Many of you may have grown up with your mother and her friends giving each other home permanents at home. In this video, the hair dresser gives Kat a perm, using an actual home permanent kit from the 1950's, called the Deb Cold Wave. The cold wave perm kits in the 1950's were a blessing for those who didn't like to fuss with the heaters and spacers of the previous home kits.
One big difference, besides the lack of need for heat, are the applicators (rollers) to set the hair on. In this video, thin flexible cotton rods, which somewhat resemble pipe cleaners are used to wrap the hair, resulting in the hair forming a C-shape on the head.
You'll see how the perm solution was made back then -- the perm solution powder being added to a specific amount of water, and mixed with a beater, before being applied to the hair with a cotton ball. Modern neutralizer is used on the hair. Because of the age of the perm solution, the perm did not hold. One other thing that you will notice is that the peroxide in the neutralizer bleached some of the brunette coloring in Kat's hair. Lesson learned - hair coloring should be done after a perm.
Kat's hair is finger waved in front, and she is given large pin curls in back. Then the 1930's Speed King hair dryer is rolled over to Kat and she sits under the dryer for her hair to set. the hair dresser's talented hands give Kat a beautiful 1940's coiffure, one that was featured in a 1947 hair magazine.
This video is approx. 3 hours and 18 minutes, screen size 640x480
