Jheri Redding, an Illinois farm boy who founded four hair care products companies, revolutionized the economics of the hair salon industry and changed the way much larger companies market shampoos, died in 1998 at the age of 91.  He had retired from active involvement with the company in 1991.  Jheri Redding was the first to make “pH balanced” shampoos that match the mild acidity of human skin, to put vitamins in hair are products and to market added minerals, pitching the supposed benefits of these additives with evangelistic fervor at the conventions of hair salon owners, some of who he helped become millionaires by marketing his products. 

Before Jheri Redding no one asked whether shampoo was acid or alkaline.  Every cosmetic chemist said it made no difference if a shampoo was a little on the acid side or a little on the alkaline side, but whether it was beneficial was not the point.  Salon owners loved him because he would hold up litmus paper and dip it into his product and it would come up golden and then he would put the litmus paper in a grocery store shampoo and it would come up black.  Through time others started adding vitamins and making sure the pH balance was in place. 

Mr. Redding was a founder of Jheri Redding Products in 1956, Redken in 1960, Jhirmack in 1968 and Nexxus Products in 1979.  All four companies are still in business, though the family controls only Nexxus.  He was an experimenter and always tried to make better shampoos and rinses.  To this day his companies are well respected because of the constant research they do. 

This year Redken introduced the IntraForce line. IntraForce is a haircare system designed especially for people with thin, fine hair.  It also reduces breakage.  Intra Force is an easy 3 step system; nothing difficult or tedious about it.  The detoxifying shampoo works to gently cleanse, and promotes hair density.  It washes away excess sebum (hello teenagers that have oily hair) and DHT, giving you a healthier scalp.  The toner is your equivalent of a conditioner.  It detangles and moisturizes to improve manageability.  Step 3 is the foam which is a leave-in treatment.  Thank you Jheri Redding for starting your haircare lines and thanks to those that have continued finding new ways to improve those product lines.  

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