one to grow on...

MJJ and Ola Ray rocking the Jheri Curls

...the mystery behind the magical jheri curl

From the mid to late 80’s I was a jheri curl girl. I did two tours with about a year reprieve in between. 

I took a lot of knocks, jokes, and rude comments about the maintenance of ‘juice’ that kept the hair moisturized, and providing it an environment to thrive. I did not care. I learned that something was making my hair grow faster than normal and that was all that mattered. The purpose of the curl was to provide a maintenance free-low maintenance style. For the average cost of $25 you could have a fuss-free hair care option that lasted for up to 3 months without retouch or resetting on rods.

I would often flex out of the spirals to a blown straight styling. The hair growth was impaired; often the curls would need re-setting on rods, but the strength of heredity kept my mane full. I soon learned to perform the magic on my own hair for a fraction of the professional styling costs. 

The maintenance steps were: moisturize (spray water or glycerin product) and then ‘activate’ the curls with a gel or cream. When not in ‘play’, the hair was bagged with a ‘jheri cap’ and this kept the hair under a warm moist environment.

It was not the curls, nor was it any particular curl product name: i.e. Classy Curl, Hawaiian Silky, Sof 'n Free, Care Free, Wave Nouveau, “S” Curl, California Curl, etc. It did not matter, just as the type of relaxer does not effect maintenance or growth. The only true variances in cold waves were strengthening levels: mild, regular, and super. This same applies to relaxers.

Jheri Curl rods did not have a magical growth element. The size of the rods only dictated the size of the curls. Again, it was the maintenance.

Almost 30 years into the future, the still most important and proficient tools to healthy hair growth are: low manipulation, and containment of a moist environment. The purpose of this historical tale is to elevate the importance of moisturizing the hair. Without rods, or even chemical dressings, you can provide an environment for your hair to thrive.

As you move into the future, do not forget the lessons learned.