This electric hair curling gizmo is what I think of when I think about early hair curling technology. I don’t know if very many people ever got this kind of “permanent wave”. It was perhaps a novelty in the 1920’s or 1930’s when all things electricity were a fad. I wouldn’t trust that my hair would survive this treatment.
But If you ever had a perm as they were called by the 1970’s you will
remember the horrid smell. I am guessing that is the ammonia in the activator. I also recall the coldness of the lotion followed up soon after by the burning on the scalp. I remember that perms usually had four steps, rolling the hair onto rods and papers, squirting the activator onto the hair, waiting 15 minutes or so and then putting the neutralizer on, then rinsing with water. I clearly remember the cold lotions trickling down my scalp and sometimes neck. I had many perms as a kid and teen, usually in a beauty salon not from home kits. I remember that you had to be careful using perms if you had coloured hair, as your hair could be fried. Again I am guess that is the ammonia from the perms adding to the ammonia to the hair dye. And although perms are considered passe now, I will say they made hairstyling a lot easier than with natural hair. The photo shows a hairstyle similar to the perm-requiring one I wore in 1977. Although my hair never had that volume!
My mom had perms for decades. It seems like lots of mid-century housewives did too. They definitely would have helped keep the curly roller set hairstyles in place for longer. There are many advertisements for home permanents mid-century. One from 1955 is called Casual Pin-Curl Permanent. The ad shows a young woman with short hair. The instructions say just put your hair up in pin curls, apply Casual solution, wait for 15 minutes, rinse with water and you are finished. Casual claims it creates natural looking curls that last for weeks. The person in the ad looks very happy.
In another ad from 1955, we see there was even a special formula for children. Lilt Party Curl Children’s home permanent was advertised as ammonia free. No smell and no mess. Same directions as Casual were listed. It was designed for “pretty girls aged 2-12”. It cost $1.50.
Tonette was another children’s home perm kit. The home kits for mothers were called the Toni home permanent. In the ad to the left, this girl looks a bit dishevelled but I think she is already a cute girl . But there was a clear theme to these ads; curly hair makes you prettier. The mid-century certainly had a very feminine aesthetic, for young and old.
You can still find home permanent kits for sale today. Would you try one?
