The girls who were most influenced by these TV ads back in the day are now women who are about a decade past retirement age. When you compare the golly-gosh-gee-whiz zeitgeist of the fifties to the tech-savvy world today — in particular, kids who carry handled computers with more processing power than many countries even possessed 60-odd years ago — it seems like teens then and teens now couldn’t be more different.
But then you look at what this retro shampoo commercial is really selling — beauty, and the chance for romance — and it’s a reminder that despite all of society’s ebbs and flows, some things never change.
WHITE RAIN TONIGHT… SUNSHINE IN YOUR HAIR TOMORROW
See this retro shampoo commercial from 1954
Fabulous NEW lotion shampoo by Toni, guaranteed not to dull, not to dry your hair!
DONT DULL your hair with soaps and hard-to-rinse creme shampoos.
DON’T DRY OUT your hair with harsh liquid shampoos.
NOW PAMPER YOUR hair with gentle WHITE RAIN.
This refreshing new kind of shampoo is brought to you by Toni, world leader in hair research. WHITE RAIN leaves your hair bright as sunshine, soft as a cloud, sparkling clean… and easy to care for, like naturally curly hair.
Not a soap, not a creme, not a liquid; but a gentle lotion shampoo that soothes and smooths your hair, pampers it as it’s never been pampered before.
MORE: See what What Rain shampoo looks like now!
Shampooing with WHITE RAIN is like washing your hair in softest rain water. For WHITE RAIN contains an exclusive new blend of ingredients that gives rainwater results — floods of fragrant, foamy lather — even in hardest water. Rinses out easily, completely, no after rinse needed.
Much more luster! See how WHITE RAIN awakens glistening “sunshine” in your hair, gives a new, brighter, lovelier sheen.
Much more softness! Feel how WHITE RAIN gives your waves and curls the caressing softness of a summer cloud.
Much e-a-s-i-e-r to comb and set! Thrill to the way WHITE RAIN leaves your hair delightfully tangle-free… care-free like naturally curly hair.
Now — get WHITE RAIN at your favorite cosmetic counter — the only shampoo guaranteed not to dull, not to dry your hair. It costs no more than ordinary shampoos and once you’ve tried this new hair-care sensation, you’ll never use dulling, drying shampoos again! One dollar… also in 60c and 30c sizes.
WHITE RAIN — New, gentle lotion shampoo by Toni
Better than soaps… better than cremes… better than liquids
GUARANTEE: The Toni Company guarantees WHITE RAIN to be non-dulling, non-drying. Try a bottle. If you don’t agree, return the unused portion to The Toni Co., Merchandise Mart, Chicago, Ill., for a full refund.
Beauty for your hair
White Rain: Fabulous new lotion shampoo by Toni (1950s)
Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific shampoo & conditioner (’70s-’80s)
Use new White Rain shampoo tonight – tomorrow your hair will be sunshine bright! (1953)
