She was very economical, so when the local pharmacy had a sale on hair colouring in bottles that had lost their labels.... she bought one that "looked like" the bluing she used to keep her lovely white hair white. When she used it, she discovered it was not bluing. Her hair was now bright red. So she used bleach on it, which turned it pink. Sooo next she tried some bluing on it... bright lilac hair was the result. She was a nurse so had to go to work, lilac hair and all. Needless to say, she received some strange looks. Maybe today lilac hair wouldn't turn too many heads, but in the late 1950s it certainly did!