WEB EXCLUSIVE! Stylists dish on their most harrowing curl experiences!

See products for curly hair »

Joe Santy, VP of education for Dennis Bernard

One of my funniest curl memories happened when I was doing platform work for the No. 1 perm manufacturer in the world in 1993. The owner of the company had a sense of humor similar to mine and gave the green light for the following scenario.

We were at a major show in Las Vegas in front of approximately 1,000 stylists from around the world. During the course of my presentation, I said to the audience, “I want to show you the best perm I have ever done in my life…” I proceeded to show them, on multiple mega screens, the front and side views of my infant daughter, who had beautiful naturally curly hair. At the showing of the second slide, I announced, “And it only took me one rod!” About half the audience laughed, getting the risqué innuendo immediately... Then the delayed laughs started.

But my story doesn’t end there. That evening at the after-party, I was standing with my boss when a gorgeous stylist came up to me and with a serious, earnest look asked, “Mr. Santy, can you tell me how that one rod was wrapped to produce all that curl?” After my boss spit out her gin with a belly laugh, I realized the stylist was serious and gingerly explained the joke to her… A year later, I heard that she was selling used cars!