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25 products you could probably find in every medicine cabinet in the Sixties
Everyone likes to peek inside the medicine cabinet.
It's just a part of human nature, at least for a portion of society. When some people visit your house, they peek inside the medicine cabinet.
Well, it's time to do just that, guilt-free. Only we're not snooping in a modern bathroom — we're going back to the 1960s.
The packaging and product names bring back some memories. A few things we still use today. Other stuff is the relic of the era. Did you use any of it?
1. Alka-Seltzer in the long, tubular glass jar
There were a lot of upset stomachs in the 1960s. (If you watched Mad Men, you'll remember why.) Good thing that Speedy (and Buster Keaton!) were there for that plop-plop-fizz-fizz relief.
2. Phillips' Milk of Magnesia Tablets
No water needed! Milk wasn't needed, either!
3. Bufferin
Today when you hear "Bufferin" you think "Waiting for a video to load online." Which can be a headache.
4. St. Joseph Aspirin for Children
Kids had their own headache medicine. And it had "orange flavor and creamy smoothness." Sounds like a Dreamsicle.
5. Scott's Emulsion Cod Liver Oil Tonic
"Specially made to winterize your body against colds." Hey, if it works for fish in the Nordic sea!
6. Bright pink Band-Aid bandages
It looked so much like bubblegum, it should have come in a pack of baseball cards.
7. Dippity-Do
Speaking of bright pink, this gel helped keep hair helmet-hard.
9. Pond's Cold Cream
The official pre-bedtime ritual for millions of women.
10. Brylcreem
"A little dab'll do ya!" promised Dick Clark. Today, the Dab is a dance move.
11. Gleem
"The toothpaste for people who can't brush after every meal." Hey, it rhymes with Brylcreem!
12. Lavoris
"Tangy cinnamon-clover flavor." Firetruck color.
13. Campho-Phenique
"Campho-Phenique" just sounds like a vintage medicine.
14. Vick's VapoRub
Remember when mom would smear this on your chest?
15. Head & Shoulders in a little tub
The variety of packaging made it easily mistaken for cold cream… or toothpaste.
16. Remington Lektronic Shaver
Introduced at the start of the Sixties, the electric razor revolutionized men's shaving. No wonder neckbeards weren't a thing back then.
17. Old Spice Pro Electric
Well, if you had an electric razor, you needed the Old Spice Pro Electric shave lotion.
18. GE Electric Toothbrush
Hope you have multiple outlets by the sink, because electric toothbrushes were introduced back in the '60s, too.
19. Palmolive Rapid Shave
Of course, you could do things the old school way — with a razor. In which case, Palmolive, the dishwashing people, were there for you.
20. Cashmere Bouquet Talc
"Protects and prolongs your daintiness."
21. That Man cologne
Well, if it's good enough for the Tony Randall household…
22. Dermassage
That's actually a rather elegant bottle.
23. Dixie Peach Pomade
It sounds delicious, but don't eat it.
24. Fresh-Start
Pond's had the teen market covered, too, with its blemish treatment.
25. Arrestin
Every medicine seemed to end in "–in" back then, no?
19 Comments
12. Have always jokingly called it Nasty Lavoris which sounds like something Juliet Landau's Drusilla would've spoken.
Now, for the backstory on the above statement:
My dad was Director Of Quality Control for a packaging company. So his job was to oversee the lines, making sure items were passing inspection. {Have to keep those clients happy!} If they didn't, off the line they'd come. Then those rejects wound up being free for the taking. The product itself was fine, just the container was off. The label was wrong, the seal of the can right, whatever. They didn't only package aerosols, they got contracts for other items. A couple/few Christmas' they packaged spray snow. I remember he brought home a can to show us what he was talking about. They packaged vitamins. {I want to say they were from Sears.} One of their biggest clients {if not THE biggest who they they had for a very long time;} was Helene Curtis. My dad would bring some of their product line home as well. We had several boxes in the basement of stuff we'd literally give them out to our relatives! "You need deodorant, shampoo, we've got plenty." Seemed to be our family's catchphrase. We sure {no pun intended!} saved quite a bit of $$ in the Health/Beauty aisle!
