Hair Trouble

 

This picture is really how I got my first perm. 

My hair is straight, straight and I don't remember who cut it.  It has always been a source of time wasted.   My first permanent was when my Grandpa Atkinson, who sold insurance, sold a policy to a lady who had a beauty shop in her home in Sugar City.  She wanted to give someone a permanent instead of paying the money for the first cost.  I was excited to know I would  get my hair  permanented.  The only problem, how was I going to get to Sugar City.  I skipped school, rode to Rexburg with the milk man.   He didn't come to our house so I had to go to the corner and wait for him.  It seemed like it took all day.  The electric curlers and camps were heavy and my neck ached.  I don't remember how I got back home but my hair was curly.

Before this I usually had my hair cut in a Dutch bob, bangs and straight sides.  If something special Mom would tear strips of rags and roll strand of hair up in each rag and then tie the rag on top.

Later when I was in high school, hair was curled with a chemical solution at a beauty shop and that took money, so we only got one permanent a year and that was right before school started. Each night we would wet our hair and put finger curls in and secure with a bobby pin.   We were short of bobby pins and Marva and I had to share.

Jess's sister was a beauty operator and always did my hair.  The worst permanent I ever got was one that Zella gave me.  She rolled my hair up and put the solution on it and we were to wait so long to neutralize the chemical.  Zella answered the telephone and forgot I needed the chemical off.  When the permanent was finished, my hair broke off and what was left was frizzy

When my brother Larry married Marilyn, she was a beauty operator and she did my hair for years.  When I moved to  Rexburg a good friend did it.  After I moved to Newdale, My husband ,Clair's,  niece had a beauty shop in her home.  Every permanent was a mess and I could hardly wait to get it cut.

After we brought Clair home from the hospital and he only had a short time to live Clair's niece came to the house, to give me a permanent.  Clair's daughter, Kathy, was there helping care for her Dad and she went in the bedroom to check her Dad and returned to tell us that Clair had died.  There I sat with chemical on my hair.

When I moved back to Archer, 6 years ago, my hair problems were solved.  Eric Sutton's wife Andi is a beauty operator and has given me every permanent since.  When I was so weak, after chemo and radiation, I would lay down on her floor, while I waited for the chemical to work.  The side advantage was I could play with my great grand children while I was getting my hair done.  No wasted time.