November 7, 2022 - My mother had been a beautician for about ten years before I was born. Her talent was definitely that of making her customers, and members of her own family, more beautiful. She gave me my very first haircut, but I was too young to remember the event.
During my school years she faithfully cut my hair. I can remember one time when I was a pre-teen; she put a little curl in my blonde hair to keep it out of my eyes. One thing she would NOT do was a “flat-top” cut that was popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Consequently, I never wore a “flat-top” hair cut as did many of my male friends. My mother, Alice Murphy, had a beauty shop in our home when I was quite small, and I watched her wash, cut, and curl many a head of hair. There was a time that I felt that I could do that cutting and curling myself just from watching her.
Mother continued her occupation until she was into her late 80s, and I was well into my retirement years. One incident stands out in my mind that happened in her latter years. She was cutting my hair one day, and as a final touch, she sprayed my hair with a can that she retrieved from a shelf. Almost immediately I noticed a different smell to the hair spray, one that I could not identify. So, I asked, “Mother, what did you spray on my hair?” She picked up the can and looked closely at it. I could see that it plainly read “RAID” bug spray.
“Mother, you sprayed my hair with bug spray!” I said. She assured me, “No problem. I’ll just wipe it off with a towel,” which she did. Then she combed my hair again and put some real hair spray on it. She commented, “Well, you won’t have to worry about having any bugs in your hair, ha ha.” Somehow, I was not amused at her joke.
I headed straight for the shower when I got back home. It took several washings to get all the bug spray out. I also noted that there were no bugs or insects in my hair. So, if you ever have such things in your own hair, I can recommend “Raid” bug spray to get rid of them. It comes recommended by an experienced, licensed, hair expert – my mother.
