Elvis’ Hair

As an Elvis fan I think it proper to change the topic today from politics to ‘The King’ in memory of the musical legend who passed away on this day in 1977.

Apart from his music, the social impact he made on America, and his enormous generosity there is another part to the man that has always fascinated me.  It was his hair and the way it always looked just right for the occasion. 

Instead of me writing this post I (for this one time) will post from another source.  (Cyber Club Elvisly Yours – Newsletter 41)  Many people have asked over the years about what pomade Elvis used for his hair. Elvis’ hairdresser on the road was Larry Geller who was also his spiritual advisor. Larry wrote the following.

…. “in terms of Elvis’ hair you can add the following: In the sixties I styled
Elvis’ hair for the movies Roustabout; Girl Happy; Double Trouble; Easy
Come, Easy Go; Frankie and Johnny; Harum Scarum; Paradise Hawaiian Style; Tickle Me; Spinout and Clambake.We would arrive at the studio each morning, and before Elvis’ make-up was applied I would do his hair in his dressing room. During the day’s shooting I would be on the set making sure his hair matched scenes and was looking appropriate. Typically, I would have to redo his hair a half-dozen times a day because he was so active in the films. Although Elvis had a perfect full head of hair, it did lack body. Therefore I had to constantly spray it, and when it came to the type of shampoo that I used, it was a custom solution that I prepared. I always used a mild pH base, to which I would add vitamin E oil, Aloe Vera gel, Jojoba oil and other ingredients to keep his hair healthy and looking great. He also received from me regular shampooing, brushing and scalp massage. Pomade? Never! That was a no-no. The only pomades available in those days were detrimental: heavy and clogging the pores; they would have worked against the full, healthy head of hair that Elvis possessed and that I worked to maintain.

When it came to dying his hair black, I used a wonderful product from a
company called “Lapinol”, which is no longer in business. I later used
Clairol or sometimes L’Oreal. On tour in the seventies, I would do his hair
before we left the hotel or on the plane. Backstage before a performance I
would tinker with it, making sure it looked right.” It was Larry who trimmed
Elvis’ hair for the funeral at the request of Vernon Presley and when he
discovered Elvis had greying hair he had to use his partner’s black eyebrow
pencil to blacken the grey roots.
Source: Cyber Club Elvisly Yours – Newsletter 41