Why Did We Ever Commit to the Jheri Curl?
Choosing grease over the fluff didn’t quite work out
We can’t escape the uneven legacy from the 80’s — that the late founder (Comer Cottrell) of the products that left our hair dripping wet— bequeathed us when he passed away back in 2014.
Apparently it’s the 40th anniversary of the infamous Jheri curl and I couldn’t help but conjure up the cultural references to that era when greasy fare was more acceptable than the natural moisture — that can be contained without the humiliation of spending the night with a plastic bag — erected to curtail the slow accumulation of over-priced activators.
My mom sported a Jehri curl — and in pictures — I see that she actually looked quite snazzy. Her black hair cascaded into patterns that seemed to indicate the very best version of whatever activator she was using to maintain “the wet look” — in order to avoid the crippling effects of coarseness.
However her allegiance didn’t last long for obvious reasons.
