THERE WAS A TIME in Black American hair history when someone with a cosmetological soul decided the final barrier to racial equality should be toppled—the curly perm. Given the recalcitrant nature of black hair, a simple tight roll set was not going to be sufficient so this enterprising individual, the one with the comsetological soul, developed the Jheri Curl, also known as the Carefree Curl, a sassy and curly wet look for black men and women everywhere, made possible by a complex and probably dangerous combination of chemicals that would force black hair into a loose curl and keep it that way for up to three months at a time provided the recipient of the Jheri Curl adhered to a strict and expensive maintenance regimen. Much like modern pharmacology, the Jheri Curl espoused the capitalistic ideal that profit is never in the cure but rather the medicine. Not only did beauticians make money on the application of the perm itself, they (and the manufacturer, of course) made a killing selling the products required to maintain the hairstyle. This enterprising cosmetological, capitalist soul was a man and his name was Jheri Redding. He was white. His race is neither here nor there but it is an interesting piece of trivia you can now share at a cocktail party or job interview. You’re welcome. I received my first and only Jheri Curl in 1989, some time after the height of its popularity, my sophomore year of high school. I was at boarding school in New Hampshire and needed a hairstyle that would keep my hair looking respectable between visits home for the major holidays. That’s what I told my parents. Really, I wanted my hair to look like Michael Jackson’s in Thriller, so curly and bouncy and luxurious. This was, of course, before the Pepsi video fire a year after that video was released, and the altered skin pigmentation situation that would soon follow, when Jackson was quite foxy. That’s what we called an attractive man back then. Or that’s what I called an attractive man
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Monday, May 30, 2011
Jheri Curl Invented by a White Man, Jheri Redding
THERE WAS A TIME in Black American hair history when someone with a cosmetological soul decided the final barrier to racial equality should be toppled—the curly perm. Given the recalcitrant nature of black hair, a simple tight roll set was not going to be sufficient so this enterprising individual, the one with the comsetological soul, developed the Jheri Curl, also known as the Carefree Curl, a sassy and curly wet look for black men and women everywhere, made possible by a complex and probably dangerous combination of chemicals that would force black hair into a loose curl and keep it that way for up to three months at a time provided the recipient of the Jheri Curl adhered to a strict and expensive maintenance regimen. Much like modern pharmacology, the Jheri Curl espoused the capitalistic ideal that profit is never in the cure but rather the medicine. Not only did beauticians make money on the application of the perm itself, they (and the manufacturer, of course) made a killing selling the products required to maintain the hairstyle. This enterprising cosmetological, capitalist soul was a man and his name was Jheri Redding. He was white. His race is neither here nor there but it is an interesting piece of trivia you can now share at a cocktail party or job interview. You’re welcome. I received my first and only Jheri Curl in 1989, some time after the height of its popularity, my sophomore year of high school. I was at boarding school in New Hampshire and needed a hairstyle that would keep my hair looking respectable between visits home for the major holidays. That’s what I told my parents. Really, I wanted my hair to look like Michael Jackson’s in Thriller, so curly and bouncy and luxurious. This was, of course, before the Pepsi video fire a year after that video was released, and the altered skin pigmentation situation that would soon follow, when Jackson was quite foxy. That’s what we called an attractive man back then. Or that’s what I called an attractive man
Labels:
African American,
Hair,
Jheri Curl,
Jheri Redding,
Michael Jackson
Michelle Obama Sets Black Hair Trends
I noticed Michelle Obama on the cover of "Good Housekeeping" magazine. Her hair screamed "I am getting shorter and shorter!"
If I had to gamble, I am willing to bet that both of these ladies have Type 4/tightly coiled hair. There has not been enough research and development on maintaining the health of this type of hair. This type of hair is not considered the "model hair" type.
I even tried researching African websites for answers to tightly coiled hair. They have been dealing with their tightly coiled hair longer than Black American women, but they are still trying to figure it out too!
The challenge is that the tighter the hair is naturally coiled, then the bandwidth between the natural texture and a completely straight texture is very wide. Just like hair color -- jumping from Black/Brunette to Blonde in one step is not a long-term healthy move. It can be done safely, but hair has to be constantly nurtured to avoid breakage in the long run.
So if you have tightly coiled hair and you use a chemical relaxer, then it will weaken the coils if completed too often, which will cause breakage. However, celebrities need styling control.
Black female celebrities that seem to have the greatest control of their hair include comedienne Monique and entertainer Janet Jackson.
The best tips for tightly coiled/kinky hair:
1) use sulfate-free shampoos such as Pureology,
2) use conditioners tailored to the weather you are going to be in,
3) consider investing in synthetic lace front wigs that do not require adhesive to hold it such as the brand "It's a Wig" which has a very natural look. You can get up to two weeks use out of it and then get another one. This brand costs around $40 to $80 a piece, but for camera and spotlights -- it can be worth it to avoid so many chemicals and heat to the natural hair. Please see my other articles for how to cut the lace front wigs.
Labels:
African American,
Hair,
Hair care,
Michelle Obama
Kate Gosselin Looks Like a Black Girl?
When it comes to party and other type of formal occasions finding a flattering hairstyle that will compliment your best features and put you on the spotlight becomes crucial. While quite pleasant the task of finding a flattering hairstyle can prove to be quite challenging most of the time, especially if the hair strands are hard to tame to begin with. Fortunately, nowadays there are plenty solutions that can be used to solve or at the very least minimize the most frequent problems that might occur.
Those who are not pleased with the natural afro look often try hair relaxing in an effort to make styling and maintenance more manageable and less stressful. Even though hair relaxing requires women to devote a special attention when it comes hair care, this inconvenience is easily compensated by the vast amount of styling options available. Updo
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