Hesitant to perm my hair again

The last time I got a perm, the hair was rolled on benders.  I'm considering to ask for big rollers this time, since I would like a bit tighter curls.  I'm happy already with the perm I got the first time, since it was a success and removed my doubt.  The only thing that is bad about it is the fact that it takes so long and that the odor isn't the nicest one around.  I've smelled worse things however.  The waiting period for perm + neutraliser is long, especially if you have to lie with your hair back the entire time.

I would like to perm my hair aswell...but I do not know what kind of curls I should get....I don't want to look like a poodle or like I just stepped out of the 80's...ya know what I mean....any advise out there??

 Hello everybody.

A long while ago I posted a question about tips to prepare my hair for a perm.  I've tried the perming short after I posted the message and was very happy with the result.  Just the smell, that could be improved, but we all know how awefull it is (anybody in here who loves that smell must be nuts, )

Anyway, because a whole length of my hair is now in curls (was curled with big benders, so it's still pretty loose) I want to perm it again.  I recently did a glacing/glazing, so I still wait for this to get out of my hair, which could take approx. 1-2 months, but I hesitate of doing it again.  When I see people's experiences and hair pictures and advice here, they usually say any chemical job is a NO-NO if you really want healthy, nice looking hair.

I try to avoid as much damage as possible, but for some reason, I still want to get it permed.  It's becoming a bigger dilemma with each and every day.  Soon, somebody is going to have to tie me to the bed or I'm going to go nuts.

In case I get the perm, what can I do in advance?  I've heard various things, from sleeping a night with conditioner, some say olive oil, others say mayo, other say hair masks, and then some say "get the perm already"
Any help with this dilemma?

Thanks!