Karl Ludwig Nessler (invented hot blanching in 1905).
Born May 2, 1872 in Tottenau, Germany, died January 22, 1951 in Harrington Park, New Jersey, USA) was the inventor of perms.
Karl Nesler Karl Ludwig Nesler and the Permanent Wave Yovisto
Karl Nessler was the son of a shoemaker in Todtnau, a small town high in the Black Forest, below Feldberg. He had the idea of perming his hair when he was young. He began his apprenticeship, but later gave it up. He worked in different jobs in Basel and Milan, learning Italian and French before finally moving to Geneva; There he worked again as a barber and hairdresser and completed his apprenticeship. To adapt to the French-speaking environment, he called himself Charles Nessler, often spelled "Nestle." Later, he moved to Paris to test his first perm on Katharina Laible in Ulm.
Karl Nesler Tottenau as Friseurelite misst ihre Schneideknste badische
In 1902, another invention, the artificial eyebrow, was patented in England. He moved to London and married Catherina Leble. He tried to persuade his British colleagues to use his invention, but failed, but his electric hair perm was patented in London in 1909. In 1912, some improvements to his equipment were again patented. In 1914, he patented the last improvement before the outbreak of war.
Karl Nessler s2 German Travel Media Microsite Media German Estate
When World War I broke out, he was detained and his assets confiscated as foreigner property. In 1915, he fled to the United States, where he learned that a knockoff of his invention was already on sale. In April 1919, his improved curling instrument filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He is already a U.S. citizen. The holder of the patent is his Nestlé Patent Holding Company. He developed a do-it-yourself perm kit and opened a chain of hair salons. In 1927, his chain had 500 employees and had locations in New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Palm Beach, and Philadelphia. The annual advertising budget is $300,000.
On January 22, 1951, Carl Nessler died of a heart attack at his home in Harrington Park, New Jersey, at the age of 78.
