How to Straighten African American Hair

Most African American hair is known to be tightly coiled. However, African American hair is versatile enough to be worn either curly or straight. Nonetheless, in order to straighten African American hair, there are many techniques that can be used.

Things You'll Need

• Wide-tooth comb
• Blow-dryer
• Flat-iron
• Chemical relaxer
• Straightening comb

Instructions

1. Use a wide-tooth comb for any styling techniques used to straighten the hair. Because the hair is curly, it often gets tangled easily and using smaller combs may damage and break the hair.

2. Blow-dry the hair straight. Although heat can be damaging, the hotter the blow-dryer heat, the straighter the hair will get. Depending on the exact texture of the individual's hair, blow-drying will get the hair straight. In some cases, a blow-dryer may not get the hair completely straight.

3. Use a flat-iron. In order to do this, the hair must be already dry (using this device on wet hair does not get the hair straight and will cause serious damage to the hair follicle).

4. Run a straightening comb through your hair. You have to heat this tool on the stove; however, you may also be able to find plug-in straightening combs.

5. Straighten the hair with a chemical relaxer. These can be purchased over the counter in a local grocery store or hair supplies store. Directions for chemical straighteners can be found inside the product package.

Tips & Warnings

• Using chemical straighteners and heating products to straighten the hair may cause damage. Be careful not to overuse these techniques.