Catch a Wave
When I was eight, my mother decided to give me a home permanent. My hair was all rolled up when the news came on the television that President Kennedy had been assassinated. My mother was so swept up in the coverage that she completely forgot about my hair until my father came home that night and asked, “Why is Kim in curlers?” All the hair on my head broke off at the roots except for one hardy patch down the middle — making me the first person in town with a Mohawk.
Kim Wiley
Charlotte, North Carolina

I might have said my perm at age 13, but then I went ahead and did it again at age 25. That perm made me look like a 70s porn star. I’ve since learned my lesson.
Julie Johannes
Minturn, Colorado

As a curly-haired child, I resented the attention that my younger sister received during the Saturday-night ritual of getting her straight hair pin-rolled for church on Sunday. After I fussed for more than a month, my mother agreed to roll my curly hair but warned that afterward I would have to go to church, no matter how it came out. At a young age, I learned a lifelong lesson not to mess with what Mother Nature has given me. And, yes, I went to church looking like a disaster.
Pam Horner
Gibsons, British Columbia

I showed up at my husband’s bosses’ barbecue with my bangs rolled up in one of those very large pink curlers. My husband thought I was making a fashion statement and decided not to say anything.
Amy Scaglione
North Canton, Ohio

Hairless Wonders
At 16, I wanted silky-smooth legs to go with my new bathing suit for a pool party. I applied leg wax, left it on for the prescribed time, and only then realized that I had skipped the step of powdering my legs before applying. My father attempted to chip me out with a pocketknife. I ended up at the party with red, raw legs that were still sporting patches of disgusting greenish wax. I’m just grateful that I didn’t do my bikini line.
Dirce Johnson
Longview, Washington

My hair-removal experiment with a new, supposedly gentle gel product was definitely the most painful and ill-timed disaster. It was the night before my beach vacation, and my armpits blistered. To add insult to injury, no hair was removed. I drove to Cape Cod with ice packs under my hairy arms.
Laura Rachinsky
Norwalk, Connecticut

Being college poor, I ignored the fact that my curling iron was on its way out. On its final mission, it got so hot that it burned off my bangs. It was traumatic at the time, as I tried to figure out what to do with two-millimeter bangs, but 10 years later my best friend and I laugh so hard, we cry whenever we think of it.
Michelle Diercks
Hilliard, Ohio

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