Toiletries in the 40s, 50s and 60s

Mayjan recently reminded me about the Buttermilk soap that we were given when we went to the slipper baths in Coronation Road. This made me think of the toiletries we used in the 40s and early 50s. At home we used green Palmolive soap and Pears soap. At school I remember we had green or yellow soap that was cut up into squares. Who can remember how the edges and corners hurt your hands when it was newly cut? I also recall Vaseline powder shampoo - you had to dilute the powder in warm water before putting in on your hair to make a lather. (When mum washed my hair she used to put vinegar in the final rinse water to make my hair shine, it worked I had shinny hair, but I must have smelt awful. ) Those of you old enough will also recall Gibbs toothpaste in a round tin. At Christmas I often had bath cubes as a present. They were really hard cubes that took ages to soften in the bath, they were meant to soften the bath water and make it smell nice....usually of lavender. Mum only wore a little make-up, she used to use Ponds face cream, loose powder which was kept in a pretty compact, and a little lipstick. She loved perfume and wore Californian Poppy or Evening in Paris; I remember the Evening in Paris was in a small dark blue bottle with a silver cap. Come on you men you must have memories of shaving kit etc., let's hear them. PS Anyone remember Izal toilet paper - it was like crunchy greaseproof paper.

Hi Tricia, Great topic may I suggest you add "60's" to the title - might promote an even wider response!

Hi Tricia, Yes, I remember the Ponds Vanishing cream, although it was still the same old face in the mornings. Also the round Gibbs toothpaste as a child. In the 60's - if I could afford it - I used to like lilly of the valley perfume, by Yardley I think, but another one was Gin Fizz in a tall bottle and I have forgotten the trade name for that one. I think it was during the 60's a lot of these newer perfumes became more popular. Now, my husband buys me Chanel No. 5 so I have to try and make it last. That's one good thing about getting older (well for me at least) you can afford the finer things in life. Izal - were they the little squares in boxes you had to pull out like tissues ? Bye Tricia.......... ps. I remember Dennis Compton advertising Brylcreem for men's hair

This is indeed a great topic and probably that will lure a lot of people right in. You should be able to reach out through a lot of people that are going to be interested as well. I will be forwarding this to a friend who is up for it, and big at that as well.

Hello all Do you remember Pears soap. Pam & I use Pears soap now. I remember as a boy saving the vouchers that came with the soap & then sending away for the 'Pears Encyclopaedia'. Tricia asked---; PS Anyone remember Izal toilet paper - it was like crunchy greaseproof paper. Yes I do Tricia. The none branded version of it was still in use at work well into the seventies. The ladies loos all had soft paper but the gents had what we all called 'Baco-foil'. I love this post, Tricia. Pam has just said that it was only marginally better than the newspaper on the nail in the outside loo. Pam used Desert Flower toiletries. I had never heard of it until meeting her.

I remember my Mum having the little bottle of Evening Paris on her dressing table. She never wore much make up just a touch of loose powder and some Bourguois Rouge which came in a small round blue box. My Dad always used Brylcreme,Mum would always have a cover on the back of his chair to catch the grease,she would remove it and wash it every Monday wash day. I don't recall the shampoo you mention Tricia but I do recall Amami shampoo and hair setting lotion,also Mum got Vosene when we had dandruff. Those home perm kits they ponged something awful,how we suffered to be beautiful,there was Twink and Toni both smelt horrid. Sleeping in those awful prickly hair rollers was murder,must have been mad. The Gibbs Dentrifice I knew a girl that liked the taste of it and she would dip her finger in the tin and eat it. There was also Pepsodent and Gleem in tubes that came along later. I used a lot of Goya perfumes, June and Black Rose were two of them,also the Coty L,Aimant creamy skin perfume in a little black bottle which you can still get. The mascara block with a little brush we would spit on and then rub across the surface to put on our lashes. My Mum used a green soap for rubbing on the shirt collars can,t remember the name,we had Lifebuoy soap,Nights Castille,Lux and my Dad liked Coal Tar soap.

Hi to you Mayjan. I still have several Quote "There was also Pepsodent and Gleem in tubes". I keep my small files and modelling tools in Pepsodent tubes. Gosh, Vosene. Just called out Vosene to Pam & her reply was "What a pong". I love this. Why have we got old??? Coty L,Aimant as you say is sold in the market. Pam still has that for when she has been swimming.

Nice one Tricia! Still use Pond's, remember Fairy soap, carbolic soap (to kill germs?), Veet (stinky), Drene shampoo, egg shampoo(nasty looking) anything by Yardley, Max Factor pancake makeup (itchy and soon discarded),Nivea, hair lacquer, nail polish remover which smelled like pear drops and Gordon Moore's cosmetic toothpaste, which turned one's lips pink...liberal amounts used at lunch time would land us on the mat outside the headmistress's door!

I recall the big red cross on a green background wrappers of Izal. Probably to remind you about the dangers of using it!! It's still around, can't remember where I saw some, in a hotel up North, I think, only a year or two back! (Well, they're tough, ooop North, aren't they? ) On the subject of mens' grooming, how about early electric shavers? It was very advisable to use a pre-shave lotion, if you didn't want a sore face! When I was old enough to shave, I bought a razor, tried it once, thought "No Way!!!" and bought a battery-powered Philips shaver - and I still have it somewhere, after all these years.

...for sniffing the nail polish remover or using the toothpaste?

Guess!!!!

I think when they brought out 'Brut' toiletries for men, it was so popular all men began to smell the same, and it was a good present to get under the Christmas tree. What about the tanning lotions for the girls. I recall one girl turning up for work one morning looking all streaky. Then of course came 'Man Tan' Oh what a laugh !!

Message for Pam - What memories you have brought back I had completely forgotten Desert Flower toiletries, when I think about them now I can remember the smell. With regard to the newspaper on a nail on the back of the door in the outside loo, I remember it well. Philip did you use Old Spice?

Jan, I think the green soap your mum used for cleaning shirt collars may have been Fairy. You could also get Sunlight (or maybe it was Sunbright)household soap which was yellow. I had both a Twink and Toni home perm, the smell of the lotion was awful and the little home perm curlers used to hurt your head, when I complained dad used to say 'you have to suffer to be beautiful'....the pain didn't work for me!

Hi Tricia. Pam is delighted. I only used 'Old Spice' as my dad used it & there were loads in the bathroom. I can't remember much else for blokes, 'brute' had not been invented. Pam did buy me an Old Spice box set once which included a soap on a string. Thank you so much