Beauty and... |
Beauty and... |
|
Hairstyles come and go throughout the decades. Some make a mark in history and others fade into oblivion never to be thought of again. The bouffant surfaced in the late 1950s and started a new trend of styling that will forever be looked back upon with a smile and curiosity.
To create
these styles, hair was wound around rollers that produced
a fuller rounder look than the flat pin curls of the previous
decades. The client was then placed under a hooded dryer and,
depending on the length of her hair, she might sit there for
an hour. After drying, the hair was "teased" or
"backcombed" to give it maximum height. This conglomeration
was held together with a new retail product called aerosol
hairspray. The main ingredients were alcohol and lacquer.
By 1964, hairspray soon became the number one beauty aid,
far surpassing lipstick. Some stylists would make their own
concoction of water and sugar, and used this as a final spray
on fancy hairstyles. Hairdressers that 
worked during that
time period talk about how sticky the floor was at the end
of the day. The lacquer from the hairspray would be all over
their skin and clothes.
Friday
hair appointments were a valuable reservation, since it guaranteed
perfect hair for weekend social engagements. Beauticians
aspired to book as many "standing" appointments weekly,
to ensure a steady income. The beauty parlor became a social
affair and women would cancel dental and doctor appointments,
but NEVER their hair. Some of 
the most beautiful hairstyling
came from this time period and was truly a work of art. To
preserve these styles, women would wrap toilet paper around
their heads before bedtime. They purchased satin pillowcases
to allow their hair to "slide" on the pillow and
not crumple their much sought after styles. The windows were
never rolled down in the car and heaven forbid you should
be asked to attend a swim party.
Around
1964, high school girls took the bouffant to new heights.
It was called the "beehive". Girls would set their
hair every night in huge rollers, with a gel solution called
Dippity Do and proceed to sleep in them. Girls with extremely
curly hair would collect large frozen grapefruit cans and
use those in place of the smaller rollers. Any woman who
went to high school between 1963 and 1967 will tell you they
probably never had a good night's sleep!
Hairpieces
became a component to add to your beehive to make it even
bigger. Postiches, cascades, and falls were worn with adornment
to add a quick fix to hairstyles. Synthetic hair surfaced
and was name tagged Dynel. A woman would go to a wig or department
store and a wig technician would blend the 
Dynel to match
their own. It was then braided, wound around a stuffing,
and pinned on top of the head. It was a big fashion rage
in 1966.
A
famous Urban Legend surfaced at this laughable time in hair
history. A high school girl had the biggest hair style in
school. She would sit in class and use her pencil point to
itch inside her hairdo. Unknown to her, lurking inside this
massive hairstyle was a black widow's nest. She poked the
spider with her penci
l, it bit her, and she died from the
bite in history class!
The
late fashion designer, Bill Blass, had a saying on how to
stay current in life: "The secret of living is not staying
too long. I know when to leave the party." This can certainly
pertain to your hairstyle. If you are still going to bed in
rollers, it may be time to experience another party!
|
|
