Hair Torture

I saw something at WalMart last week that I haven't seen in years, and then I saw the same thing on the MSN homepage this morning. I figured that must be a sign that I'm supposed to blog about it. LOL What I saw was a woman in curlers. I don't even own curlers any more, and I don't know many women who do. The inventions of the blow dryer and the curling iron ended some of the hair torture we used to put ourselves through. Curlers aren't the necessity they once were, and even if they still have them, most of my friends wouldn't wear curlers in public.

My mother curled her hair at least two or three days a week. She used hard plastic rollers, held in place with bobby pins. Do they still sell those? Anyway, she just rolled the top of her hair (about eight rollers) and the rest was done in "pin curls"- little swirls held in place with more bobby pins. I learned to curl her hair for her when I was about seven. I was a whiz at pin curls! If there was an emergency, like with actual blood, Mom would throw a scarf over her head and go out in public with her hair in rollers. However, she hated that look so much that she usually rolled her hair at night and slept in her curlers! Ouch!

I admit to sleeping in hard rollers a few times. I even tried to sleep in bristle rollers- those kind that are held in place with little sticks. I can't remember why, but it must have been for something important. Later, when sponge rollers became popular I thought I had it made- but the results were less than desirable. My hair always looked frizzy. Of course I'm not sure what I was trying to accomplish by curling my naturally curly hair. 

My high school buddy rolled her hair on juice cans. No sleeping on those! Her goal was to have straighter, bouncier hair. Seemed to work. She also soaked her hair in beer and ironed it. The things we do for beauty...

You could always tell when it was prom day at the high school. Most of the girls wore curlers in their hair so they would look good that night. I always thought that was so funny! Didn't most of them see their dates during the day?  I was never brave enough to do it.

Women with money went to the beauty shop and only had to wear their curlers under the dryer. My grandmother had her own hair dryer. I thought it was the neatest thing! It had a plastic, ventilated cap with a hose that attached to a pretty pink box. The plastic cap made a ridge across my forehead and the heat from the dryer often gave me a headache, but it could sure dry your hair in a hurry- like 45 minutes! 

I know there are a lot of women who still spend time curling their hair or going to the beauty shop. My hair torture days are over. I wash, rinse, air dry. In the winter I use the blow dryer for five minutes. My curly hair does what it wants and I'm happy to let it. I have other things to do. And I need my sleep.

Comments

[Marilyn Crabtree]

My, have you brought back memories! I certainly remember those days of sleeping in the hard pink rollers, and then the pink hair dryer. Thank goodness, those days are over. I wash my hair every day and use the curling iron and I'm set for the day. When I had surgery, I got it cut short the day before surgery and just had straight hair until I got home from the hospital. The first thing I did when I got home was wash my hair and use the curling iron!