The beauty entrepreneur who made the Jheri curl a sensation
19 comments
·July 13, 2025yardie
hollywood_court
> you weren't going to make the same jokes in front of these guys.
Never fight a man with a perm.
jghn
> Sometimes people find the style, trend, or community they like and just go all in on it.
People tend to imprint on the in style of their 20s & early 30s and anchor on it for the rest of their life. For example, it's why all of a sudden Gen X men seem to be wearing oddly fashionably cut jeans.
mc32
Does that mean in a few decades we'll see old men in tight "skinny" fitting jeans that we used to normally see worn by college girls --albeit girls would wear the ankle high versions with the slits.
Pair that with dad bodies/pot bellies —Holy Moley!
One exception to this is I don’t see older women wearing “backpack” purses.
cs702
The Jheri curl is the inspiration for "Soul Glo" in the movie "Coming to America:"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGrasobHcKA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=961x0NmyHKE
According to https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/com..., "Soul glo" is the more common term now:
> “The term should be ‘Jheri curl,’” Coming to America scholar Questlove tells Rolling Stone. “But everyone says ‘Soul Glo.’”
thebeardisred
As soon as I read the title I could hear the "Soul Glo" song in my head and could see the scene with the back of the couch.
jajko
> Coming to America scholar Questlove
That's one mighty education focus. I mean I know the guy from his bits and music in SNL and other shows, and I saw the movie couple of times. But never expected those words joined together in such meaning, here on HN.
NoProfession
What really struck me is how the Jheri curl was so much more than just a hairstyle. It was about giving people a look they’d dreamed of and making it feel accessible.
The way it spread through local salons and word of mouth says a lot too. It wasn’t some huge ad campaign pushing it, it was people telling each other, trying it out, showing up proud.
exiguus
I have to admit, i googled what is inside the Kit. It brought up memories, how I assisted my grandmother doing her hair.
fcpguru
"My API’s got body, bounce, and shine — thanks to jheri-curl -L"
racl101
More bounce ... to the ounce.
Much more baaaaiaiounce!
mc32
And got Lionel Ritchie to sport it…
OneFriend2575
Captivating story, it’s easy to overlook how much the jheri curl wasn’t just a hairstyle but a cultural movement. This entrepreneur didn’t just sell products, she helped shape identity, confidence and community around Black beauty in the ’80s and ’90s.
What’s striking is how the jheri curl’s popularity revealed a hunger for accessible, transformative styles and brought a wave of entrepreneurship among Black women in beauty salons.
It’s a powerful reminder that innovation often happens when cultural expression meets commerce, particularly when someone sees a need in their community and meets it head-on.
RamblingCTO
1. he's a he 2. is this AI?
sceadu
Comment history says yes to your second point
RamblingCTO
looks like it. I really don't get it. warming the account up for spam? or does some dweeb really think this is something beneficial for anyone?
mc32
Also, the entrepreneurs were male and regarding salons, men, like Lionel Ritchie, Jamie Foxx, Michael Jackson, Neon Dion, Kenny G, and others wore it.. so it was also a big trend in men's hairstyles.
In the early 2000s when I was interning the office had black men of a certain age who still wore the jheri curl. Even though we made jheri curl jokes in middle/high school, after it had become unfashionable, you weren't going to make the same jokes in front of these guys. The typical profile at the time: late 30s/40s, veteran, logistics or CDL holder, motorcyclist (typically Harley or Goldwing), and devoutly religious. Sometimes people find the style, trend, or community they like and just go all in on it.