To wonder why Toni home perms are no longer all the rage?

[DameDoom]

Newcastle, New Years Eve 1984 - what better way to begin afresh than with an elegant Toni demi-wave from the chemists?
No sitting round in Fenwicks salon for us - not when mam and aunty Joan had a bag full of perming rollers, 40 silk cut (each), 2 cans of Kestrel Super Strength, and an almost emptyish kitchen sink - twas a right pamper sesh.
I can remember the big reveal like it was yesterday. Begone waist length tresses and becometh Vera Duckworth style frizz.
Mam lied and told me it just added a bit of body and bounce...aunty Joan said I looked quite French
Absolute lyin' bastards...

Oh god this thread has had me in stitches.

I used to get through a whole large bottle of Nova hairspray a week. Not only was my perm rock hard but I insisted on having two really thin bit of hair dangling down over my eyes that were also hardened into stone with an obscene amount of hairspray. I used to clutch them if it was raining because it was the end of my world if they got wet and curled up.

I moved to London in 1987 and in 1988 decided to have a perm to give my thin, fine hair some 'body'. My hairdresser at the time was actually quite good and gave me a relaxed perm that didn't need to 'fall out' - however in order to help it along with said 'body' she also cut it in lots of layers and it was actually a bit of a curly mullet...

I got home afterwards, moussed and hairsprayed up to the nines, feeling like a Rock Goddess, walked in the door and one of the guys I shared a house with pointed at me and laughed "you look like Digby The Biggest Dog In The World!"

I still went back and had it done again though... had come to my senses by 1990 and grew it all out again (that was painful).

My friend has the most lovely straight hair: mine is wavy at best but before I knew how to deal with it was ratty frizz. I was so jealous of her thick, straight hair. She permed it throughout the 90s.

I used to sport a crunchy curly perm. My mum used to have a mobile hairdresser come to do our hair, she used to come on a Monday morning (not sure why) and I used to to into school late pretending that I'd been to the dentist and my hair had been done over the weekend. This went on until I was about 13 and grew it out. I also sported the straight fringe look with it.

80s teen here, - mine was a full on permed mullet, short on top, really long at back, and no sides, literally shaved about two inches above my ear- dead or alive style!!
kept this or different versions of it, until early 90s, then was the painstaking growing out of the perm and starting to straighten the frizz!! its lovely straight and shiny now, god knows how!!
My Dc look and laugh at the photos and also call me 'kevin keegan head'

I have a picture of my pin curls. If I post it in totally outing myself though and knowing my luck this thread will be tweeted, go viral, and I will become briefly famous.

we were obviously the dogs bolleux

I'd like to thank all you lovely ladies for all this talk of Toni perms et al as I've just put some 'gentle waves' in my hair and must have been subconsciously thinking of the days gone by now look like I did in the 80's, including a shit straight fringe.....only with 30 years worth of wrinkles.....still, it's only Wednesday, nothing special happening tonight or anything........oh, hang on a minute...

DD found a photo of me with a perm. She said she never realised I used to look like Marge Simpson.

I looked great with my Boots 17 Twilight Teaser lipstick (Or Avon Iced Champink)