As a rallying point for the troops in World War II, enlisted men sheared their hair to the scalp, called crew cuts. This barbering trend made it possible for nearly anyone to cut hair and display a barber pole. Around 1954 the crew cut became a phenomenon called the flat top haircut. The style left about an inch of hair sticking straight up. It took Butch Wax to make it so. A thick, sticky paste that kept the hair on the vertical. The sweet-smelling gel came in both jars and tins. Long winter walks to school revealed, however, Butch Wax could freeze solid, creating a small table of sorts. During class time, the thaw might make the student near you dream of their county fair's cotton candy.
The legend began in the 1920s in the basement of Benjamin Clarke, an amateur scientist and barber from Kansas City, Missouri. He created the Lucky Tiger Manufacturing Company and soon a new hair tonic called, “Lucky Tiger Tonic.” Lucky Tiger became the most popular brand of men’s grooming and barbershop products in America. Today their headquarters are in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After four lads from Liverpool performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, hairstyles started a new phase which left Butch Wax out in the cold.
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