Return of the Perm?

Every time a Facebook friend tags a photo of me from the '80s, I do a trend cringe. What made me think that permed mess of hair looked good?  I'm sure you, too, have similar horror stories of hair fried into crispy corkscrews.

So, naturally, when one of us women of a certain age hears the word "perm" it makes us run to the nearest straightening iron.

But the New York Times reports  that perms are indeed on their way back in. This latest desire for curls stems from the lush "natural" waves on celebrities like Gisele Bundchen and Kate Hudson. These loose, beachy/bedhead waves are nothing like the tightly curled perms of our past. So that's why hair stylists are calling them body waves. Although – essentially – a perm is a perm.

Even the NYT says  "The perming process has not changed demonstrably from 25 years ago" although stylists now generally pay more attention to timing and rod size.

I read through the entire article and while I'm not surprised that waves are making a comeback after years of ironed-straight hair, I was surprised that a businesswoman paid $400 for a perm. With a proper tip, that's close to $500. Ha! My friends and I used to do perms on each other for free.

One time, late '80s, the corkscrew thing was super trendy and my friend Jane convinced me to give her a home perm and turn the curling rods sideways to get the right effect. Let's just say that was the last home perm I was ever requested to give.

Although I've been a devotee to straight hair for many years, recent pics of Meg Ryan's adorable curly bob have made me want to think about revisiting the perm body wave. It's almost so cute you don't notice the really bad plastic surgery she's had on her face.

More photos of hairstyles for us:

• Curly Hair Over 40
• 50 Hairstyles for Over 50
• Bob Hairstyles Over 40
• 10 Perfect Ponytails
• Short Hair Over 40
• Red Hair Over 40
• Updos Over 40
• Bronde Hairstyles Over 40
• Dos and Don'ts of Bangs Over 40
• Top 10 Long Hairstyles Over 40
• Medium-Length Hair Over 40
• Pixie Haircuts for Older Women
• 7 Sexy Shags Over 40