Hair is big business. My soft flowing shoulder-length wavy brown hair doesn’t just happen by accident. Rather, I owe it to my hairstylist, products, and my trusty hairdryer.
The baguette people, also known as the French, invented the first hairdryer in 1890. Stylist Alexandre F. Godefrey devised a seated air-blast version whereupon his clientele would wear a bonnet that attached to the chimney pipe of a gas stove. Prior to Godefrey’s invention, people relied on vacuum cleaners to style their tresses. Let’s be honest, that’s a tad bit déclassé. Plus the potential for death by carbon monoxide poisoning is more de rigueur when it comes to high beauty standards.
The armed to the teeth and blitz out on high-fructose corn syrup people, also known as the Americans, invented the first hand-held hairdryer. No wonder it’s shaped like a gun. Pew pew pew pew pew. While Gabriel Kazanjian patented the first blow dryer in 1911, the National Stamping and Electricworks, aided by Hamilton Beach Co, introduced a 100-watt, 2 pound zinc and steel based hand-held hairdryer in 1920. With time, hairdryers became more lightweight due to improvements in plastic technology, safer, and can now produce up to 2000 watts of heat.
Other known uses?
Hairdryers can be wielded to unfreeze car doors, remove sticky labels, de-steam bathroom mirrors, and groom your demonic cat after its weekly bath. If you are over the age of 16, it should not be used to dry and/or iron your clothing. That’s what fathers are for.
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