by Patrick Sills

Created on: November 09, 2009

Any time a topic such as permed hair is discussed, one generally assumes that this will pertain exclusively to women. And in this era, such an assumption is rightly justified. However, there was a time when many men experienced sitting under rollers as well, and it really wasn't that long ago. I am but one example.

I came into the world with very straight, fine hair, and fifty years later, I still have very straight, fine hair. Save for an ever-so slight receding hairline that comes with decades of living, I am delighted to report that I still have a full head of hair. Many in my age group can't make that claim. At any rate, I wanted long hair from the first time I saw the Beatles, even if it did resemble Moe Howard's of the Three Stooges. My parents refused to give in until the early 1970s. My hair got long. And longer. By 1976, it had grown halfway down my back. I played in rock bands, so I looked the part. Paired with poorly-fitting contact lenses and a slow, deliberate Oklahoma drawl picked up from my parents, I was quite the picture of the mid-70s stoner.

Because I never trimmed my hair along the way to its nearly 2 feet in length, it was severely damaged. Split ends and breakage in areas, a rather wide part in the middle, and a thin, wispy texture all contributed to my dad finally telling me that I looked like a witch! Following much persuasion from my parents, I agreed to get it cut, but under one condition: I wanted it permed. It was the late 1970s, and male perms had become acceptable. I attribute this largely to the cast of the Brady Bunch.

The shorter length took a bit of getting used to, but I loved how my hair suddenly looked thicker. At long last, it had shape. It had body. For the next 20 years, I wore perms. As the 1970s progressed to the 1980s and then the 1990s, the price of making my hair appear thicker increased substantially. By my late thirties, I also wore a short cut after acknowledging that the only guys still wearing long hair were grunge musicians from Seattle, a few aging rock stars and trailer park residents who insisted that our national anthem should be changed to Free Bird. As forty grew near, I grew tired of paying $60 to have a hairstylist pour toxic chemicals atop my head in an effort to force my hair to deviate from its natural straight path. In 1999, I finally lost the perms and went back to straight hair.

In my case, the transition was immediate, for once those grown-out curls were cut away, my natural stick-straight, fine hair resurfaced. It took a few weeks to adapt to my new look, because I had worn curly hair for two decades. The trick to making straight, fine hair look good and have body is to get a layered cut in a fairly short style. Combined with a bit of gel and a brush, I was quite happy with the results, as were many female acquaintances.

Needless to say, a roller hasn't been placed on my head since then, and never will again. For anyone; male or female, making the transition from permed hair to your natural texture becomes far easier when you think of the money you'll be saving; not to mention the health benefits of not relying on chemicals to achieve a desired look. In the 21st century, going natural is where it's at. The most important thing to remember?

Any hair texture will look good with the right cut.

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