Jheri curl
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The Jheri curl was a popular hairstyle in the African American community in the mid 1980s. Due to high amounts of chemical activators (often referred to as 'Jheri Curl Juice') needed to loosen an African-American person's curls in order to achieve this look, creating the Jheri curl was commonly known as a hassle.
A jheri curl was a two-part application that consisted of a texturizer and an activator. The texturizer used awful-smelling chemicals to turn interesting kinky hair into lank, lifeless stringy curls that hung down, while the activator kept the subsequently damaged hair from breaking and falling off while providing an oily, slimy sheen reminiscent of kelp that had just washed up on the beach.
Besides the fact that it was generally unattractive, the jheri curl's decline in popularity probably occured because of its problematic upkeep. To ensure that the hair remained slimy and lank instead of dried out and crackly, jheri curl users were required to apply activator (usually in a spray bottle) at least once per day. In addition to its unpleasant smell, this activator had the unfortunate side effect of being very greasy; those with jheri curls had to remain cautious when sitting on upholstered furniture as their activator-laden hair causes unattractive discolorations and dark spots to appear on fabric in a mottled pattern (for this same reason, laundry was problematic). Also, application of water to the jheri curl caused the activator to rinse out and subsequently left the hair a frizzy, damaged mess, so people with jheri curls by necessity avoided the swimming pool.
The syle is named for its originator, Jheri Redding, a Chicago-based hair stylist and entrpeneur who is also credited as the inventor of hair conditioner.
Famous people who wore a Jheri curl:
- Michael Jackson, international pop star
- Ice Cube, gangsta rapper, actor
- Eazy-E, gangsta rapper
- DJ Quik, gangsta rapper
- MC Eiht, gangsta rapper
- Little Richard, rock and roll musician
- Lionel Ritchie, pop musician
- Pedro Martínez, baseball player
- Samuel L. Jackson (in the film Pulp Fiction)
- Charlie Murphy, actor/comedian