Hair straightening

A woman's hair before and after using a flat iron

Hair straightening is a hair styling technique which involves the flattening and straightening of hair in order to give it a smooth, streamlined, and 'sleek' appearance. It may be accomplished by using hair irons and hot combs, chemical relaxers, Japanese hair straightening, or Brazilian hair straightening. In addition, some shampoos, and conditioners and hair gels can help to make hair temporarily straight. The process is often called "rebonding" in Southeast Asia (e.g. Malaysia and Philippines).

Hair irons and hot combs can only temporarily modify hair texture, whereas relaxers and the other methods permanently alter the structure of the hair, although new hair growth is not affected. The drug interferon alpha has been reported as being shown to modify hair follicles causing permanent change in a person's hair texture.

Hair straightening in the 80s and 90s

Hair straightening became more popular in the United States during the mid-late 1990s and through to the 2000s, whereas perming and curlier hair had previously been more popular fashions during the 1980s, even among men (for example, hair metal bands). However, both straight and wavy/curly hair can be achieved with use of a hair iron, and so it may be said that both straight and curly or wavy hair styles co-exist in modern fashion.