Growing up, most of us had that one friend who got the latest toys, games, and cool '90s hair tools before everyone else did. Think a Game Boy Color for Christmas, the Puppy In My Pocket hotel for their birthday, and a subscription to Sabrina's Secrets Magazine just because. Although I was way more into the toys and games arena than the beauty products in the earlier portion of the decade, I would eventually begin marveling at my best friend's beauty collection that was comprised of a bunch of amazing products from the States, like incredible flavors of Lip Smackers I'd never heard of or glittery hairspray.
Our beauty icons at the time were Sabrina The Teenage Witch and Britney, but since this was before the time our parents would let us leave the house with full faces of makeup on, we mostly focused on our hair. My friends and I essentially tried to emulate the cool chicks gracing our TV screens and Discmans, so our locks were always coiffed to perfection or decorated with butterfly and spiral gem clips.
In order to relive our Millennial glory days, here are some awesome '90s hair tools that will make you squeal in delight or cringe with embarrassment.
1. The Hair Crimpers
Conair Special Styles Styling Kit, $16, Amazon
Hair crimpers are obviously at the top of this list. Crimped hair was super on trend in the '90s, likely due to an array of pop starlets and gals from our favorite shows (shout out to Clarissa Explains It All ) flaunting this futuristic style. These days, it may have even made a comeback, as there are tons of ways to wear crimped hair surfacing in 2015.
2. The Topsy Tail
Conair Topsy Tail Kit, $5, Amazon
Ladies of the '90s went mad for Topsy Tails that promised "a whole new look and a whole new you." To be fair, you probably felt like an absolute boss after your mom used the Topsy Tail on your ponytail. So grown up and sophisticated, like The Ashley's from Recess .
3. Glitter Hairspray
Glitter Hairspray, $5, Amazon
If you weren't wearing glitter hairspray at the school dance, you were unfortunately a nobody. Unless you could redeem yourself by knowing all of the moves to "The Macarena."
4. The Barbie Hair Bead Stamper
All I can say is that if you owned anything to do with Barbie and her hair, you were sure to be a cool girl.
5. The Conair Quick Braid
Conair Quick Braid Styling Kit, $30, Amazon
The premise of this product was simple: You place two strands of hair into the machine and it would braid them together for you. Unless you had a parent or guardian assisting you, your attempt at playing hairdresser would likely end in knots (and possibly tears).
6. The Giant Hair Claw
4 French 2.5 Inch Glossy Black Acrylic Hair Claw Clips, $5, Etsy
Butterfly clips were for decorating your hair for birthday parties and special occasions, but claw clips were way more functional. These big, badass clips would keep your hair out of your eyes through your day at school. Plus, you could use them to swiftly clamp your hair back before you busted some moves on an arcade dance machine.
7. Hair Mascara
Stargazer Hair Mascara, $4, Amazon
With this, you could spot who the cool kids were from a mile off. They were the ones whose parents allowed them to color their hair with hair mascara. If they were real rebels, they'd even come to school sporting colorful stripes and risk getting into trouble from their teachers.
8. Lil' Miss Magic Jewels
Personally, I don't know what the allure of this doll and wand combo was. You always seemed to end up looking like some kind of ethereal, rainbow dalmatian. Maybe that's a good thing; maybe not.
9. The Part Pizazz
Zig-zag partings were huge in the '90s. This commercial was so catchy and featured a bright-voiced woman exclaiming, "If you can draw a part, you can create art!" Plus, you could also purchase a Celebrity Styling Video (yes, on VHS) that showed viewers how to get the zig-zag partings worn by your favorite celebs.
All we need now is someone to open a '90s hair salon with all of these tools, so we can relive our childhoods once more.
Image: recordman33/YouTube; Courtesy Brands
