Two days later, I was back in Hartmann's chair. I rationalized that yes, I was damaging my hair a bit now, but since I could let it air dry most days and pretty much forgo all hot tools, it seemed like a fair trade. It took a couple of hours to finish the rest of my hair. Hartmann used a combination of large rollers and bendy purple rods to create different waves; ultimately, this keeps the pattern from being too uniform and helps add that beachy vibe to hair. Also, it's important to note that despite the name, the results aren't actually permanent. Generally, perms last about three to four months.

A word of caution: The process will stink. Seriously, it is not a pleasant smell. Actually, the slight odor will linger for a few days (TotalBeauty's EIC caught a whiff of my hair and instantly recognized the smell from her junior high days).

Once the process was over, Hartmann trimmed off the damaged edges and added in a few more layers to my hair to make the waves really pop. Then I anxiously waited for my hair to air dry. (Because the point of this perm was to ensure I could have amazing hair without touching a blow dryer or hot tool.)

The problem, of course, with altering your hair texture is that you have to completely relearn how to deal with your hair. Because my hair was now slightly damaged and wavy, I had to alter my routine.

For starters, I no longer use a towel to dry my hair. I gently squeeze my hair dry using a t-shirt, which causes less friction. Then I run a comb through my hair (it's best to only comb permed hair while it's wet, otherwise hello frizz). Then I apply either Oribe Curl Gloss, $37, if I want looser waves, or R+Co Aircraft Pomade Mousse, $29, if I want it to dry a little messier and Rock 'n' Roll-esque.

I use the t-shirt on my hair again to get rid of more moisture, mess up my hair at the roots and ... that's it. Once it's dry, I spray it will some dry shampoo or Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray, $39.

"This is how my hair air dries now," I bragged to my sister when I texted her this photo. (I may have included the sassy girl emoji as well.)

While my hair isn't quite as low maintenance as I originally thought it would be post-perm, I'm still obsessed. I can let my hair air dry on my way to work, so it's certainly cut down the time of my morning routine. Plus I love that not brushing my hair makes it look better, and I don't have to spend time drying and styling it. My lazy-girl hair dreams have finally been answered. Well, at least for the next four months.