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i need help. i got really curly, thick, wirey hair that can seriously be put into an afro when comed through. but i still want to grow it out long and straight. the look is cool. what can i do to get rid of the afro and have normal looking long hair that is managable. there are a lot of products out there that say they straighten, but don't. are there any products out there that i could use that actually work? any info would help. thanks.
Your hair is already normal. There are plenty of guys here whose hair is just like yours and who have grown it out. The awkward stage for a guy with curly hair will be different than it is for those with straight or waivy hair. You will be miserable if you go after growing somebody else's hair!
Change your question and ask the curly headed guys here how they made it through awkeward stage and how they handle curly, long hair. A couple come to mind (Dan, Bill) but there are plenty here, and they each have some helpful insight.
Robert
I'm about a quarter black so I've got the thick afro thing going on too...my advice would be to just take it in stages...When it's still relatively short, gel your hair into that 'messy' look. When it gets too long for gel start just making it look shaggy, y'know don't comb it or anything, just shape it into some kind of shaggy style and then it goes through one period of transition at around a year where it'll be really big and really long. About a month later it'll start parting itself. I'm at a year and 3 months at the mo and the top part of my 'fro has parted quite nicely...the sides are still bushy but it's no big deal as my hair looks kinda like Jack Osbourne, Shane Embury, King Buzzo or Danny Lilker (only not as long as his). Check out pics of those guys for inspiration, man. Oh, and if your hair's still short, you could always try doing a Layne Staley slicked do...Balls in your court man.
You have three options:
1. Chemical straightening. Expensive and damaging to the hair.
2. Flat Iron. Every day. Takes a long time, potentially damaging to hair, and if your hair gets wet, it'll be curly again.
3. Enjoy your curls. They turn more heads than flat, lifeless, limp straight hair anyway. :)
EXCELLENT answer...right on target! Enjoy those curls, Max!
it doesn't take a long time after you know what you're doing
it isn't damaging to your hair if you know what you're doing, and it doesn't need to be done every day
Max, this might sound like a lot of work, but I know of 2 people that have done this. There is a straightening iron that you can buy. It has 2 flat heated surfaces that are connected. The 2 surfaces come together, and then you pull the iron through each section of your hair. Basically, you're doing the opposite of using a curling iron, you're ironing it flat. The one person that I knew did this for so long, that people that met them after they started doing this, thought they had long straight hair, having never seen them before with curly hair. The big downside is that it is labor intensive.
of pantera
his hair totally kicks ass
I just found out that Dimebag Darrel has done project work for David Allen Coe. That is a very far cry from the music he does with Pantera, wouldn't you think? Wow! Anyway, here are 5 photo's of this guy:
I am growing out curly hair... at 14 months now... I had an "afro" for sometime... and can have it be an afro if i want to... Once u reach a certain length it becomes a lot easier to handle...
As Dan said... enjoy the curls...
I don't know if you want a woman's opinion, but personally, I absolutely love long ringlets of hair. Don't straighten your hair, its way too much work everday, and long curly hair is so incredbibly sexy. So yes...my advice is to just leave it and let it grow out; it will stop being an afro and start looking absolutely awesome soon.