Monday, December 21, 2009

Best Gifts of Childhood #6

My first set of electric rollers! And the above pic is the EXACT set! I was probably 12 or so, and man did I look GOOD after setting my hair with rollers steamed to perfect finger-blistering temps. You used the little enclosed cup to dump water into the reservoir under the metal rods of death, where it was boiled, yes boiled, with the ensuing steam heating the rollers.

I always found the bubbling sound and the strange aroma of steam and hot plastic and metal rollers to be oddly comforting.

The steaming facial mask promised to fully open the dirty pores of my teenage skin, and banish blemishes forever. What it didn't say was "unless you are that unlucky teen who's acne is purely genetic and nothing short of massive drugs will curb the pustules on your face". Wish someone had told me that - or at least told other people so they wouldn't tell me to wash my face more! What they didn't know was I was washing with Lava three times a day and using Sea Breeze astringent in between. It's a wonder I even have skin left.

But my hair? It rocked!

3 comments:

michaelg said...

Lava followed by Sea Breeze? That sounds like self abuse. Didn't that sting just a little?

Churlita said...

I did that too with the Sea Breeze and what I read later was that it probably did more harm than good. It supposedly aggravates your skin and makes it even worse. That was all I needed in high school and college. Sigh.

Little Sister said...

I can SMELL these rollers. And, remember when I first starting having asthma attacks, Mom would set the roller rack next to my bed with a plastic tarp over it and my bed!! I felt like the boy in the plastic bubble. This may have been after you left the house, because I remember it being in your old room.