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Stop my infomercial urge!

By Catherine Toth Fox • January 3, 2013 • Musings, The Daily Dish

wen

Some mornings, when I wake up before the morning news is on, I wind up watching infomercials.

And lately, it’s been about the Wen Hair Care System.

Did you know it’s a revolutionary new concept in hair care? Just this one product takes the place of your shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, detangler and leave-in conditioner. It cleanses your hair without lathering and doesn’t contain all of the harsh ingredients that are found in ordinary shampoos.

And Alyssa Milano uses it. I’m sold.

wen2I’ve been “this close” to throwing down my credit card for a 30-day supply — 60-day money-back guarantee! — to get Milano’s perfect, shiny tresses.

I’ve always been a bit, uh, enthralled by infomercials, from the Jet Stream Oven to the Magic Bullet — both of which our family owns. I’m so mesmerized by the bad acting and terrible reenactments that I tend to watch them a lot longer than I probably should, especially for someone with two college degrees and more than 10 years in journalism.

But when you watch that Yoshi Blade Ceramic Knife slice through a tomato with its diamond-hard zirconium oxide blade, you’d want to buy one, too.

I’ve been tempted to order the FURminator deShedding Tool, the EZ Slider and Slim Away.

Good thing I’m leery about giving my credit card number to a stranger over the phone.

And good think I have a mild case of attention deficit disorder; I get distracted pretty easily.

I will say, though, infomercials have provided some comic relief, especially late at night when there’s nothing else to watch.

Does anyone remember The Hawaii Chair?

https://youtu.be/EDnoKJYN_M8
Here’s Ellen DeGeneres trying out The Hawaii Chair — still one of my favorite infomercial products of all time

Anyone else have an infomercial addiction like me? And, more importantly, anyone bought something from an infomercial — and liked it?

Alyssa MilaniEllen DeGeneresEZ SliderFURminator deShedding ToolHawaiiinformercialsJet Stream OvenMagic Bulletmy informercial urgeSlim AwayThe Hawaii ChairTVWen HairYoshi Blade
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About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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7 Comments

  • Reply Annoddah Dave January 3, 2013 at 11:07 am

    CAT: My only addiction to these things are how amazingly creative the writers are in stretching the truth. How in the world does “Chia-pet” survive? It will soon catch up with the cockroach in survivability!

  • Reply Lusus Naturae January 3, 2013 at 9:02 pm

    I manage to avoid the infomercial thing, being largely dismissive of television overall and advertising in particular, but my mother… Oh lordy.

    Every few months I get a box of random stuff, mostly kitchenwares, that she’s ordered in some fit of late-night consumerism. Some have worked in some fashion (this strange french-fry cutter, for instance), but most are poorly designed and made. She’ll be hitting retirement soon, and I fear for my kitchen drawer space…

  • Reply David Jackson January 4, 2013 at 4:15 am

    They are interesting but dangerous. I had an uncle sort of get busy with those things. When he passed away his house was full of the stuff. How many Sham-Wows does one person need? Suspect their demographic is a bit older than many would think.

    Personally never bought anything from an infomercial. Sounds like a carnival barker…. Step right up be next… good grief.

  • Reply M January 4, 2013 at 6:29 am

    Hello Cat!
    I don’t buy into any of that stuff, if it’s to good to be true, it probably is.

  • Reply Kenneth January 5, 2013 at 5:53 pm

    Don’t knock the Furminator pet comb because it works! I used it on my dogs and cats after using conventional brushes, and was amazed at how much loose fur came off!
    My friend had one and said it didn’t work, so I showed him the correct technique on his dog. You should have seen the hair storm of white fur all over his back yard. (I purposely let the fur fly loose just to prove the point)
    The additional benefit is that it catches any fleas too!

  • Reply WildeOscar January 7, 2013 at 2:30 pm

    I turn the channel as soon as I see it’s an infomercial, without even waiting to see what fantastic life-changing system they’re selling.

    That said, I plunked-down $250 or so 17 years ago for a piece of exercise equipment called a HealthRider. It looks like a cross between a stationary bike and a rowing machine. I’ve exercised my entire adult life, so it wasn’t crazy, and I used it fairly regularly in rotation with running outdoors and equipment at a fitness club until I injured my spine in an auto collision 15 months ago. I may get back to using it again, but my physical therapist advised against using a rower, so I haven’t touched my home HealthRider either.

    A few parts have worn out on it, but nothing I couldn’t get replaced by the manufacturer for a small charge and then install myself fairly easily. Overall, when my children were very small and I tended to work out at home, it was a great buy.

  • Reply Irkitated January 28, 2013 at 5:49 pm

    I hate infomercials.

    I honestly hope that the Shamwow guy makes just enough money to hire security guards to accompany him whenever he leaves his house, because I am sure that most of the world wants to kick his smug face into a bloody pulp before soaking up the mess with one of his crappy yellow cloths.

    Read full rant here https://irkitated.blogspot.com/2013/01/i-hate-infomercials.html

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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