Hair Straightening for Men

Man with curly hair
Photo: Kinga/Shutterstock
Q: My hair is not nappy but it frizzes into an afro and I want to straighten it. What products should I use for men? I am a guy.
 
A: While generally speaking, there's no difference in the way relaxers and thio-straighteners work (when they are of the same type) there are companies that make these products and market them to the different genders. In these variants, the main difference is the packaging and fragrances added to the products.
 
What's more important to consider is your hair's texture and density. You don't specify ethnicity and so I have no idea on that front and have to urge you to choose carefully based on whether your hair is coarse or fine. It could easily be damaged by over-processing if you use a relaxer formula that is too strong.
 
What I would recommend most is that you try an anti-frizz product first. There is the Redken Smooth Down Anti-Frizz pack of three products that work to tame frizz-prone hair. There is also Str8 Anti-Frizz Anti-Curl Lotion by Rusk which is also designed to smooth frizzy hair and make it straighter.
 
If these don't work, or if your hair is Ethnic-African-American hair and needs a more strident relaxing process, you might look at the hair relaxer kits by Duke and Ilora which are designed for men specifically and work better on coarser, harder to tame hair types.
 
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See also:
 
Hair straightening
 
Why does hair frizz?
 
Hair texture and density