the ubiquitous hair dryer everybody's got one - personal care appliances

Wendy Schumann Hurley 1978, a digital version of an article from The Times print archive, was published online before it began in 1996.
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When Steve hope broke up with his wife, she was holding a hair dryer, which put the 34-year-old film editor in trouble.
"Before I crashed and bought my own shirt, I went through two months.
I have to admit that it is no longer a luxury but a necessity, like my toothbrush or razor. ”Blow dryers —
The hand-held hot air gun completely changed the shape of the hair --
It is becoming an essential beauty aid for men, women and children.
Jockey Steve cowson used one in the Belmont locker room and he affirmed the victory of the treble.
Doris Ramos, 12, is a sixth-grade student. S.
In the Lower East Side of Manhattan, 64-year-old has been using one since she was eight.
Now, she spends more than an hour every Saturday grooming her long brown hair to create a Farah Fawcett style for church social events.
Some industry analysts say the hair dryer business has stabilized, with sales falling from 14 million a year to about 12 million.
But it has also been said that it is entering a new phase, indicating the emergence of small dryers and the expansion of new markets --
Including more and more men and young people, as well as seasonal sales strength throughout the year.
The fact that hair dryers have evolved from women's luxury goods to essential beauty tools for all classes in the United States emphasizes a number of schools, including Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Kang en.
, Provide fixed wall hair dryer in the gym locker room, so that students can become dry and fashionable after physical activity.
An Eastern District woman said the ad "you have to have two in case one is broken" and she carries a dryer with her every time she travels.
Some families reported that each family member had a dryer.
Informal survey of advertising in PS.
64 shows that half of Miss Maddy Billig's second-year students have hair dryers at home.
Handheld dryers are everywhere.
It seems that everyone who wants one has already bought it.
Price cuts and discounts for famous brand home dryers are common, competing with the influx of low-priced products from the Far East.
Top sales of Gillette and Connell's hair dryer business account for almost half, and they all introduce a new retail model of less than $12.
Industry analysts estimate sales across the hair dryer industry to be $0. 2 billion, or $1977.
Perry Remington Consumer Goods Co. , Ltd.
A division of the company, speryland, left the field of hair dryers and Personal Care Appliances last fall more than a decade later.
"The forecast for the growth of the industry is not worth continuing," said Robert Horning, vice president of marketing . ".
"It's a low-tech product, and a lot of competitors from the east mean the market is completely saturated.
"But for the rest of the company, the hair dryer business is not saturated yet. It is entering a new phase where consumers are trading improved models by expanding new market segments and developing related new products.
As early as the 1960s s, when a popular hairstyle for women was a stiff fluffy hairstyle, the hair had to be placed in the roller and dried for hours under a fixed hood dryer.
Pierre Una Ning, the owner of fashion Manhattan hair salon Pierre Michel, recalls: "Women look like dolls, with heavy makeup and interesting hair . ".
Gradually, a more natural, non-fixed look has freed women from dependence on the rollers.
To 1968, the hand-held dryer used mainly in beauty salons has also been widely used by consumers.
"A woman used to come once or twice a week to do her hair," Pierre said . ".
"Now she's here once a month.
We focus on tailoring, color and conditioning.
She can make hair at home with a hair dryer
Almost as good as a hairdresser.
"Initially, the dryer provided to consumers was small and not very powerful --
400 to 800 watts are common.
"They are more about styling and finishing the hair after most of the hair is dry," said an early user . ".
Gillette was a leader in the consumer market until Conair began selling its larger, more functional 1,200-watt blower, which many women had seen in beauty salons.
The professional hair dryer is tricky to use, but it blows dry hair faster than the old-fashioned one.
Advertising "professional dryers", says one manufacturer ".
"More attraction.
Especially men.
Because it's functional, not just a beauty product.
Pro dryers have been introduced by other manufacturers, but Conair is considered a leading seller.
"This is your basic good dryer," said Guy Dennis, a buyer at Korvettes . ".
The second sale of Korvettes is its own brand.
Gillette ranks third.
Recently, however, the "compact" pro clothes dryer
Smaller in size and lighter in weight, but the drying capacity is comparable to the full size, posing a challenge to Conair's leading edge.
When Gillette launched its first compact two years ago, it made progress in this area
It's about half its full size unit weight.
Clairol, Norelco and final Conair, among other things, follow.
Lightweight products have a larger share of the market.
But how many markets are still to be shared?
"The market peaked three years ago," said William Schawbel, vice president of marketing at Gillette . ".
"The business of these two companies is to replace sales.
He estimates sales fell from 14 million in 1975 to less than 12 million last year.
On the other hand, he pointed out that the whole market has stabilized.
He said the introduction of new products with "trade-up" features, such as improved contracts and new rotary handle stylists, are key to the alternative business.
Now that curls are becoming more and more popular, Gillette has introduced hair dryers designed specifically for this group.
The new dryer, called Curlytop, emits 1,200 watts of heat without blowing.
"We are creating a new market segment," he said . "
Schawbel added that in addition to hair dryers, Gillette has introduced a number of new personal care devices to take advantage of the overall prosperity of beauty aids.
Michael Vigil, Connell's marketing director, said his company had found "not interested in such curly goods --.
We think this is a thing of the past tense.
"Conair's new work this season is a powerful compact car with a folding handle.
"The dryer market is far from saturated," he said . "
Advertising firm conair's revenue fell sharply in the first quarter, from 29 cents per share to 2 cents per share, with sales of $7.
It fell from $8 to $7 million.
Issue 8 million 1978. Mr.
The decline was caused by bad weather conditions rather than market saturation, Vigil said.
Second-quarter earnings will be announced by August.
At Conair, the focus will be on replacing sales and entering new segments that have not been adequately covered before.
According to Mr.
The most critical target group so far is women between the ages of 18 and 34.
Through advertising and specialized media placement, the company is chasing groups such as elderly women, professional women, teenagers and men who usually go to beauty salons.
Although hair dryers are popular, some people refuse to put one at home.
A housewife said that her two hours a week at the salon was "my only luxury --
I can sit under the dryer and do my nails and cross.
Or just daydream.
I can't hear what anyone is saying.
New York Times/stylist Jack Manning Tomo nagassu who works at Pierre Michel salon.
Here's Steve cowson, a jockey in the Belmont locker room.
The Ken Regan/Camera 5A version of this file was printed on the New York edition F7 page on July 16, 1978 with the title: the ubiquitous hair dryer is available to everyone.