Jheri curl

The Jheri curl (often spelled Jerry curl or Jeri Curl) is a permed hairstyle that was popular among African Americans during the 1980s. Invented by the hairdresser 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 required 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 and a chemical solution was then added to the hair to permanently curl it.

Perming the hair was time and labor-intensive and expensive to maintain. 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 a curl activator spray 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, furniture, 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.

To resolve the problems associated with the cost of the look, Comer Cottrell invented a cheap kit (which he called the "Curly Kit") that could be used at home, thereby enabling ordinary African-Americans to copy the style of their wealthier idols.

The first Afro-American artist who sported the Jheri Curl on an album cover was Edmund Sylvers on his 1980 Casablanca release 'Have You Heard', and the Jheri Curl was subsequently seen both seriously as well as parodied. A trend-setting Jheri curl image was the cover of Michael Jackson's blockbuster album Thriller, which was released in 1982. Also notably, actor Samuel L. Jackson (as the character Jules Winnfield) wore a Jheri-curled wig in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. The style was also worn in the late 1980s and early 1990s by rappers DJ Quik, Eazy-E, along with other members of the hip-hop group N.W.A, such as Ice Cube.

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