#5 Perms

Never, and I mean NEVER, get a perm or a relaxer. A perm may give you smooth and straight hair, but it does not last long. To keep up with the hair you want, you have to continuously go back for a perm/relaxer multiple times a year and they can be pretty pricey. In my experience, I had a perm during my years in middle school. Eventually, my Mother wasn't able to afford to get my hair relaxed and we had to stop going. As a result, my hair started to fall out.
My hair went from past my shoulders, to below my ears. I was devastated and after 5 years of trying to grow my hair out, it has gotten much longer, but it is still not to its original length. Luckily, my hair can easily go back and forth from curly to straight, however, there are many individuals who get a relaxer and their natural hair is permanently effected by it. This means that they can never go back to the normal curls they had once before. Watch out for those harsh chemicals.