Totally Under-rated: The Babushka

Those gals in the '50's and '60's knew what they were doing. You prepared for a convertible car ride in your Lincoln or Ford and you put a head scarf on. Marilyn got it, so do all those fascinatingly fashion-forward girls on Mad Men.

So why has the babushka failed to make a come back? (In case you were wondering, the actual definition is 'usually, a triangularly folded kerchief over the head'). Do-rag, pashmina, kerchief, bandanna... whatever you call it, they are really the passed over hair-saviors in humid weather. Why aren't we taking advantage? We're willing to deal with hat-head in the winter, yet a scarf protects the style and allows you to emerge from the elements to your destination with pristine locks. Well, it's because we as women are too vain. In the '50's and '60's head scarves were used to preserve your look - today it would be considered a major fashion faux pas, unless you're Lady Gaga or Nicki Minaj. We need more down-to-earth celebs, famous and fabulous women to don the head scarf for it to be more socially acceptable - someone like Kelly Ripa.

Kim Kardashian pulled off this look this month in a photo shoot for her new fragrance. Maybe this could catch on. Blonde Episodes blogger also posted a 'halla' to head scarves (schwew - I thought I was really out on a limb, here) so I know that my babbling about babushkas is not unfounded.

The other day I passed a lovely older woman in a, um, Grand Marquis, I think and she was all dolled up, properly donning a head scarf. The humidity being at 1005, she had something going there.

Me? I had used every stop light that morning to perform the lick and slick method to keep my baby hairs from going haywire. I had only walked from the house to the car to the car to daycare and there it was, I could see the rebellious (previously straightened to within an inch of their life that very morning) ends getting ready to flip out, under and every which way. And the worst part is they laugh at me while doing it. "Ha - sucker, I know you tried to use smoothing serum and straightening lotion and conditioner and an ultra expensive straightening iron but we will still look like a mushroom lampshade by 11 a.m.!" said my collective hair.

I studied Mrs. Betty Babushka and thought, there may have been a time in her life when the head scarf went out of style. She complied. She had a beehive, a Jackie-O' bob, a shag, a Farrah and now she has come back to her, er, roots with a perfectly styled Betty White coif.

Thankfully we're experiencing a little break, but the next soupy, 90 degree or miserably rainy day I'm going to forgo the usual 10 hair products and straightening iron and try on my head scarf of choice... I'll wear it at least from daycare to the parking garage at work (with my big, dark sunglasses so no one recognizes me on the commute.)