Sunday, July 21, 2024

SECRETS FROM THE PAST~INCLUDING A SPECIAL SECRET

 Some of you will be too young to relate to this post.

Some things bring my mind right back 
to a certain
MOMENT IN TIME.

A while ago I spotted something in the store
that made me stop and stare.
It was THIS!
PRELL!

My mother washed my hair 
with this for years.
I had to have some for old times sake!
It is probably like using 
dishwashing liquid
 on your hair
but I sure do love the smell 
and the memories that accompany it.

When I got to be a teenager 
I declared my independence!
Yes! I! Did!
I bought this instead.
Yes'm - I was a Breck girl.
Yes- I washed my hair with BRECK
but prior to that I brushed my teeth with
IPANA.

It came in one of those 
horrible old metallic tubes
that rusted and hardened like
 gun metal as you emptied it.
THAT  was my mother's choice 
and when I was a teenager
I chose
Don't forget your white gloves, ladies.
Let's hope your teeth are that white 
from using Crest!

After brushing my teeth 
I would get dressed for the day.
My mother's choice for me
was something like this
only mine would have been 
about 8" from the floor...don't ask.
Let's just say I scandalized 
everyone in sight
the day I showed up in this:
Yes-That is really me! 
I was definitely a thorn 
in my mother's side.

Seriously.
The one thing she 
COULD NOT BELIEVE?
That I threw 
THESE AWAY
You used THOSE with one of these beauties
Those were the most miserable
things ever- I am sure they were
invented by some man!

As soon as I saw the ad 
I rushed out and bought these.
imageWHY did I buy these?Well, I bought those because theADVERTISEMENT SAID:
I could swim, play games
and, best of all,
I could 
GO FLY A KITE
which is exactly what my mother
often told me to do!

How about you?
Any Girls Only Stories you want to share?
Mums (deodorant)  the word here.
After all, 
YOU KNOW
I can keep a 
C'mon- Tell All

ps.  come back soon-
I might be up to 'sumthin'....
your photo name

43 comments:

Rita C at Panoply said...

Too funny, Diana! Don't forget the Sun-in and baby oil summer staples. When I smell honeysuckle it always reminds me of our Avon lady selling it in various ways - bottle perfume, lotion, etc. Though not Avon, my favorite was Cachet

Cecilia said...

I remember Prell (loved the smell!), Breck, those awful sanitary belts and pads (I bought tampons too as soon as I discovered them!), used Crest toothpaste. Remember Mercuricome? (Is that how you spell it?). We called it “monkey blood”. Stung like the dickens but it must have worked as our cuts never got infected. Oh! The yellow cod liver pills. We had to eat one every day…it was our vitamin. The best thing though was Mom’s homemade cough syrup…honey and a good dose of bourbon! Put us right to sleep. Lol. I just missed the mini skirt craze. By the time I got to high school it was those prairie dresses. Oh what were they called?!?

Cheryl Kimbley said...

Yes I remember all these things. I could not use Breck. for some reason I was super allergic to it.
Oh those mini skirts/dresses - sure did my share of those. I don't think any mom liked them.
Those horrible sanitary belts - oh my. Those were a nightmare. I also remember garter belts before the advent of panty hose.
Thanks for the nostalgia.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I used Breck and Crest too (in fact, I still use Crest!) And OMG, those awful sanitary pads and belts -- what a misery they were. And Diana, you certainly had the gams to wear that mini-skirt!

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

What a cute post. It jogged a lot of memories for me. I do remember Prell. Funny how so much as changed over the years. No secrets here I use the roll on kind now.

ellen said...

Oh, I remember those days. Do you remember going to bed with your hair in Spoolies? Or those picky hair rollers with the little pink sticks to hold them in? My mother used to tell me "You have to suffer to be beautiful"!!! I remember how you had to keep pulling your dress to your knees when you were sitting in school at your desk because the tops of your pantyhose would show. I was sooo happy when they came out with Leggs! No more garter belts! We've Come A Long Way Baby!

Junkchiccottage said...

OMG you are too funny. I used Prell and Tame. Remember scotch taping our bangs down after washing our hair and those pink sponge curlers. Blast from the past. I had a similar outfit as yours with my fave white go go boots in white pleather lol! Have a great weekend. Hugs. Kris

jack69 said...

LOVE THIS! You looked great, no wonder that hubby trapped you! Funny all this, it seems all I have lately is memories. I am learning what I have heard all my life, there are some pains with age, but at least, time has not stopped YET!
Love you girl good to see the alert!

Red Rose Alley said...

I still use Crest and Colgate to this day. Although, my teeth are not as white as they used to be from all the coffee through the years haha. And I still love the original Palmolive for washing dishes. My mom used Tide when I was growing up, and I carried on the tradition, but I buy Tide Free and Gentle. It's funny how we take over these traditions that our mom's did back in the day. My daughters do the same with their mama. Jess is still nursing, and Charlotte's almost a year. Fun post, Diana. Be back soon to see what you're up to. ; )

~Sheri

Red Rose Alley said...

ps.....you look pretty cute in that mini skirt. A young Farah Fawcett. : )

Kim said...

Hey there hottie! LOVE the outfit! You definitely had (have) style my friend. I remember a lot of these and I can still smell the Prell from here. Did you ever see Michelle Pfeiffer and Nathan Lane in Frankie and Johnny? There's a scene where Michelle Pfeiffer is getting ready for a date with Al Pacino and curls her hair and when she takes the rollers out she screams that she looks like the Breck girl. I always laugh about that...those were some curls! Hope all is well and summer has been lovely...xo

Latane Barton said...

I guess we are on the same path this morning.. my post is about the 'older' times. Go check it out. Accidently Aging.

BeachGypsy said...

Gosh yes I sure do remember These things! Funny how the Tampax ads in magazines always showed the model DRESSED ALL IN WHITE outfits!!!?? 😆 🤣 😂 . Yes I remember the Breck girls--- many went on to be actresses I guess. I remember Dippity-Do, Pssssst dry shampoo, Cover Girl " clean make-up", Great Lash mascara and AMERICAN BANDSTAND!!!! We had THE BEST MUSIC!!! Go-go boots, black velvet chokers, POW AND MIA bracelets, Earth shoes, striped bell bottoms, and gosh yes someone above mentioned garter belts!!!--- was so glad when They made pantyhose!! Black or white fishnet pantyhose and black boots! LEGGS pantyhose. Frosted eyeshadow and white lipstick, Twiggy, Carnaby Street, mod, and GROOVY!!

BeachGypsy said...

PS-------- CHARLIE perfume!!

Penny Carlson said...

How about bandanas as shirts, with no bra? And Who wears short shorts? We wear short shorts. If you dare wear short shorts, Nair for short shorts.

Bill said...

LOL, the memories are priceless. I grew up with two sisters. :)

Terri D said...

LOL... that was fun Diana!! I had to have Tame cream rinse for my hair and Dippity Doo for the big pink plastic rollers! Those were the days! Always a fun visit with you! Have a blessed week ahead!

MadSnapper said...

mother always had prell, and crest or colgate toothpaste until Head and Shoulders came along. what ever she and daddy used we all used. we had no choice.
Wow, if I dressed in what you have on, daddy would have locked me in my bedroom and thrown away the key. I am older than you, so the shocking minis did not come along until I was old and fat with two wild boys
I must say you did rock that skirt and the dress is not my taste at all.
great post brought back a lot of memories. i used kotex with that horror contraption and could not change to tampax until I moved out and got married in 1963, parents said NO to tampax. I used to send my baby brother at 9 years old accross the street to purchase kotex. then one day someone told him what they were and he never went for me again

Bless said...

You must remember that I grew up in a different country and we had different products. But, when it came to style, my mother was the progressive one and I was the ultra conservative one. My mother sewed all my clothes and I cried the day she made me a dress with a mini skirt and told me I had to wear it! I hated mini skirts. I liked my skirts to be long - I still do!

Ginny Hartzler said...

I remember ALL of these and, hold onto your hat, Phil uses Prell all the time!! He really likes it, and a few stores around here still sell it. I wore a mini skirt to WORK!! Got reported for it! I used Ipana, too. I think the mascot was Bucky Beaver. Fun post of memories. The word ipana has confused spell checker to no end!!

This N That said...

You are Always up to something!Great post..I'm still laughing..!!
Cute picture...

Pamela M. Steiner said...

This was fun, and you can tell we came from the same generation! I just wrote about Secret deodorant too...(I saw you already saw that). Yes, I remember all of the above. And yes, those sanitary belts were terrible. My mother told me they didn't have disposable pads when she grew up...they used rags and had to wash them...so that may explain a lot about our mothers and their thoughts on things. And yes, my skirts got rather short by the time I graduated H.S., within the rules of course...there were rules... But those were the days my friend. We thought they'd never end...and here we are, talking about those things like they are long lost friends. LOL. Loved this. Good to hear from you again.

Anonymous said...

You can get Prell on Amazon

Mevely317 said...

What fun memories you've resurrected! I remember most of these, but not what I 'enjoyed.' Lawdy, my parents would have had a conniption fit if I suggested a garter belt. Nope, I had the dreaded girdle.
Thanks for the smiles!

Buttercup said...

You brought back memories. In the same era I had a bottle of Jean Nate, which was my favorite after shower scent, and of course haven't seen that in ages.

Ann said...

What a blast from the past. I remember most of these. Aside from these, there was always a bottle of 1006(ten o six) in our bathroom cabinet. You have to keep that skin clean.

Ann said...

I almost forgot the Irish Spring soap. It was manly, yes, but I liked it too.

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Hi Diana, I used Prell and I was a Breck girl, too. Oh my the sanitary napkins belt was horrific. I ended up using safety pins to pin the pad to my underwear. Later on a used tampons. We also used baby oil and even Crisco to get a tan. Oh my, those were the days!
P. S. Still praying for you and John.

Lorrie said...

Oh, I hated those sanitary belts! When the self adhesive pads came on the market, I ditched the belt. The same for pantyhose and garter belts. I don't remember Prell, but do remember Breck shampoo. Now there are so many more brands to choose from. My mother was an Avon customer and I remember when Mrs. Gamey with all her makeup, would show up at the door. Lovely scents. Once I came home from school and my mother had tried eye shadow for the first time. Green on one eye and blue on the other, just to compare. I thought that very funny.
I hope John is doing okay. Hugs to you.

Anonymous said...

I certainly do remember all those products! Plus...Nair and Neet instead of shaving your legs. Before those garter belts (which I bought new ones to be sexy) I work a regular girdle to hold up my stockings. And I ironed my hair.
Patricia

Debby said...

https://from-my-house.blogspot.com/2024/07/monday-july-22-blog-update.html

racheld said...

YES and an echo of every comment from this sweet, funny, smart community you've built and maintain for us. Each and all, I vow, and even now, Using DAWN for dishes for decades has never stopped me from sometimes blurting out PRELL when I'm referring to it---can't you just SEE the pearl lazily drifting down into either bottle?

Such memories of those days, and the scents!!! All that Baby Love and Jungle Gardenia and all the Avon---those were on into my married-with-children days, but those Fifties---Woodhue and Anything Houbigant, Emeraude and Evening in Paris or Shalimar (still my favorite and I still have a great collection of those little empty shield bottles marching across the top of a dresser).

Thinking of you fondly and often, with prayers for you both in my heart.

Janie Junebug said...

You were adorable!!! I don't think we ever had Prell, but I certainly remember it. We quite often had Avon shampoos and when I was a teenager I requested trendy shampoos. I can't believe I don't remember the names of any of them. How I hated those belts and pads. Miserable! What a wonder it was when pads with sticky stuff came out. I couldn't use a tampon alone because I bled so heavily and ended up having a hysterectomy when I was 30. That surgery is one of the best things that ever happened to me.

Love,
Janie

Debbie Nolan said...

Diana we are from the same vintage and yes I remember those short skirts, secret and Prell as well as those feminine belts - thank goodness some things have changed :)! Delightful post and had me smiling. Hugs!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Oh my goodness!! These pics bring back so many memories.This post brought smiles once again. You are so good at that dear Diana. ~ Have a great wee ~ FlowerLady

Cindy said...

This was such a fun post! And brought back so many memories!

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

I was born a little later than you - came of age in the 80s and 90s when high hair was a big deal and you had to spray it high and stiff with Aqua Net hair spray, lol. Thank the Lord I never had to experience the "belt"! You sure know how to share a blast from the past, so funny! Praying for you and John. Love and hugs to you!

Donna said...

I remember well all of the above! lol
How fun to remember these things. I was also about 6 when the pill was advertised... I don't know why I remember that so vividly except I overheard my mom and aunt talking about it...lol
hugs
Donna

Patti @ Pandoras Box said...

I chuckled all the way thru this!! I really loved Prell especially!

Yvonne said...

I was a breck girl when I had money to buy my own shampoo. I remember those huge cardboard tubes of the tampax my mother used. I was forbidden tampons until I was out on my own, because my mom believed those lost virginity stories. I do remember mini shirts, but mostly I remember the hippy era of curly cue wisps of hair framing my face, held in place by a little dippity do. A fun post, but I looked at the post before and am so sorry for all your husband is going through. Hang in there. Sometimes it takes a long time before you reach the light at the other end of the tunnel. Hugs!

Anonymous said...

Don’t forget “Oh de London” perfume and Yardley pots of gloss!

MELODY JACOB said...

What a nostalgic trip down memory lane! It’s amazing how certain products and choices can bring back such vivid memories. Thanks for sharing these fun reflections! I just posted a new blog post: I invite you to share your opinion. Thank you.

Pom Pom said...

Hi Queenie! I love the smell of Prell, but it might make my hair green. Remember Bright Side with optical brighteners? Ha ha ha! O de London? I loved that smell! Praying for your dear hubby. xo