Hair straightening

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Man with straightened hair

Hair straightening is a hair styling technique used since the 1890s involving the flattening and straightening of hair in order to give it a smooth, streamlined, and 'sleek' appearance. The actual inventor of the hair straightener is Scottish heiress Lady Jennifer Bell Schofield and she invented it in 1912.[1] It became very popular among black males and females of all races, during the 1950s, the former group because black men wanted to have the very popular and stylish "greaser" look, either that or wearing Afros. It is accomplished using a hair iron or hot comb, chemical relaxers, Japanese hair straightening,[2] or Brazilian hair straightening. In addition, some shampoos, conditioners, and hair gels can help to make hair temporarily straight.

The process is often called "rebonding" in some countries from Southeast Asia (e.g. Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines). The term "rebonding" was first used by REDS Hairdressing from Singapore in the late 1980s, which slowly spread to the rest of the region. If done often, flat irons and chemicals can be damaging to hair. Excessive straightening often results in split ends. However, heat protectant sprays can decrease the damage.



A woman's hair before and after using a hair iron
Hair being straightened with a hair iron.




Afro-textured hair[edit]

Main article: Afro-textured hair


See also[edit]


  1. ^ "History Of Flat Irons". FlatIronAdviser. 
  2. ^ Japanese Hair Straightening Facts

External links[edit]