Jheri Redding - Personal History

Personal History

As a young man in Chicago, Redding was teaching chemistry and working as a hair stylist using beauty products that did not perform to his expectations. He began experimenting with chemicals and other ingredients he found in his kitchen, such as mayonnaise, vinegar, et cetera, to make his own shampoos, rinses and hairdressing solutions to improve the hair of his clients. From that grew the treatments, styling creams and gels that became known as Jheri Redding Products.

Redding moved to Los Angeles, California, shortly after World War II was over. Having adopted his unusual nickname along the way, he founded Jheri Redding Products Company in 1956, selling a cream rinse he developed. He later co-founded three other major national hair care companies, Redken in 1960, Jhirmack in 1968, and, in 1979, Nexxus, which he said stood for "Nature and Earth United With Science." These companies continue to operate with different owners.