Entrepreneur. He was an American chemist, who developed modern hair-care products, introducing the concept of pH balance to shampoo. Born Robert William Redding, an Illinois farm boy, his parents were Irish immigrants. He graduated from Indiana University in 1928 with a major in art and music and a minor in chemistry, before teaching chemistry in high school. When their farm failed during the Great Depression, he turned to hair styling, becoming one of the first male licensed cosmetologist. In the 1930s he invented the crème rinse, which became known as the "conditioner" for tangled hair. He sold his invented products in his salon. After World War II, he relocated to California and changed his name to Jheri. He was a founder of Jheri Redding Products in 1956. By the mid-1950s, he was a hairstyling instructor and salon owner, but decided to concentrate full-time on haircare products. In 1959 he and a partner formed the Redken Company, specializing in hair products. In 1968 he formed Jhirmack Enterprises to sell food supplements and vitamins, and in 1969 his partner purchase Redken Company. At that point, he lectured for a time for the National Health Federation. He added hair care products to successful Jhirmack Enterprises in 1976. He sold Jhirmack Enterprises in 1978. In 1979 he and his son formed another hair product company, Nexxus Products. One of his most successful finds was the Jheri Curl, permanent wave that was popular among African Americans during the 1980s and early 1990s. He styled singer and dancer Michael Jackson's Jheri Curl. He wrote the textbook, "The Anatomy of a Permanent Wave." He and the Redken Company also received U.S. patent No. 6,015,574 for the exclusive, protein-based Interbond Conditioning System. As a multi-millionaire, his retirement was in 1991. Another interest of Redding's was racing Thoroughbred horses. One of his horses named Itsallgreektome, placed a close second in the Breeders' Cup. Redding married four times and had three children and one adopted child.