Those aren’t mysterious at all once you see them in context 🙂
They’re vintage hair perm rods (curlers) — the kind used for cold-wave or permanent perms, especially common from the 1940s–1970s.
Why they look so strange
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Holes along the rod → let the perm solution flow through evenly
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Curved shape → designed to roll hair smoothly
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Attached metal/plastic clip → holds the hair tightly in place while processing
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Large quantity (30+) → a full perm required many rods at once
Why your grandmother had so many
Back then:
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Many women did perms at home
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Others were hairdressers or helped family/friends
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These curlers were reusable and lasted decades
Today they look unusual because modern curlers are foam or Velcro, but these were standard beauty tools in their time.
If you want, I can:
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Tell you how they were used step by step
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Help date them more precisely
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Tell you if they have collector or vintage value
Cool little time capsule you found 👵✨
