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. 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,
Brazilian hair straightening, or
roller set/
blowdryer styling. In addition, some
shampoos,
conditioners, and
hair gels can help to make hair temporarily straight.