Dramatic Hair Makeovers

When I discussed beauty blind spots a couple of days ago, I was finally forced to face my own beauty issue - my hair. My hair has always been my trademark, and I still get compliments on it nearly every time I go out. It has been more or less the same, with small updates, for almost the last 20 years. That's because there's not much I can do with it. When you have very thick, very curly hair, your options are limited, so I've always been paranoid about having it cut or having anything new done to it. Now, though, I am ready for a change. A real, major change. I am so tired of looking in the mirror and seeing the same thing day after day, and even when my hair looks its best, I'm still not happy with it.

So it's not my hair that has changed. It's me. I'm just over it. So here are my options:
1. Dye my hair a drastically different color. Pros: I would look dramatically different. Cons: With my coloring, I would look ridiculous as a blonde and a redhead, and it wouldn't address the central cause of my dissatisfaction, which is my hair style/texture.

2. Cut my hair short. With my hair type, I have to wear it quite long, at least to bra-strap level, or very short, the way Halle Berry used to. The in-between lengths are dangerous, and often result in pyramid-head. Pro: I would look dramatically different, and it would be liberating, in a sense. Con: I would hate it (I've always been a long-hair person) and so would my husband.

3. Perm my hair to change the curl pattern. Pro: This could give me the looser, bouncier curls that I crave, curls that are more reflective and have more shine. Con: Would it be enough of a change, and would my hair be a lot drier and frizzier?

4. Thermal Reconditioning: I've had this idea in the back of my head for a long time, but I've never seriously considered it, until now. Pro: My hair would be sleek, shiny and dramatically different. Con: It's permanent, and I'm not sure how it would look with my face shape.

So that's where I am right now. I discussed this at length with my husband (who gave even better advice than a girlfriend!) and he suggested I start with a few blowouts and live with it to see how I feel about the straight hair, so I think I'm going to take his advice and see how it goes.

Any other ideas? I'm open.