[Vella Gonzaga]

Bonnet hair dryers​

This photo takes us back to the fabulous 50s when big hair was all the rage. It was when Saturday mornings were spent washing your hair and getting ready for the evening’s events - whether it was a dance, the pictures, or another event. And, of course, what better way to dry your hair than with a bonnet hair dryer? But the process didn’t end there - oh no! Those curls had to be kept in place all day, often hidden under a scarf or hat, because wearing curlers in public was a big no-no. Some even used juice cans! It’s hard to believe the lengths we went to for the perfect hairdo. Thankfully, hair care is much simpler nowadays. Did you use a bonnet hair dryer back in the day? Do you still have one tucked away somewhere? I’d love to hear your thoughts and memories in the comments below!

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Credits: Facebook/ Australia Remember When

 

[starrysnan]

I remember it well - in our quest to have beautiful hair. My hair was very fine and dead straight when thick and curly was the fashion. No matter how my Mum tried to improve it - it didn't work. I remember the spiky hair rollers and even the process of rolling hair into rags to make it curl. After 5 minutes of taking them out my hair was straight again! Mum often bemoaned the fact that my older brother had the beautiful wavy hair!

 

[TopCat21]

Oh my goodness I clearly remember sitting at my mother’s kitchen table with rollers in my hair and one of these torture machines on my head! As I would turn more and more red in the face from the excessive heat, my mum would say “if you want your hair to look lovely you have to suffer the pain”. My mum had three daughters who each had long hair and we all “suffered the pain” regularly! Thank goodness for blow driers!

 

[Brennief1]

I have had one at least 50 years and it still works,

 

[Gsr]

Reminds me of my mum having a home perm by a neighbour, they all took turns at perming each other’s hair, the smell was pretty bad but was much cheaper than going to a hairdresser, and the results were really good most of the time. Sometimes it was too frizzy, sometimes not curly enough, it was a bit hit and miss. The dryer they used was a bonnet dryer taken from house to house as needed. When I worked in aged care the first facility I worked at had two bonnet dryers still in use. This was from 1996/2007. They worked really well. We had volunteer ladies who came in every week and cut, coloured and set the ladies hair so the dryers always got a good workout. There was always at least one retired hairdresser volunteering who did the cuts, the dyes and sets were done under her supervision. This was a free service, now a working hairdresser visits the facilities and charges the going rate for hair services.