event someone would cancel, and thankfully, after 2 weeks of calling, I had an appointment within the next two days.

My hairdresser, Same (pronounced "Sa Me") was really sweet and had recently had a digital perm herself too. I carefully explained how straight my hair is and was concerned that a weaker solution wouldn't hold. I also came prepared with pictures of how I would like my perm to turn out -- loose waves just like the celebrities minus the expensive hairstylists to maintain it for me. Turns out, those loose waves were do-able, but required that I blow dried my hair everyday, which is almost impossible for me having to wake up, shower and tend to an almost 2 year old before leaving for work. In the end, I left it in Same's hand to produce a medium wave that would hopefully look nice on my round chubby face.

The entire process took less than 3 hours and the end result was not what I was expecting! I had always pictured having the big loose waves like in the magazines, but mine didn't quite come out like that. Sometimes, when you stare long enough at those pictures you begin to imagine your hair would turn out the same way! Silly me! I had to be more realistic as I don't have a head full of really long and thick hair to produce the same outcome. Nevertheless, since I had read that perms can change (or improve) over time, I decided to be patient and wait. After several weeks, the wavy look finally started to grow on me and I must admit that I really do like my new 'do. While I do miss my long straight hair, I've realized that change isn't necessary a bad thing. Oh and the positive compliments that I have received from friends and family haven't hurt too! :)