Category Archives: Beauty History Tidbits

Hiram Maxin and Marcel Grateau

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While Hiram Maxin, inventor of the machine gun, is known to have obtained the first patent for a curling iron in 1866, it’s Marcel Grateau who is credited for actually inventing the curling iron in 1990.

The Marcel iron, was a revolutionary breakthrough for women and their hair

. Salons boomed with business from woman wanting the new hair trend.

Little did Hiram Maxin or Marcel Grauteau know was, that for one hundred and thirty years and still counting, the curling iron revolutionized the way women do their hair.

Have a look at my photo Museum of Hair History to look at some cool pictures of the past tools used in the Beauty and Barber industry.

HAVE you read my ebook, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, yet?

It’s about two Italian bff’s doing hair in the 80’s and the lives they touch through their clients.

Guaranteed to make you laugh you ass off and shed a little tear.

http://www.amazon.com/toweldryandagoodcry

Or your favorite ebook store

View the book trailer: www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips

Best Way to Long Lasting Perfume

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Do you feel like your perfume doesn’t last long enough? Stop spraying your clothing! Don’t simply spray your clothes with perfume on your way out the door.

woman-spray-perfume-on-her-wrist_article_new

Perfume needs the warmth of your skin to interact with your own body oils. Scent should be worn directly on your skin under your clothing for lasting effect. Put perfume on your pulse area’s low on the body as it will rise with your body heat!

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

 

 

Raquel Torres, Inventor of the Lip Stamp

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Raquel Torres, 1908-1987

Raquel Torres is someone I’d never heard of until recently and I felt she needed a little recognition, a little resurgence, if you will, of who she was. She was an actress from the thirties best known for her role in The Marx Brothers, Duck Soup movie.

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What I thought was intriguing about her was that she was an inventor of something cool, a wooden stamp that made applying lipstick easier and came in many shapes and sizes.

Raquel Torres

A quote from Raquel Torres in reference to her wooden lip stamps,  “They come in all sorts of mouth shapes!” says Raquel, “all you have to do is hold it up to your lips and plop on your favorite lipstick to get some interesting mouth shapes!”

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

 

 

 

Madam C. J. Walker

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Most of you that know me, know I love the history of the hairdressing and barbering profession.

I recently came across a remarkable woman of the past, Madam C.J. Walker. I highly recommend reading her book, On Her Own Ground.

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Madam C.J. Walker was born Sarah Breedlove December 23, 1867, on a Louisiana plantation. She transformed herself from an uneducated cotton field laborer and laundress to the first female self-made millionaire in America.

Madam CJ Walker

During the 1890’s, Sarah began to suffer from a scalp ailment that caused her to lose most of her hair. She experimented with many homemade remedies and store bought products including those made by Annie Malone, another black woman entrepreneur.

After working as a sales rep for Annie Malone, Sarah married her third husband Charles Joseph Walker in 1905.  Changing her name to Madam C.J. Walker she founded her own business selling her own product Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower, a scalp conditioning treatment.

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By early 1910, she had settled in Indianapolis, then the nation’s largest inland manufacturing center, where she built a factory, hair and manicure salon and training school.

Not only did she promote her business through dedication and hard work she was also a philanthropist, using her money to make a difference in causes she felt were important.

If you are as interested, as I am, in past beauty history, I highly recommend reading Madam C.J. Walker’s story. She was an incredible woman.

Check out my photo Museum of Hair History at judydeluca.com

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

The History of Wigs, Wiglets, Falls and Extensions

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From 30 BC onward, wigs and wiglets have always been a part of society. In Cleopatra’s day wearing a wig meant you were considered an elite member of society.

Cleopatra

In 1812, thanks to Rapunzel, long lavish hair introduced the public to hair extensions.

rapunzel

As time moved through the 1830’s to the turn of the century, Hairdressers used padding and forms to create the luxurious Victorian hairstyles.

victorian hair

By the time the twenties rolled in women were crazed for the flapper bob cut.

Flapper bob

Falls, a weft of hair that was clipped onto the back of the head, created length and more volume were popular from the forties to sixties.

fall hairpiece

The seventies brought a weaving trend in.  African American women were sewing hair onto cornrowed braids.

extensions

And as time still passes, wigs, wiglets, falls and extensions are still popular today.

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

 

Photo Museum of Hair History

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I have always been fascinated by antique tools of the barbering and hairdressing trade and have been a collector most of my career. I decided to make a photo Museum of Hair History on my website of all the things I’ve collected or have come across.  This is my latest addition to my Museum. It’s a barber’s neck plate.

barber neck plate

I’ve never seen one before, not even in old movies but they existed. I’m guessing the barber put water in it and used the plate to rinse the razor. If anyone knows any more, post on my facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Visit the Museum!

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty and tips

Latest Addition To Judy DeLuca’s Photo Museum of Hair History

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bloodletting This was the tool that Barbers used to do bloodletting with.

Barbering is one of the oldest professions going back six thousand years.  A barber, back in the day, performed other things besides cutting hair and shaving.  It was common for a barber to pull a tooth or surgically do a bloodletting.  They were known then, as Barber Surgeons.

To learn more visit my blog post on The Barber and the Barber Pole.

If you are interested in old barber and hairdressing tools visit my Photo Museum of Hair History

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

Men’s Hairstyles of the 90’s

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Hairstyles for men in the 90’s came a long way after the ever so popular mullet of the 80’s.  After surviving the 80’s as a hairdresser, I was glad styles for men made a drastic change. Here are some of the hairstyle trends that were popular for men in the the 90’s.

The Caesar

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Curtains or the long fringe front

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Long side burns

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Shaved sides and back with a mop top or the swimmers cut

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Crew Cuts

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The Quiff, half pompadour half flattop

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Spikes

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And thanks to the Grunge era, a variety of Mohawks and colored Mohawks were also trendy men’s hairstyles of the 90’s

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When I wrote my novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, I chose the 80’s time frame because it really was the most outrageous time for hairstyles and a time before electronic devices.

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

http://www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

http://www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Max Factor The Father Of Makeup

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I can’t help it, I’m a makeup junkie. Here’s a little makeup history.  Max Factor is commonly known as the father of modern makeup.max 2

Max Faktor, born in Poland in the late 1870’s, was one of ten children.  At age eight Max did an apprenticeship at a pharmacy and after mixing potions all day long Max became fascinated with cosmetics.max 3

In the late 1800’s Max Faktor opened a cosmetics store in a suburb of Moscow selling his hand-made creams, rouges, perfumes and human hair wigs.

During that time a theatre group performing for the Russian nobility wore Max Faktor’s makeup and it made such an impression with the Russian nobility that they appointed Max as the official expert for the Royal family and the Imperial Russian Grand Opera.max 5

In 1904 Max Faktor and his family moved to the United States and he was given the name Max Factor by Immigration officials at Ellis Island.  He participated in the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis selling his cosmetics.

Max dreamed of Hollywood and in 1908 moved his family to L.A. and created a make-up specifically for movie actors, unlike theatre makeup.max 1

Soon after he opened a store and movie stars were flooding into his shop to sample the makeup while producers sought Max Factor’s human hair wigs.max 6

In the 1920’s Max Factor introduced a line of cosmetics to the public, claiming every girl could look like a movie star by using his makeup and to this day, the company still has that motto.

Judy DeLuca’s latest novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

 

 

 

 

Clothing of The 80’s

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I don’t think anything will surpass the styles and clothing of the 80’s! The clothing of the 80’s, the hair, and the fashion accessories were crazy.  As a hairdresser in the 80’s I lived through it all and thought it was a great time frame to set my novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, in.  If you’re a hairdresser or have ever stepped foot in a salon or lived through the eighties this is a must read.  If you’re Catholic or Italian, prepare for a lot of laughs. Join Josie Capelli, the main character, in this heartfelt story of truth, trust and love.

Here’s some great clothing from of the 80’s:

80's 2780's 380's 1480's 880's 780's 1680's 1780's 1880's 2380's 1980's 2080's 2180's 2480's 2280's 2680's 2580's 2980's 30Michael Jackson on Victory Tourgrunge 7

If you love the 80’s take a look at other blog posts I have on, 80’s fashion accessories, 80’s shoe trends, hairstyles of the 80’s and the Grunge Era.

Follow me on Pinterest for more on the 80’s.

Judy DeLuca’s latest novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

 

 

 

 

Fashion Accessories of the 80’s

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I don’t think anything will surpass the styles of the 80’s! The fashion accessories of the 80’s, the clothing and the hair were crazy.  As a hairdresser in the 80’s I lived through it all and thought it was a great time frame to set my novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, in.  If you’re a hairdresser or have ever stepped foot in a salon or lived through the eighties this is a must read.  If you’re Catholic or Italian, prepare for a lot of laughs. Join Josie Capelli, the main character, in this heartfelt story of truth, trust and love.

Here are some great fashion accessories of the 80’s:

80's 180's 280's 380's 480's 580's 680's 780's 980's 1080's 1180's 1280's 1380's 2880's 25bannana clipbendersFor more 80’s memorabilia or hair and beauty tips follow me on Pinterest.

Judy DeLuca’s latest novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

 

Beware of Salon Waxing!

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wax pot

I’d like to share something totally disgusting but worth telling about, waxing at a salon.  I’ve been a hairdresser for thirty two years, (yikes that makes me sound old), a salon owner, a Board Certified Haircolorist and I’ve written a novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, about a hairdresser in the eighties.  I’m not bragging here I’m just showing that I know what I’m talking about on this subject.

One thing that grosses me out that happens in a salon and one of my biggest pet peeves is what happens in the waxing room in salons.  Not much grosses me out; I’m a plumber’s daughter, as well.  I can work on a head of hair that stinks to high heaven, a scalp full of psoriasis and a head full of stitches from a recent facelift but the one thing that really makes my skin crawl is ‘double dipping’ in the wax pot.

Every time a professional dips a waxing stick into the wax pot a new stick should be taken every time.  This doesn’t always happen.  The professional should take a new stick every time they dip. I personally don’t want to get my eyebrows done after someone has just had their ass waxed.

If you see a professional ‘double dipping’ the wax stick, do yourself a favor, “run Forrest run”!

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

 

 

 

The Zigzag Hair Part

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zigzag 2

This is a little tip I’ve always given my clients in the salon.  This form of crisscrossing the hair part is beneficial for two reasons.  First, parting the hair in this way can create volume and second, lifting the hair with a little volume can also disguise the need for a color touch-up.

zigzag 1

     Place the first tooth of a regular comb directly on the scalp.  Without lifting the comb off the scalp draw a zigzag line down the part area until the part is the right length.  Before lifting the comb off the scalp, separate the hair from the first tooth of the comb with your index finger.  There you go!

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

 

 

 

 

Hair Dressed In A Pompadour

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The pompadour is a man or woman’s style of hairdressing.  The idea is to create a mound in front of the hair.

The pompadour hairstyle dates back to the 1700’s and the evolution of it has lasted through to today’s hair fashion .

Marie A

Women wore the pompadour in the 1700’s and Marie Antoinette was a good example of how it was worn then.

The Guilded Age, 1877 to 1889, brought back the pompadour for women in the style of the Gibson Girl.

gibson girl pomp

In the 1930’s and 40’s it re-emerged into the next phase of the pompadour and hollywood played a big role in that come-back.

bogart pomp

40's male40s pompbetty grable pompold female pomp

Again, in the 50’s and 60’s.

cash pompjames deam pomppresley pompmannix pomp

The Grunge Era in the 80’s.

stray cat pomp

And the pompadour is back in full-swing today!  Here are some of my favorite modern day pompadours.

beiber pompgwen pompMiley pompmodern pomprere pompold bw pomp

And the best of all….Donald Trump

As a hairdresser of thirty some odd years, I used to cut hair into the pompadour when it was in style in the 80’s and I’m doing it all over again today.

In the novel I’ve written, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, the main character, Josie Capelli, a new to the business hairdresser in the early 80’s was doing the pompadour on her male clients.  My story walks you through what it’s really like to stand behind the chair of a hairdresser through Josie’s eyes and what it was like for her back then to do hair and deal with deep-rooted attachments to her clients, along with her crazy hairdresser best friend and her drama-filled, overbearing, overprotective, Catholic, Italian family.

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is a heartfelt story of truth, trust and love surrounded by a web of characters, some you’ll love, some you’ll hate and some will leave your jaw hanging open!

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

http://www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips

Interesting Beauty History Tidbits

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Did you know, in….

1890  The first Hairdressing Academy opened in Chicago

1901  First face-lift was performed in Berlin and the hairpin was invented

1920  First electric curling iron

1941 Pedicures become a new salon service

1950 Red haircolor becomes popular thanks to Lucille Ball1960 Revival of wearing wigs

1972 First plastic nail tips

1978 Disco and Punk make an impact on hair and fashion

1990 Grunge

1994 The “Rachel” cut1998 The phrase “bad-hair day” is added to Roget’s Thesaurus

2001 Japanese hair straightening arrives in American salons

2009  Barbie turns 50

2010 Sebastian Shaper Hairspray turns 25

2011  Blow Dry Bars open across the country offering affordable and quick blow-outs

If you like looking at antique hair and barber memorabilia I invite you to look at my Museum of Hair History on my website.

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Towel Dry and a Good Cry is about a young girl, new to the hairdressing business, that learns all too quick that there is more to standing behind the chair than just cutting hair.  A story full of laughs and tears lies and fears with characters you’ll love, hate or will leave your jaw hanging open!

Available at your favorite ebook store

www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

www.facebook.com/judydelucaauthor

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.