Thread Number: 70996  /  Tag: Other Home Products or Autos
And Now For Something Completely Different. Hilarious Brylcreem Commercials
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Post# 939903   5/23/2017 at 16:21 (2,501 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

launderess's profile picture
Wasn't around for the greasy hair era, so found it interesting that the "slicked back" look was once the height of cool. More so that USA marketing and advertising spread the word across the world.

























Post# 939905 , Reply# 1   5/23/2017 at 16:35 (2,501 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
How does this relate to laundry may you ask?

launderess's profile picture
Well you know those bits of needle work or cloth found on backs of chairs or sofas? Well they are called "Antimacassars"

Macassar was an oil used by Victorian and Edwardian men for hair grooming. The fashion of oily hair became so widespread and such an issue that women (and others) took steps to protect their upholstered furniture from the stuff. Hence "antimacassar". Anti means "against", and women sought to keep that oil off their furniture by putting a layer of cloth between it and the greasy hair of men following that fashion.

The bits of cloth were far more easily laundered (and could withstand the strong treatment to get that oil out)than the furniture. That and or swapped out when becoming hopelessly soiled.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimacass... post was last edited: 5/23/2017-18:59]


Post# 939917 , Reply# 2   5/23/2017 at 18:16 (2,501 days old) by Gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        

Oh yes, and pillows, towels, sheets. Even worse was "butch wax", which was required by the perfect "flat-top" back in the day. I can remember sneaking some of my father's Vitalis. That cured me. No more oil.

Post# 939947 , Reply# 3   5/23/2017 at 20:36 (2,501 days old) by Michaelman2 (Lauderdale by the Sea, FL)        
DryLook

Vitalis and Brylcreem were so popular in the 50s and early 60s. I can remember a "mens hairspray" called "The DryLook" that was very popular in the 1970s.

The DryLook was basically White Rain or Adorn with a Brut cologne scent. Of course had a black label and a photograph of a guy on the can.

Also if memory serves, "hairspray" was not a term used on the can. Hairspray was for the girls at the time.

Both Brylcreem and Vitalis were mineral oil based and simply coated the hair. Neither really was capable of conditioning the hair and once washed out the hair would require another dousing / application of the oily substance.


Post# 939958 , Reply# 4   5/23/2017 at 21:17 (2,501 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
Brylcreem and Vitalis

launderess's profile picture
Sound streets better than what was in those jars or jars of Alberto Vo5. Scented Vaseline is what one called the stuff and tried always to steer clear.







Post# 939960 , Reply# 5   5/23/2017 at 21:21 (2,501 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

launderess's profile picture
Butch wax & flat top hair cut.

Had to send a message to older male relative (ex-military at that) to get the scoop on those two.

Had always called that military hair cut just that, had no idea there was an official name. In parts of the South during my childhood and one assumes for years before it was all most males both young and old wore. Can still recall grandpapa railing against "long haired.....hippies" in the 1970's when he spotted a guy with out a "flat top" hair cut.










Post# 939964 , Reply# 6   5/23/2017 at 21:28 (2,501 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        

ea56's profile picture
Actually, if Alberto VO-5 is used properly its very nice on the hair. I use the Silver VO-5 on my hair after I towel dry it, just a dot the size of half a dried split pea, rub it into my palms and then rub it vigorously through my hair and "comb"it with my fingers. Its not greasy at all its fragence is light and pleasant.

I tried Brylcream inthe early 60's, I didn't like it, too greasy. And then by the mid 60's and on no one used any kind of hairdressing.
Eddie


CLICK HERE TO GO TO ea56's LINK


Post# 939980 , Reply# 7   5/24/2017 at 00:21 (2,501 days old) by Supersuds (Knoxville, Tenn.)        

supersuds's profile picture
Thanks, L, fun stuff.

And from Norway, there's Vitabrill. I thought this was a Onion-type parody, but as far as I can tell it's 100% authentic. Vitabrill was also sold in France. You get a glimpse of their version of the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile at the start.






Post# 939987 , Reply# 8   5/24/2017 at 01:48 (2,500 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

AAAGHHH-the ol' GREASER DAYS!!!!!Some folks had so much of that stuff in their hair-could use their heads to grease the coil table jackscrews in our GE transmitters!

Post# 939990 , Reply# 9   5/24/2017 at 02:29 (2,500 days old) by Stan (Napa CA)        
Agree with Eddie

stan's profile picture
Not greasy if used right.
Du Sharme has a very light cold cream scent.
Both VO5 and Du Sharme can be use on wet or dry hair.
Both will protect from heat, and control static electricity, frizz, ect.


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Post# 940003 , Reply# 10   5/24/2017 at 05:50 (2,500 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield, East Midlands, UK)        
Brylcreem Bounce

vacbear58's profile picture
I don't remember it is tubes here in the UK just in glass jars and later red plastic cartons - seems it is still on sale too. My father used to use it.

The ad is a sort of 1970s update, I always thought it a complete fiction





I did use The Dry Look in my teens, it was not much good either as I recall






Post# 940009 , Reply# 11   5/24/2017 at 07:06 (2,500 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

frigilux's profile picture
My dad was a Vitalis guy, so that's what was used on me in the mid-1960's. The scent-memory remains vivid to this day. As others have mentioned, nearly everyone put grease/oil absorbers on their couches and chairs. Those who didn't were left with big oil spots on their soft furnishings--and as Steve mentioned, pillowcases and towels, as well. Hot-water washing was a must.

I remember when 'the dry look' became popular. Thank god, LOL.


Post# 940029 , Reply# 12   5/24/2017 at 10:09 (2,500 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        

ea56's profile picture
When I was a very little boy, in the early 50's, my parents would comb my brothers and my hair with Johnson's Baby Oil before we went to bed and then put a stocking cap over our hair to "train" it. These caps were the cut off tops of my Mom's nylon's that had a knot tied onto the top where it had been cut. Then in the morning, if my Dad hadn't left for work yet he would rub our heads vigorously, what he called a "Dutch Rub", then comb our hair, making sure the part was just right.
Eddie


Post# 940032 , Reply# 13   5/24/2017 at 10:33 (2,500 days old) by washman (o)        

Hi Frig!


Post# 940035 , Reply# 14   5/24/2017 at 11:59 (2,500 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)        
Delightful!

panthera's profile picture

Thanks, Laundress!


Post# 940074 , Reply# 15   5/24/2017 at 18:15 (2,500 days old) by Rolls_rapide (.)        
Chair back protectors

My gran had those - to protect the backs of armchairs and sofa from Brylcreem and the like, as Launderess says.

And I think my gran had encountered the 'Brylcreem effect' when one of my mum's then boyfriends left a greasy stain.

They always made the place seem genteel.


Post# 940078 , Reply# 16   5/24/2017 at 18:34 (2,500 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        

ea56's profile picture
In the 50's just about everyone's Grandma had antimacamasser's on their upholstered furniture. My Grandma called them dollies, even though this more commonly refers to crocheted dollies that people also had on their tables under vases and such to protect the finish, I guess. Anyway, they were very commonly used. I notice that when we watch the 'Amazing Race" when they are in taxi's in Asian countries there are usually dollies on the seat backs.
Eddie


Post# 940084 , Reply# 17   5/24/2017 at 19:13 (2,500 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine)        

wayupnorth's profile picture
Some had the same Marie Barone's plastic slip covers. Just Windex and an old towel will clean spills and excessive Brylcream in a jiffy. A little dab, not half the tube will do ya. That commercial makes me feel so old to remember when I actually used it.

Post# 940091 , Reply# 18   5/24/2017 at 19:58 (2,500 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
Eddie I'd Pay Good Money To See

launderess's profile picture
A picture of you in a stocking/wave cap. Had no idea you were "gangsta" before it was cool! *LOL*










Post# 940094 , Reply# 19   5/24/2017 at 20:20 (2,500 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        
OMG Launderess

ea56's profile picture
thats too funny! The caps my Mom made were like the one the guy in the 2nd video wore. It was actually an idea that my paternal Grandma came up with to tame cowlicks. Thanks for the videos1
Eddie


Post# 940096 , Reply# 20   5/24/2017 at 20:40 (2,500 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
I've got a million of them!

launderess's profile picture
Pipe:





Not sure but think the idea of men/boys wearing a stocking cap or using a hair net goes back to the 1950's or maybe earlier.

Remember seeing some old Italian movie from the 1950's (or at least the characters were Italian), where a young man came down to breakfast wearing a "wife beater" pants and his hair was tied down in net.

Am thinking you saw this a lot with Italian men because like other Latin groups (French, Spanish, Portuguese, etc...), because as a group they are known for having good hair that is tick and often curly or with waves. For ages the best hair for wigs and hair pieces comes from Italy.

With such thick and or wavy hair it likely requires a bit of work to make it either lay straight or even stay "smooth". Just like Carlo and the rest in the Brylcreeam adverts.




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Post# 940136 , Reply# 21   5/24/2017 at 23:06 (2,500 days old) by stan (Napa CA)        
One mote oldie

stan's profile picture
Clairol

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Post# 940138 , Reply# 22   5/24/2017 at 23:12 (2,500 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        

ea56's profile picture
Oh yes Stan, I'd forgotten all about Vitapointe. Does Clairol still make it?
Eddie


Post# 940140 , Reply# 23   5/24/2017 at 23:23 (2,500 days old) by Stan (Napa CA)        
Hi Eddie

stan's profile picture
No Clairol recenty stopped manufacturing it. There's plenty still out there, and can still be had. Its lighter in weight that the VO5 (less scent too)
The Du Sharme is still the same, and is available .


Post# 940144 , Reply# 24   5/24/2017 at 23:32 (2,500 days old) by Stan (Napa CA)        
Here you go

stan's profile picture
This would last a while

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Post# 940150 , Reply# 25   5/24/2017 at 23:58 (2,500 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        
Hi Stan

ea56's profile picture
thanks for the 411 on Vitapointe! This is from the days of Hair So New, Remember that, it was great for getting tangles out of really long hair after it was shampooed.
Eddie


Post# 940151 , Reply# 26   5/25/2017 at 00:09 (2,500 days old) by Stan (Napa CA)        
Yep

stan's profile picture
I remember

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Post# 940157 , Reply# 27   5/25/2017 at 01:14 (2,500 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

launderess's profile picture
Noticing a trend here?

Vitapointe:

INGREDIENTS
Aqua Paraffinum Liquidium, Synthetic Beeswax, Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate Propylene Glycon, Magnesium Sulfate, Parfum Polyglycaryl 3, Diisostearate Sorbitan Isostearate, DMDM Hydantoin, Triethanolamine, Lodopropynyl, Butyl Carbamate Cl 47005.

DuSharme:

CONTAINS: MINERAL OIL, BEESWAX, WATER, PARAFFIN, LANOLIN, SODIUM LAURYL SUFFATE, FRAGRANCE, SODIUM BORATE, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN.

Alberto Vo5 Hairdressing:
Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum), Petrolatum, Lanolin, PEG-8 Dilaurate, Paraffin, Isopropyl Myristate, Panthenol, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, Biotin, Propylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, BHT, Fragrance (Parfum).

Nice little summation of top "old school" men's hair grooming aids:

www.artofmanliness.com/2011/02/16...

One of my siblings once tried DAX hair dressing. Sadly he was a bit to generous with the stuff, and applied it daily for several before washing his head. In the end the bottle of Dawn dishwashing liquid was fetched from the kitchen, it was the only thing that would get that gunk out of his head.

Two more final videos only because this kid nails it about Brylcreem and Alberto Vo5:














Post# 940159 , Reply# 28   5/25/2017 at 01:23 (2,500 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

launderess's profile picture
Clairol's "Hair So New" and Johnson's "No More Tangles" spray cream rinse/detangler were in every bathroom with females and or young children when one was growing up in the 1970's.

Both were early incarnations of silicone use in hair products meant to address snarls, tangles, knots, etc... Now of course there are entire shelves in beauty aisles of shops with tons of oils, serums, shampoos, conditioners and so forth loaded with silicones.

Johnson's "No More Tangles" was actually invented to deal with the hair of toddlers as they loose their baby fluff and "real" hair begins to come in. Even often using baby shampoo or something equally gentle was not enough to prevent knots, and tangles. Then began the tug of war as a mother or whoever did the hair washing had to come out that knotted mess of hair. All this with often a toddler crying blue murder and going "ouch"!


Post# 940171 , Reply# 29   5/25/2017 at 05:46 (2,499 days old) by Gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        
Co-incidence Prell Shampoo disappeared -----

with the use of all the hair dressings?
I always thought Prell was kind of like Janitor-in-a-Drum for hair. Or maybe Grease Relief. I could always tell if someone wasn't shampooing very well from the greasy residue left on bath towels. Or guys who would apply the hairdressings and then just wipe off their hands on the hand towels without bothering to wash off the dressing. Gross.


Post# 940193 , Reply# 30   5/25/2017 at 09:05 (2,499 days old) by kevin313 (Detroit, Michigan)        

kevin313's profile picture
Here is my primping products shelf in the bathroom. Have been using these items for years to keep my locks luscious...

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Post# 940198 , Reply# 31   5/25/2017 at 09:53 (2,499 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        
Kevin

ea56's profile picture
I have a shaving brush, double safety edge razor (Merkur 34 HD) and stand just like yours. My shaving brush is an inexpensive Van Der Hagen boar bristle model. I love my shaving set up. I actually enjoy shaving since I started using these tools over 3 yrs ago. Never cut or nick myself and get nice close shaves with no ingrown hairs. Plus, the double edge blades last me at least a month between shaves, and I have a heavy beard, but I do only shave every other day,
Eddie


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Post# 940200 , Reply# 32   5/25/2017 at 09:57 (2,499 days old) by warmsecondrinse (Fort Lee, NJ)        

Work calls so I must view the vids later. However, I must get this comment out or I'll burst...

My dad's family claims to be 100% German and Irish despite the fact that they all tan from a camera flash and after ONE WEEKEND at the beach look like they've been in the sun for an entire summer.

They also had jet black, thick, wavy, wiry hair they were all positively OBSESSED with straightening. They used Groom 'n Clean by the BARREL to get the desired results. Looking back from an adult's perspective, I think they would've conked their hair if they thought they could've gotten away with it.

For the record, I'm the only blood relative who seems to have noticed that the above doesn't exactly fit with the whole '100% German and Irish' story.







Post# 940367 , Reply# 33   5/26/2017 at 16:37 (2,498 days old) by CircleW (NE Cincinnati OH area)        

I never used any of that junk on my hair, except a couple times the barber put Butch Wax on it when I had a flat top in 6th grade. My home room teacher had one, and I thought it looked good on him (he was a young guy in his mid 20's, and just about anything would have looked good on him). From the time I was about 4 I had a "burr" haircut, until the flat top. By late 7th grade my hair was longer, and has been ever since - I don't like my ears to show.

Pictures of my dad made in the late 1940's indicate he must have used Vitalix or something, but by the time I was born he had short "burr" cut hair, and did until the end.


Post# 940517 , Reply# 34   5/27/2017 at 12:18 (2,497 days old) by warmsecondrinse (Fort Lee, NJ)        

"In the 50's just about everyone's Grandma had antimacamassrs on their upholstered furniture. My Grandma called them dollies, even though this more commonly refers to crocheted dollies..."

That's my recollection as well. I remember the texture and they were definitely made from linen or cotton/linen referenced in one of the links. They were usually circular and in patterns similar to those found all across eastern Europe. The lone exception was my grandmother who favored covers made from the same fabric as the underlying furniture.

Eric is a shaving aficionado: boar bristle brush, safety razor, etc.

Uncles and older cousins went for Brylcreem and Vitalis for a toned-down 'greaser' look. G'pa and his brother just used a touch of Vitalis, likely because their hair was so oily.

Dad & the rest of his family were into Groom n Clean by the gallon as mentioned above.

Me? None of those products were ever an option as using even the tiniest bit cause massive breakouts. That, combined with untamable(sp?) cowlicks forced me to adopt short punk styles from high school onward.

Now? Flat top all the way.


Post# 941007 , Reply# 35   5/30/2017 at 13:19 (2,494 days old) by firedome (Binghamton NY & Lake Champlain VT)        
what was that clear blue/aqua hair gel...

firedome's profile picture
that became popular early-mid '60s? Started with Vitalis around '60 but went to that clear blue stuff later on, and have completely forgetten what it was called. It didn't feel so oily but still kept my super-straight thick (still have all of it at 67) but mind-of-it's own hair in line, however was soooo glad when the natural-dry look became popular! To this day can't put anything on except water.

Post# 941008 , Reply# 36   5/30/2017 at 13:21 (2,494 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        

ea56's profile picture
I think what you're referring to was "Groom and Clean"
Eddie


Post# 941055 , Reply# 37   5/30/2017 at 19:27 (2,494 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )        
I Wonder

If I rub some of that stuff on my head will it make the once beautiful thick hair I had grow back??????LOL

Post# 941073 , Reply# 38   5/30/2017 at 22:10 (2,494 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
Maybe

launderess's profile picture
You might want to hit Eddie up for that "Dutch Rub" treatment to make sure.

*LOL*


Post# 941076 , Reply# 39   5/30/2017 at 22:25 (2,494 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

foraloysius's profile picture
What's a "Dutch rub"?

Post# 941077 , Reply# 40   5/30/2017 at 22:31 (2,494 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        
Louis,

ea56's profile picture
I wrote about this earlier in this thread. When I was a little boy and my Dad would comb mine and my brothers hair with Johnson's Baby Oil, he would rub our heads vigorously with the palms of his hands and he called this a "Dutch Rub", where he got the term I'll never know, but Joe and I thought it was special when we were 4 and 5 yrs old.
Eddie


Post# 941078 , Reply# 41   5/30/2017 at 22:36 (2,494 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

foraloysius's profile picture
Ah thanks! Maybe it was Dutch because it was free! LOL




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