It has been said that it is a woman's prerogative to change her mind, and the one thing we seem to change it most about is our hair. You pined for and dreamed of silky, smooth, ruler-straight hair, so you had it rebonded. It's gorgeous and perfect, and ... now you really want waves or curls.

Super-condition your hair for at least a week before perming it, either with commercial conditioners or olive oil.

Use the gentlest home perm kit you can find.

Comb the tangles out of your hair without pulling or tugging.

Follow the directions on the perm box to mix the solution, if needed.

Section off your hair and roll it loosely on the foam rollers. Rebonded hair is extremely delicate, so do not try for tight, little curls.

Follow the package directions as far as the actual perm process.

Remove the foam rollers and rinse your hair well with cool water.

Use a very generous amount of deep conditioner on your hair, working it through as gently as you can. Coat every strand.

Leave the conditioner on for at least five minutes, and rinse with cool water.

Squeeze out excess water as gently as you can. Do not pull, wring or twist your hair.

Comb out any tangles, being very careful not to tug on your hair, and then apply a very generous amount of leave-in conditioner.

Do not wash your hair for at least three days, and avoid putting any kind of elastic, clip or other hair toy into it. Do not even tuck it behind your ears.