The 90s were a decade filled with magical, mysterious (and totally unnecessary) things being sold to us on cable TV late at night. It was the golden age of the infomercial and the shorter demonstration commercial, and no one was bigger than Ronco.
Ronco, founded in 1964 by Ron Popeil, was an absolute innovator in the space. Its notable products include the Showtime Rotisserie, Electric Food Dehydrator, Popeil Pocket Fisherman, Solid Flavor Injector, Chop-O-Matic, Dial-O-Matic, and, who can forget, the GLH-9 (Great Looking Hair Formula #9): hair in a spray can.
Hair in a can worked by spraying a dark filament onto your existing (and fleeting) hair and scalp to reduce the visibility of bald spots. It didn’t aid in hair growth, but covered up noticeable patches. And they apparently sold over half a million cans of the stuff. At $39.92 a can (~$83.45 in 2024 money), that’s nearly $20 million in sales ($41.8 million in 2024)!
As I was researching this product for this article, I did notice that there are reviews of this product on Amazon as recently as 2019, and an overall rating of 3.5/5 stars.
How “spray-on hair” was supposed to work
According to cosmetic chemists interviewed for Vox, GLH-9 relied on tiny keratin fibers in an aerosol lacquer. The fibers clung to existing strands by static charge, making thinning patches look darker and denser until the next shampoo. Different shades (black, dark brown, light brown, blond) sold for $19.95 plus shipping.
Here’s a Buzzfeed video from 2016 where they had a number of balding men actually try the already-vintage product to see what they thought of it.
Pop-culture backlash and parodies
Comedians pounced on the idea of painting your scalp. Saturday Night Live ran a spoof featuring Phil Hartman, and Conan O’Brien invited Popeil to demo GLH-9 live – complete with overspray on La Bamba’s forehead.
Why it still matters
Hair in a Can lives on as shorthand for the 1990s infomercial boom – proof that bold claims, nonstop airtime, and a $19.95 price tag once turned spray-painted scalps into a cultural moment. It reminds us how television advertising used to wield the viral punch that TikTok duets have today.
Looking for more nostalgic commercials?
Relive more advertising oddities by revisiting Wendy’s iconic “Where’s the Beef?” spot, humming along to the bizarre Berries and Cream Starburst ad, and pondering the still-unanswered question in the classic Tootsie Pop “How Many Licks?” commercial.
