Dryer Heads List of Hair-Care Essentials

Edna O’Connell of Los Angeles is looking for an electric hair dryer like the one made by Gillette a few years ago and no longer available. This dryer consists of a plastic cap (with a little motor in the top) that you tie on; it is portable and has two speeds. Can you help with this hot, hair-raising problem, or will O’Connell be tempted to tie on one before she realizes she’s all wet?

Duane Cookus of La Mirada needs someone who can repair an old Coca-Cola machine. He says that the Coca-Cola repair service does not repair machines located in private homes. Most of all, he needs the special crank that opens the machine. Can you crank out some help before this situation fizzles out, or will Cookus feel like joining the Pepsi generation?

For her business, Mery Davidian of Beverly Hills needs some fuller’s earth (also called argillaceous earth). Her former sources in Europe have dried up, and now she is looking for a source closer to home. Can you help with this earth-shaking problem, or will Davidian wonder whether she’s getting the proverbial brush-off?

Because she has a puppy, Mrs. T. E. Waters of Mission Viejo needs a place near her where she can purchase the small hand brush that is used with Bissell rug shampoo; the brush she is using now is worn out (and if she doesn’t get a new brush, Waters will also be worn out soon). Can you help Waters out of this piddling situation, or will this remain a problem she won’t be able to sweep under the rug?

Reader-to-Reader Help Line: Leah at (619) 270-6384 needs the stem and strainer that fit into a Sunbeam C30A Coffee Maker; she threw out the one she had with the coffee grounds, only to learn from Sunbeam that this model is no longer being made. Please help so that Leah won’t have grounds for switching to an even stronger brew. . . . Loretta at (213) 374-2012 is looking for an old-fashioned reflection ball and stand for a garden; this is a mirrored ball that catches the light. Please help so that Loretta once more can have a ball in her backyard. . . . Charles at (213) 545-1218 or (805) 688-5146 needs the seals that fits over the lids of the old four-quart and two-quart Flex Seal pressure cookers. Please help Charles out of this pressure-filled situation and make sure he doesn’t blow his lid over dinner. . . . Selma at (818) 788-3191 would like to find an Extensol (or similar make) free-standing extension table that measures about 20x40 inches and has leaves for making it into a full-length banquet table. Please help, so that Selma will not have to extend herself too much while giving intimate dinner parties.

Note: The Reader-to-Reader Help Line is only for one-time items and for products that are no longer available in stores. And you must give us written permission to publish your telephone number, so that other readers may contact you directly.

In her search for One Man Show men’s cologne, Lola Adams of Los Angeles will soon be able to notice the sweet smell of success. A reader named Lorna, William Clelland of Woodland Hills and Maria Alicia Martinez of San Pedro all report that the product is available in some Buffum’s and Robinson’s stores (definitely in Robinson’s downtown and Woodland Hills, and also in Buffum’s Palos Verdes and Glendale Galleria). Amazingly enough, we also have four French sources. They are: Liz Perfume, 194 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris (from Grace Bixby of Laguna Hills); Argence, 2 Square L. Jouvet, 75009 Paris (from Hans Stern of Westwood); Anne Paree, Attn. Allan Grossman, 10 Rue Duphot, Paris 1 (from Julie Anderson of Alhambra); and Catherine, 6 Rue de Castiglione, 75001 Paris (from Susan Magnus of Studio City).

Lois T., who had just about given up on locating some Warner’s Style 1015 Get Moving Bra, may get a lift from a note David Coopman of Arcadia sent us. He says to contact Warnaco Inc., 350-T Lafayette St., Bridgeport, Conn.

Gertrude Kopp of Beverly Hills, who was looking for someone to embroider monograms on a man’s handkerchief, may be able to put the handkerchief away soon. Tricia Paschall, owner of the Wildflower Workshop, P.O. Box 391, Ridgecrest, Calif. 93555, (619) 446-2754, says she has a computerized Meistergram monogramming machine that monograms everything from hankies to horse blankets. She says she does quality precision work and suggests sending work to her via UPS for quicker service.

Herb Hain cannot answer mail personally but will, space permitting, respond in this column to readers who have--or need--helpful information. Write (do not telephone) to You Can Help!, You section, the Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.