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Jheri curl

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This article is about the hairstyle. For the New York City gang, see Jheri Curls.

The Jheri curl (often incorrectly spelled Jerry curl and/or Jeri Curl) is a hairstyle that was common and popular in the African American community in the late 1970s and throughout the 80s. Invented and named for Jheri Redding, the Jheri Curl gave the wearer a glossy, loosely curled look. It was touted as a "wash and wear" style that was easier to care for than the other popular chemical treatment of the day, the relaxer.

A jheri curl was a two-part application that consisted of a softener (often called a "rearranging cream") to loosen the hair and a solution to set the curls. The rearranging cream used pungent chemicals, causing the naturally tight curls to loosen and hang. The loose hair was then set on perm rods and a chemical solution was then added to the hair to permanently curl it.

Besides the fact that it eventually went out of style, the jheri curl's decline in popularity probably occurred because of the damage it caused to the wearer's hair. Perming the hair was time and labor-intensive and expensive to upkeep. The harsh mix of chemicals required for the process caused the wearer's natural hair to become extremely brittle and dry.

To maintain the look of the jheri curl, users were required to apply activator and heavy moisturizers daily and to sleep with a plastic cap on their heads to keep the hairstyle from drying out. These products were relatively expensive (a typical bottle of activator was small, retailed anywhere from $3 to $6, and was quickly depleted.) The activator in particular had the undesirable side effect of being very greasy; this would often stain clothing and anything that came into contact with it.

Washing the hair cleansed it of the styling products but also exposed the damage done to the hair by the chemical process. Also, as the hair grew out, the wearer would be forced to return to the hair salon for a touch-up, further adding to the overall expense. The hairstyle went out of fashion by the early 1990s and was replaced in part with the high top fade haircut.

Trivia

  • The jheri curl products worn by singer Michael Jackson were rumored to have contributed to the serious scalp burns he received during a mishap while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984.
  • The style is named for its originator, Jheri Redding, a Chicago-based hair stylist and entrepreneur who is also credited as the inventor of hair conditioner.
  • Robert Townsend's Hollywood Shuffle (c. 1986) featured a film short titled 'Death of a Breakdancer' where Keenen Ivory Wayans portrayed a villain named Jerry Curl. During the confession scene, Townsend (as a Sam Marlowe-esque detective) pours out a bottle of curl activator to force Jerry Curl to confess. Jerry Curl panics and confesses as his Jheri Curl slowly dries into an afro.
  • The 1988 comedy Coming to America pokes fun at the jheri curl. The movie features an over-the-top commercial advertising a fictional product called "Soul Glo". In one scene, wearers of the hairstyle are shown leaving behind a greasy head print on the back of a couch.
  • The television comedy A Different World, set at a Historically Black College, refers to this hairstyle in at least two episodes. In "Love Your Neighbor," Dwayne Wayne turns up unannounced at Whitley Gilbert's (his love interest) home and teases her when he finds she is wearing anti-acne treatment and "a jheri curl cap" over her head. In an episode from the early 1990s, one young woman accuses another of trying to win the affections of a devout Christian by baking him "a jheri-curl Jesus."

Celebrities known to have worn a Jheri curl

Michael Cage, former NBA player

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