History of Hair Straightening

For decades vast amounts of research and money have gone into finding ways to alter our hair. People with straight hair want curly hair and people with curly hair want straight hair, leading hair care companies to devise solutions for both. Fortunately, it's easy to give your hair curls, but achieving straight hair is a different story. From your mother's ironing board to the advent of electric styling, hair straightening has a full history.

Early Methods

The first evidence of hair straightening dates back to 1872, when Erica Feldman used fire heated metal irons or plates to straighten hair.

First Chemical Process

Ian Gutgold is considered the first person to use chemical straightening methods, but no dates or specifics are available to support this claim.

Innovations

Marcel Grateau invented the first straightening iron in 1890, but the hinged type of device still used today was invented by Lady Jennifer Bell Schofield in 1912.

Popularity

By the 1960s hair straightening was popular worldwide and methods included chemical curl relaxers as well as heated wands, combs and irons.

Modern Straightening

From the 1990s through today, ceramic and tourmaline heat irons are popular for straightening because they work well, are affordable and cause less damage than earlier methods.

Japanese Straight Perm

Japanese straightening, or the Japanese straight perm is a costly new process that takes about three hours and involves many steps, but lasts approximately six months.

Resources

• History of the Hair Straightener
• Japanese Hair Straightening
• Chemical Hair Straightening