On Wednesday, I spent two hours in my favorite Tucson hair salon-- for the sole purpose of getting a permanent. They aren't popular anymore. Styles change; and this week, mine was the only one (out of maybe twenty customers in varying states of services). Most of the ladies appeared to be having their hair colored, which takes quite a bit of time with a head covered by silver papers (for streaking, I think) or a dark gel looking substance. Since I have never gone to a salon for anything other than a perm, I am unsure how long coloring takes, but it appears to be longer than a perm.
Perms involve a lot of rollers, of varying sizes, which also have to remain a certain amount of time after the stylist has spent about 45 minutes (for my hair) wrapping it around rollers. Once you reach my age, if you wear your hair long, you are wise to choose coloring or a perm-- or, of course, neither.
I got my first perm in the '80s, which is when Armando (Wednesday's stylist) told me they were most popular. I like them for the increased body and how I can, if I wish, do what you see in the first photo, wash and let it go loose in the witch or nature child's favorite look.What surprised me with this perm was when Armando told me my last one there had been May of 2010. I knew it had been awhile, but time does indeed fly. Since this is the only salon I now use for a permanent, that was the last one I had.
In the past, I have tried two other Tucson salons. My second experience here was a small salon that seems to have been there forever-- with a regular clientele. It had five stalls (mirror, shelf for supplies, and chair) for stylist and customer. I liked the old-fashioned atmosphere, the neighborly chit chat, with the added benefit of having a stylist closer to my age who also wore her hair long. I returned to Tucson one year to find she had retired. I decided to try something different.
My current Tucson choice is a state of the art business, very elegant. They handle all the services a person might want including manicures, pedicures, facials, massages, etc. Before you sit in the chair, you don a black robe to protect clothing. It, along with the stylists in black or black and white, makes for a sensually pleasing atmosphere. I enjoy watching the others to see why they are there, how it looks when they leave, but I am most glad when I leave.
The thing is with a permanent, a woman with long hair cannot mess around with budget places. My first try for a Tucson salon came not long after we bought this house. The stylist was charming, chatty, and left the curling agent on too long. With long hair, that is a disaster. It took many months and cutting off a lot of length to get beyond the frying. Now I don't mess with budgets. Since I only do it rarely, I figure I can afford a luxury treatment especially when it leaves my hair soft as this one did.
I am one of those people who likes long hair but doesn't want to spend much time messing with it. I am happiest when, in the mornings. all I have to do is run a brush or comb through it. Sometimes, if I have plans for the next day, before I go to bed, I pin it in fat rolls on top my head (added bonus of not sleeping on its length). In the morning, pulling out the pins takes a couple of minutes, and I'm good to go. At night it looks like an elegant updo-- during the day it's comfortable. A perm makes all that work better.
