Hair straightening methods work wonders for women with curly and kinky hair. But men find it quite difficult to practice the same. If you’re a guy with wavy or unruly hair and wish to straighten them, you must have come across straighteners. It is one of the most common tools used for straightening hair used both by men and women. Today we’ll be discussing methods that do not require them and still do the job.
Blow drying your hair, using hair relaxing treatments, hair products, and home remedies would be some of the methods which may aid you in this process.
Your hair type will also determine which process will suit you better and which tools and methods to use. If you have wavy hair, the straightening will not be as tough as it would for a guy with curly hair. The more curvy nature your hair will have, the more effort and time it will take to straighten.
If you already have naturally straight hair, but you’re looking forward to giving your look that extra edge; you could also benefit from a method or two given here. Of course, compared to the other hair types, the amount of time and effort will be significantly less.
Hair straightening for curly hair
If you’re one of those guys with thick and curly hair, your journey to straight hair will be difficult.
Method 1: Blow drying & Combing
Wash and condition your hair before getting on with any process. If you have very curly hair, it will be beneficial for you to get all the ends detangled and sorted. Use a moisturizing conditioner to soften the hair. Washing and conditioning will prepare your hair for blow-drying and combing. If you have a regular conditioner and very tangled hair, leave the conditioner in your hair for a couple of minutes before washing.
The next step would be to dry your hair using a towel. The difference here would be the drying method. You will not rub the towel on your hair. Instead, you will tap the towel gently on your hair to retain the softness and not undo the detangling.
Apply a dime-sized amount of oil into your hair to amp up the moisturization. Remember it’s all a game of soft hair, nourishment, and moisture. Emulsify the oil in your palm and run your fingers through your hair. Move front to back covering your hair from roots to tips. You can use Moroccan oil also known as argan oil, or even coconut oil. Both of which are known quite well for their moisturization capabilities.
To minimize hair damage, comb your hair straight before applying the blow dryer. To avoid missing any tangled hair or knots, comb your hair from the roots to the tips section-wise. Guys with tight curls are suggested to use wide-toothed combs.
After that, start blow-drying your hair part by part. Pick a section of hair from the back and work your way to the front. Add a nozzle to the blow dryer to enhance its effect on the hair. It will help concentrate the heat and get the work done faster. Keep the dryer a couple of inches away from the hair, and direct the flow of the heat towards the tip of the hair. Avoid heating the scalp at all costs.
In all of that, make sure you apply hair serum before you apply any heat to your hair. Hence, use a hair serum in place of argan or coconut oil if you want.
Method 2: Using Hair relaxing treatments
Purchase a decent relaxing product from the market after doing thorough research on the product variety and ingredients they contain. Consult with your dermatologist before using a hair relaxing treatment to ensure the safety of performing the treatment. Discuss if you have any allergies or skin issues already.
It all begins by avoiding washing your hair with shampoo two to three days prior to the treatment. The hair needs to be fully nourished and unharmed before the treatment. Shampooing your hair would rid your hair of its natural oil and could leave micro-abrasions. While doing this, you may continue to comb your hair every day to avoid any tangling.
Before beginning anything, read the instructions given on the product very carefully. Go through the details to avoid hair damage. Ideally, this process is best left to professionals. But if you’re one of those guys to get more of a hands-on, go right ahead and knock yourself out; but make sure you follow the steps strictly.
Pour all the chemicals from the package into a bowl. Do not touch them with bare hands. Put a pair of rubber gloves on before you start mixing up the chemicals. This will protect your skin from developing any irritation from the paste.
Apply the paste to your hair using a flat brush. Work your way from the back to the front, and then on the sides. Apply the paste from the ends to the roots. Start applying it from the tip of your hair and then move towards the roots and edges. Since the density near the edges will be less so apply the paste less in those areas, and not to forget, at the very last. Your body heat will take care of the rest.
You can use a mirror to aid you in the process. If you find it difficult doing the entire process Straightening for wavy hair
by yourself, ask someone to help you out.
Based on the instructions given on the product, leave it in your hair for the prescribed time. Pay attention to this next step. Wash your hair with a neutralizing/ clarifying shampoo. If the product came with a shampoo itself, use that. If not, then use one as mentioned above.
If you find your skin getting irritated by the chemical in any manner, wash your hair immediately with a clarifying shampoo. The relaxer must not stay in your hair for more than 10 -15 minutes. Once done with washing the chemical off, apply a conditioner to your hair and rinse it with cold water.
Remember, this process is semi-permanent. It will not keep your hair straight for more than two months. You will have to reapply after a while.
Method 3: Conditioning & Hot Brushing
Conditioning and hot brushing will be just enough to straighten the hair for men with wavy hair. One of the best tools to use for straightening is hot brushes. Beginning with the rotating airbrush, which will give you very similar results as you would get visiting a salon. To use it, keep your hair slightly damp, and then start brushing your hair and style it, however, you would like to.
Keep in mind that the brush releases hot air so do not use it on dry hair, as applying that heat on dry hair will only damage it.
Flat brushes along with hairdryers provide an equally efficient result. One of the benefits of using this method is that these two tools are easily available everywhere. To perform this, you begin with washing and conditioning your hair with cold water. Dry your hair out partially and moisturize it with coconut, argan, or vegetable oil. Do not apply too much oil to make it dripping wet.
After ensuring that your hair is moisturized, comb your hair as straight as you can to forestall breakage. After this, set the dryer to medium heat and start drying your hair alongside the comb. As the hair starts getting dry, it starts getting straighter. Keep combing the hair while drying to ensure you settle the hair in the chosen style.
Continue this process until the style is achieved, and apply the serum once done with it. The serum will prevent the hair from turning frizzy and losing the entire process’s effect.
You can even use other brushes to use along with the dryer to straighten and style your hair.
- Regular brush-
These brushes are rectangle-shaped and can be used with and without any hair dryers. These are also known as boar bristle brushes. As given in the name, these brushes’ bristles are generally made of boar hair or sometimes nylon. It comes in handy to control the frizz and settle the hair effectively.
- Vented brush-
The vented brush has vents in its body. These vents allow hot air to pass through them which decreases the drying time of the hair. The bristles are made of nylon and the tips of the bristles are ball-tipped. They massage the scalp gently and detangle the hair. It also serves well as an everyday brush.
- Paddle brush-
These types of brushes are paddle-shaped just like that of a ping pong paddle. They too have nylon and boar bristles. A paddle with nylon and boar bristles mixed will straighten your hair, unlike any other brush. It provides a wider area to cover and allows a better massage.
- Round Brush-
Also known as the round boar bristle brush serves well in straightening and smoothening the hair. It works well with both wavy and straight hair. It straightens the hair and also provides the hair with the volume that it needs to arrange the hair for a particular hairstyle. It mostly aids in styling the front part of the hair better than any.
Straightening for straight hair.
If you have straight hair, all you need to do to amplify those straight locks is regular brushing along with moisturizing and massages. Brush your hair every day after showering and drying it. Although we know that straight hair tends to get oily, it is recommended to oil or massage your hair once in a while to nourish it properly. While oiling the hair, keep in mind to avoid the scalp as it could get too oily and give you a greasy look.
Some home remedies
- Coconut milk-
Pour some coconut milk into a spray bottle. After washing your hair with a shampoo, spray coconut milk onto your hair. It will act as a conditioner and moisturize the hair. Comb your hair with a wide-toothed comb to ensure the spray is distributed all over the hair evenly.
- Aloe Vera
Take half a cup of aloe vera gel along with half a cup of olive oil and mix them into a bowl. Apply the mixture to your hair evenly.
- Eggs and Olive oil-
Take two eggs and one part of olive oil and mix them into a bowl. Apply this mixture to your scalp and let it stay for an hour. After that, wash your hair with cold water.
- Castor Oil
Warm the oil and massage it all over your hair. Heat a cotton towel and wrap it around your head. Keep it like that for about thirty minutes and then wash it with a regular shampoo.
- Lemon
The simplest method to straighten your hair naturally without using any straighteners is by applying lemon juice to your hair. Lemon juice acts as a natural straightener for the hair.
What do we know so far?
Relying on natural methods requiring minimum or no heat will set your hair for a healthy and safe future. Using home remedies, brushes and relaxing treatments are much more beneficial than using a heating process which can not only dehydrate the hair but also lead to a flaky scalp(dandruff).
