Vintage Beauty Parlors
Instructions: Remember Saturday trips to the beauty parlor? Test your knowledge of the salons that kept America looking its best!
- 1.
What large, dome-shaped device did women sit under at the beauty parlor to dry their newly set hair?
ABlow dryerBHeat lampCBonnet hair dryerDHair steamer - 2.
What method of curling hair involved wrapping sections of wet hair around rods and applying a chemical solution?
APin curlsBPermanent wave (perm)CFinger wavesDHot rollers - 3.
What beauty product was used to 'set' hair in place after it was styled with rollers in the 1950s and 1960s?
ASetting lotionBHair waxCHair gelDMousse - 4.
What beauty parlor treatment involved placing the head under a machine that blew hot steam onto the hair?
AScalp treatmentBHair steamer treatmentCHot oil treatmentDDeep conditioning - 5.
What was the common practice of women sleeping in curlers or pin curls covered by a net to maintain their hairdos?
APin curlingBHair wrappingCSleeping in rollersDNight setting - 6.
What weekly beauty parlor appointment was standard for most well-groomed women in the 1950s and 1960s?
AShampoo and setBManicureCFacialDHair coloring - 7.
What Clairol product, introduced in 1956, made it possible for women to color their hair at home with the tagline 'Does she or doesn't she?'
AMiss Clairol Hair Color BathBBorn BlondeCLoving CareDNice 'n Easy - 8.
What strong-hold hair product, dispensed from an aerosol can, became essential for maintaining the big hairstyles of the 1960s?
AHair sprayBHair creamCPomadeDHair gel - 9.
What hairstyling technique involved using the fingers to create S-shaped waves flat against the head, popular in the 1940s?
ACrimpingBKiss curlsCFinger wavesDMarcel waves - 10.
What home hair product brand advertised with the jingle 'The closer he gets, the better you look'?
AClairolBPrellCBreckDWhite Rain - 11.
What portable hair curling device, plugged in to heat up, allowed women to set curls at home in the 1970s?
AMarcel ironBHot rollersCCurling ironDCrimping iron - 12.
What brand of shampoo, sold in a distinctive green bottle, was known for being so concentrated that 'a little dab'll do ya'?
AHead & ShouldersBBreckCHaloDPrell - 13.
What was the name for the thin paper strip placed around the hairline before sitting under a dryer to protect the skin?
ADryer stripBHair bandCProtective wrapDNeck strip - 14.
What hairstyling tool, a long-handled metal implement heated over a flame, was used to create curls before electric irons?
AHot combBHair pickCCrimping toolDMarcel iron - 15.
What celebrity hairdresser became the most famous stylist in the world in the 1960s, known for his geometric cuts?
AJose EberBPaul MitchellCFrederic FekkaiDVidal Sassoon
Answer Key
Bonnet hair dryers, large dome-shaped devices that women sat under, were a fixture of every beauty parlor from the 1940s through the 1970s.
The permanent wave, or perm, used chemical solutions and curling rods to create long-lasting curls. It was one of the most popular beauty parlor services for decades.
Setting lotion was applied to wet hair before wrapping it on rollers. It helped the curls hold their shape once the hair was dried and the rollers were removed.
Hair steaming was a beauty parlor treatment that used moist heat to open the hair cuticle, allowing deep conditioning treatments to penetrate better.
Sleeping in rollers was a common nightly ritual for women who wanted to maintain their salon-style hair between beauty parlor visits.
The weekly 'shampoo and set' was a ritual for women in the 1950s and 1960s. Hair was washed, set on rollers, dried under the dryer, and styled.
Miss Clairol Hair Color Bath, launched in 1956 with the famous 'Does she or doesn't she?' campaign, revolutionized hair coloring by making it easy to do at home.
Aerosol hair spray became essential in the 1960s for maintaining the era's big, sculpted hairstyles like beehives and bouffants. Aqua Net was the most popular brand.
Finger waves, created by pressing S-shaped waves into wet hair using the fingers and a comb, were an elegant styling technique popular from the 1920s through the 1940s.
Breck Shampoo, known for its 'Breck Girl' advertisements, used catchy jingles and beautiful models to sell their hair care products through the mid-20th century.
Hot rollers (heated electric rollers in a case) became a popular home beauty tool in the late 1960s and 1970s, offering quick curls without a trip to the salon.
Prell shampoo, sold in its iconic emerald green tube or bottle, was known for its extreme concentration and the ad demonstration of dropping a pearl through it.
Neck strips (thin paper bands) were placed around the hairline and neck to protect the skin from heat and to keep the plastic cap comfortable under the dryer.
The Marcel iron, a metal curling tong heated over a gas flame or stove, was the standard tool for creating waves and curls before electric curling irons.
Vidal Sassoon revolutionized hairstyling in the 1960s with his geometric precision cuts, freeing women from weekly salon sets with wash-and-wear styles.