Hairstyle
This article is about the hairstyle. For the New York City gang, see
Jheri Curls
.
The
Jheri curl
(often spelled
Jerry curl
or
Jeri Curl
) is a
permanent wave
hairstyle
that was popular among African Americans during the 1980s and early 1990s. Invented by the hairdresser
Jheri Redding
,
[1]
the Jheri curl gives 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
.
Application and maintenance
[
edit
]
A Jheri curl requires a two-part application that consists of a softener (often called a "rearranging cream") to loosen the hair, and a solution to set the curls. The rearranging cream uses pungent chemicals, causing the naturally tight curls to loosen. The looser curls are then set on
perm rods
and a chemical solution is then added to the hair to permanently curl it.
"Perming" is time and labor-intensive, and expensive to maintain. The chemicals required for the process often cause the wearer's natural hair to become brittle and dry.
To maintain the look of the Jheri curl, wearers are required to apply a curl activator spray and moisturizers daily, and sleep with a plastic cap over the hair to prevent it from drying out. These products are expensive; a typical bottle of activator was small, retailed from $3 to $6, and was quickly depleted. The activator in particular has the undesirable side effect of being very greasy, and often stains clothing and furniture.
Washing the hair cleanses it of the styling products and also shows the damage done to the hair by the chemical process. As the hair grows out, the wearer is required to touch up the new hair growth, 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 lower-income people to copy the style of their idols.
[2]
In media
[
edit
]
Music
[
edit
]
The Jheri curl was worn by
Michael Jackson
on the cover of his hit album
Thriller
, which was released in 1982. Jackson also grew out his Jheri curl in 1986, which is shown on the cover of his 1987 album
Bad
. He also wore wigs.
Edmund Sylvers
was the first African-American artist to have the Jheri curl on an album cover, on his 1980 Casablanca release
Have You Heard
.
[3]
Other notable wearers of the style in the 1980s and early 1990s include rappers
MC Eiht
,
DJ Quik
,
Eazy-E
,
Ice Cube
,
Hi-C
,
Arabian Prince
and
B.G. Knocc Out
.
Singer and songwriter
India Arie
referenced Jheri curls in her song "
I Am Not My Hair
", released in 2005.
[4]
R&B Soul Singer
Jorja Smith
mentioned Jheri curls in her feature on the song "
Peng Black Girls
", by
Enny
, released in 2020.
[5]
Film
[
edit
]
The 1988 comedy
Coming to America
features
Eriq La Salle
as Darryl Jenks, heir to the dynasty of a fictional product named "SoulGlo", which gave the wearer a style reminiscent of a Jheri curl while leaving the infamous greasy residue on
soft furnishings
.
Keenen Ivory Wayans
played a character entitled "Jeri Curl" in the 1987
Robert Townsend
film
Hollywood Shuffle
. One of Wayans' recurring characters on
In Living Color
, Frenchy, also sported a Jheri curl. When attending an
Alcoholics Anonymous
meeting and hearing others testify to how much they used to drink, Frenchy claimed he was previously "up to three and a half bottles of TCB Lite a day; I switched over to Afro Sheen, and I'm never dry!"
[6]
In Living Color
also featured a clip called Great Moments in Black History with a spoof of how the Jheri curl was invented. It showed an auto repair shop in July 1979 where a black mechanic with afro named Jerome Johnson was working under a car on a lift. Oil leaked out of the car onto his hair which created Jheri curls, making him famous for inventing it by accident. It then showed a lineup of black men with afros waiting to go under the car to have oil poured on their hair so they could get Jheri curls too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx9ys67x_GY
The character Jules Winnfield (played by
Samuel L. Jackson
) wears a Jheri curl in the 1994 drama
Pulp Fiction
.
In
Samuel L. Jackson
's opening monologue in the 1989 film
Do the Right Thing
, his character (DJ) explains that there is a "Jheri Curl alert" in effect for the day: "If you have a Jheri Curl, stay in the house or you'll end up with a permanent plastic helmet on your head forever."
[7]
Sport
[
edit
]
Los Angeles Lakers
basketball
player
Billy Ray Bates
was reported to be unpopular with other players "because he had a really moist Jheri curl, and the ball would get all slippery."
[8]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
- Media related to
Jheri curl
at Wikimedia Commons
- The dictionary definition of
jheri curl
at Wiktionary