Hair Glossary

In the days before professional and consumer focused flat hair irons made their appearance, women would use clothing irons to straighten their strands. The hair ironing fad started as a result of the anti-bouffant hairstyle trend and was a return to simple, straight hair. The hair ironing fad gave way to the popular hippie hairstyles where hair was worn long and stick straight, often parted in the middle. The hair ironing techniques were originated with Northeastern college girls who began ironing their hair in an attempt to make it as straight and natural as possible. In order to achieve the "ironed" look, female co-eds would position their heads on an actual ironing board and allow a friend to iron their tresses in small one to two inch sections. The process not only included the danger of burning the hair and the scalp but it was time consuming. It might take more than an hour to iron a full head of hair. Some of the problems with the technique involved burn marks on delicate strands and hair that became very dry and brittle from the high heat of the clothing irons. The fad lost popularity when other hair styles took prominence and ultimately was replaced by hair irons.