Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Holiday Travel and Intergenerational Cultures of Grooming

As many of us set out to visit family this holiday season, I offer this:

You know how when you go visit your grandparents, there are cleansers, lotions, and grooming products in their bathroom that you have never heard of, known of, or seen for sale in any retail establishment?  You get in the shower, get wet, and find yourself confronting a completely foreign array of cleansers, lotions, and unguents?

Matt and I have a name for those products.

Grampoo.

As in, "Honey, your hair looks kind of, um, different."

"Yes, I had to use the grampoo."

So as you hit the road, don't forget to bring your own toiletries.

But don't worry about bringing a box of Kleenex because the bathroom closet at your grandparents' is stuffed with them.

18 comments:

Elizabeth-FlourishInProgress said...

It's also not fun to confuse Gronditioner or Groap with Grampoo. As if my hair needs to be any limper.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Michele said...

Excellent advice.

Elizabeth said...

I was just talking to my mother about her mother's face powder. It had a huge pouf, was sort of orangey-pinkish in color and had the most distinct smell.

It sounds like you are really blessed to even have grandparents!

Anonymous said...

is your grampoo called "BLUE MALVA" by Aveda? cus mine is. yuck

Becky said...

Groap!

And Kate, malva, what the hecks? At least it's Aveda, and not like, "Odeva."

Elizabeth, actually Matt and I just have one grandparent left between us, I wish there were more. (I mean our g'parents, not our kids' grandparents of course.) Matt's granddad is 92!

Jenni said...

Oh, Becky, sides aching!

Have a great one!

Camp Papa said...

Well, let me say a word about staying at the homes of your children. Stepping into a shower is like walking into the product expo at Maison de X-cess. And more often that not, there will be no actual soap. There will be more "treatments" and "therapies" than in a Vodoo chiropractor's office, but nothing to, you know, wash anything with. Also, it all smells like fruit salad.

We call it kidspritz.

Marie said...

Well, Becky, your Dad has taken off the gloves!
I hope there's more!
P.S. My word verification is "mentow". Which shower would that be in?

Michele R said...

If I knew of a voodoo chiropractic office I'd be there in a flash.
Becky, I hope y'alls have a great holiday.

Amy said...

Unguent is a great word. And so is grampoo--that is brilliant! I know that I will always think of Grandma when I see a can of Aqua Net hairspray.

And Dad--soap is so 1954. C'mon! Body wash!

M said...

Camp Papa nailed it pretty good. And what about the separation of body and home products that once prevailed? I'm awestruck by the 118,000 different scents available in your basic bath and body stores.

My daughter wants a warm vanilla sugar-melted bean-frosted sugar cookie-french vanilla candle for Christmas---a really big one to fragrance her entire room. And then she mentioned last night she wants the corresponding body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste. This might get us to a level of aroma toxicity my household might not be able to support. Should there be anti-aroma therapy?

Anonymous said...

Grampoo!!! So true - I've long since learned I have to BYOS when visiting the inlaws. My father-in-law is notorious for stocking up on multiple bottles of V05 shampoo in all the fruitiest scents - that stuff will strip the color, shine and life out of your hair and ruin it for days. The fruity hair is then complemented with a blast of original Irish Spring soap, which leaves me stripped of all essential oils and more than a little itchy.

I've been reading your blog for awhile, just never could remember my google log-in until I saw this nifty open ID option... Happy Thanksgiving and cheers from a North Fulton mom.

Mental Momma said...

My grandmother used to have all these Avon products and they all smelled the same.

And the kicker? Soap on a rope! Whaz up Grams? That prison stint got you a little jumpy?

Kelly said...

Linc had to use soap to wash his hair yesterday before we had a chance to run to the store and buy some shampoo. Happy Thanksgiving Woomers!! Love you guys xoxo

Christine said...

Recently we were away for the weekend in the middle of nowhere. I had left moisturizer at home. The local pharmacy had about two options. I bought a little pot of Oil of Olay. When I unscrewed the lid and sniffed, it was like my Grandma was in the room with me. Since she died about twenty years ago, that was a gift of great memories. I got all choked up.

And, I totally want to visit a Voodoo chiropractor's office now that I have read Camp Papa's comment.

Keely said...

Ah, yes. I wonder, does the transformation from shampoo to Grampoo happen gradually, or as soon as you have your own children? Because it used to be only my grandparents that had such toxic concoctions, but now they seem to have invaded my mother's guest bathroom too.

Or maybe it's the "guest" part that's key. Food for thought.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

FoN said...

Grampoo is PERFECT.

I'm also pretty sure the reason we've never heard of or seen any of those products is because they are still using the same bottle they bought in 1964 when none of us were alive yet.

gretchen said...

Hehe! Mommy used White Rain. Enough said.