Hairdressing
I started off as an apprentice hairdresser in 1961 and I worked at Whittaker's on North Marine Road in Scarborough for a Mrs Joyce Searl. Hairstyles were very bouffant, a lot of back-combing which was all lacquered. Most people used to come in once a week for a shampoo and set but occasionally the used to come in the middle of the week for a comb-up.
When they had the big curls on top of their head you would redo them and I can tell you from experience that it used to itch by the end of the week so we used to get our tail comb and poke it in all the curls on top of your head.
During that time there was no blow drying. I wasn't trained to blow dry, it was all done on curler, rollers and perms. During the winter, when business was slack we used to put on a cheaper perm. A heat perm that you rolled up with curlers and we had a machine with clamps that heated up and you put them on top of the curlers. Well it sizzled and basically cooked! The smell!