Vintage Hair Products Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bone

Historically, many cultures used bone to create their combs. Early Anglo-Saxons, Viking, and Persians all used bones for combs. Most cultures had dedicated craftspeople called bone workers to create all sorts of tools from bone, including weapons, fish hooks, and needles, as well as combs. Today you can buy combs made of real cow, sheep, or water buffalo horns.

Answer: Humidity

Bénédict de Saussure built a hygrometer to measure humidity using hair. It relies on the principal that organic materials, such as human hair, will contract and expand depending on the relative humidity in the air. The changes in the hair would be measured by a needle on the hygrometer and thus generate humidity data. A bottle of Frizz-Ease can come in handy on humid days.

Answer: Heated water

The Thermicon was designed to have boiling water poured into it to warm its ceramic reservoir, which would in turn dry your wet hair as you used it somewhat like a comb. Think hot water bottle, only for wet hair. Fortunately, electric hair dryers were invented in the 20th century and were much more effective.

Answer: Cans

Depending on the size of the desired curl, all sorts of cans would be used, including soup cans, orange juice concentrate cans, and soda or beer cans. Women would wrap their wet hair around multiple cans, affix them with whatever they could find, and then sleep, most likely without much comfort, with the cans on all night, waking up to loose, flowing curls. Fortunately, soft, foam rollers were invented and replaced the DIY versions.

Answer: Apple

An old European recipe for pomade consisted of mashed apples. The word pomade came to fruition this way: "Pomum" is Latin for "apple" or "fruit"; "pomata" or "pomo" is Italian for "apple"; and "pommade" is French for ointment, the word used for their early pomade.

Answer: Bonnet dryer

The bonnet dryer involved a round blower-engine that had a shower-cap style bonnet attached to it by a plastic hose. You could dry your hair hands-free, though it would take longer than a more targeted handheld would. You can still find them occasionally in vintage shops, and there's one in the back of my mom's closet.

Answer: Mason Pearson Brushes

Mason Pearson had worked at a textile factory on looms before he began engineering brushes for British Steam Brush Works; he used what he had learned on looms to create a faster manufacturing process for brushes. Mason Pearson is still owned and run by Pearson family members today, putting out brushes not much different from that that Mason made so long ago.

Answer: The Fuller Brush Man

"The Fuller Brush Man" became so familiar to American households that he showed up in pop culture, including a 1933 Disney version of "The Three Little Pigs" where the Big Bad Wolf identifies himself as the Fuller Brush Man. A more recent reference was in the 1997 movie "Donnie Brasco," where an undercover cop's wife laments that their children haven't seen their dad in so long, they might think he's the Fuller Brush Man when he finally returns.

Answer: France

Eugene Schueller hailed from Paris, France, where he was born in 1881. His "platinum blonde" formula was quite popular with Hollywood stars. L'Oreal is still going strong as a beauty and cosmetics company.

Answer: China

Hairpins were an important symbols in ancient Chinese culture. When young men or young women were old enough, they were allowed to use pins which would indicate to others that they were now considered adults rather than children. Courting couples would also exchange hairpins to indicate a pledge of love.