Elvis kept his hair black by dyeing it, initially using shoe polish as a cheap alternative to hair dye as a teenager, then switching to commercial dyes like Miss Clairol mixed with other products, with touch-ups often done by his hairstylist, Larry Geller, every couple of weeks to maintain the signature look that contrasted with his blue eyes.
☀️ Initially, Elvis reportedly dyed his hair black with shoe polish! 🧽 Later, he used Miss Clairol 51 D in Black Velvet. 🖤 Have you seen the new Elvis movie by Baz Luhrmann? 🎬 It's amazing and inspired this deep dive into Elvis's makeup and Priscilla's look! 💖 Big shoutout to the makeup artists and hairstylists!
However, Elvis preferred the darker color of his mother's hair, so as a teenager he decided to darken his hair. He did it gradually over a three-year period. That way it did not become a dramatic change . Once a month, Elvis used a hair-dye to touch up his hair, his eyebrows, and his famous sideburns.
Elvis was also highly inspired by the actor Tony Curtis which also again made Elvis dye his hair black. Let's take a step back. When Elvis first dyed his hair, he actually used shoe polish as he did not have enough money for dye. He first originally used the color black which then stepping over to blue black.
During a trip to Las Vegas early on in their relationship, Elvis told Priscilla that he wanted her to dye her brunette hair a darker shade (to match his dyed black quiff which hid his natural blonde) and wear heavier eye makeup to make her blue eyes "stand out more."
He had a full-time nurse and reportedly refused to bathe throughout 1975, causing him to develop sores on his body. His chronic constipation from the drugs was so severe that when he died, there was four months of stool sitting in his bowel.
Dolly Parton said no to Elvis Presley recording "I Will Always Love You" because his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded half of the publishing rights, which Parton refused to give up, as she wanted to keep ownership and the future earnings for her family. Despite her heartbreak at the missed opportunity, she held firm to her business principle, understanding that retaining the copyright was crucial for her financial security and legacy, a decision that paid off immensely after Whitney Houston's cover became a global phenomenon.
He never thought he had a problem because he was taking "prescription drugs". Lab reports indicated that 14 drugs were found in Presley's blood at the time of his death, including "near toxic levels" of codeine, morphine, Placidyl and other prescription drugs.
He would slip in and do touch-ups between scenes of his acting. On a daily basis, he washed his hair, massaging his scalp at length each time. Larry would also dye Elvis' hair every couple of weeks to ensure that it stayed the same color and consistency. This was unheard of in that era.
From an early age, Elvis embraced grooming by growing out his sideburns and using products like Vaseline and Rose Oil hair tonic.
But in truth, Elvis's natural coloring was simple: light brown, even blondish hair as a boy, and fair skin that tanned easily because he loved the sun. As he grew older, he dyed his hair jet black, not to change who he was, but because he liked the dramatic look it gave him under the stage lights.
According to Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis's recently-deceased daughter, her father lost his hair because of a skin disease he developed in the U.S. Army. He consequently had to wear a black hairpiece for most of his singing and acting career.
Elvis Presley was born blond-haired with blue eyes.
He needed rest and true friends and time far away from the stage. Instead, he got more pills and another tour and another empty hotel room. What people saw as fat was really the body of a man worked to the edge, bloated by the medicine meant to keep him standing.
Elvis Presley and James Dean dominated the rockabilly, greased-up style using Brylcreem or gel to give a slicked back finish.
Elvis favored Extra Control De Pantene hairspray—a bottle still resides in the Elvis Presley's Graceland archives. #ElvisPresley #Icon #Graceland #Pantene #Haircare #ArchiveFind #ElvisCollectibles.
“Usually you pass it all in two or three days, but at the autopsy we found stool in his colon which had been there for five months or more because of the poor motility of the bowel.”
Elvis Presley wiggled because his strong connection to the music naturally made him move his hips and legs, influenced by gospel and blues, combined with stage fright that he channeled into his movements, and amplified by the overwhelmingly positive, screaming reaction from his young female fans. He initially didn't intend it but leaned into it as audiences clearly desired the "sexual" and "primitive" display, making it his iconic, rebellious signature style.
He told her that he liked "soft-spoken brunettes with blue eyes," and made Priscilla in his image. She came to think of herself as “Elvis's living doll, to fashion as he pleased.” Among other things, he directed her to dye her hair black to match his.
It was so indulgent it became part of his public image—decadent, Southern, over-the-top. But his last meal was quiet. A bowl of ice cream. Some cookies.
It was also discovered that he had an antitrypsin deficiency, which is a rare genetic condition that causes emphysema.
Elvis Presley's final words, spoken to his fiancée Ginger Alden on August 16, 1977, were mundane but poignant: "I'm going to the bathroom to read," followed by "Okay, I won't" when she told him not to fall asleep. He was found dead later that morning in the bathroom of his Graceland home.
Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe apparently had a clandestine affair. Tons of tabloids and biographers have claimed that the two icons engaged in a secret romantic relationship in their time. According to these accounts, it was an on-and-off thing that continued sporadically over the years.
Elvis actually disliked denim. To him, as to most people from real working-class backgrounds, it was just a reminder of working hard and being poor. The less denim Elvis wore, the happier he was. As for the company suits at Levi Strauss, they had no idea where their new customers would take them.