STRAIGHT HAIR FOR BLACK CHARACTERS: an artist + writers aide...or not. Feel free to ignore if you feel like it just don't attack me pls and thank you :)

DISCLAIMERS:
-Naturally straight hair on Black people in general is a damn near impossibility. If you want to give a Black character naturally straight hair bc fiction, that's a-okay. However, if you want it to be based in the realm of reality, it won't fly.

DISCLAIMERS (CONT.):
-I'm not a hairdresser, just an Black artist who wants to spread info. If you got a problem with that, take it up with ya mama.
-If any info I post is incorrect, feel free to comment, and I'll be sure to boost it.

DISCLAIMER (CONT. yes I gotta put all of these bc of the last few times):
-None of these hairstyles are totally water safe. If your character is gonna be set in some kinda aquatic world or deal with swimming...avoid them for the most part

DISCLAIMER (last one I swear)
-This is not an oc review thread. DO NOT post your ocs in the comments asking for opinions from me and DO NOT dm me for a personal review. Take this info, and use it to your own discretion.

ANYWHO, ONTO THE ACTUAL HAIRSTYLES
The Silk Press
Comes from the original Press and Curl method from the 90s and gives natural hair the appearance of being relaxed and straight without any harsh chemicals.

Pros
-relatively easy to do
-(with the right heat protection) can give you a straight hair look without risk of permanent damage
-low maintenance as long as you wrap it up every night
-fairly easy to style

Cons
-risk of hair breakage
-relatively easy to do, but might not look as good if you do it at home lol
-coils in hair retain moisture but once you straighten it, it struggles to so grease buildup can be a problem
-Get it wet, and it's ruined

ALSO if you have a Black character they're likely gonna sleep in a silk or satin bonnet. Keeps hair protected from friction when you sleep and stops it from clumping up at night. Not mandatory, but it's common.

Next....RELAXERS. Wanna give your Black character straight hair but wanna make it (semi) permanent? That's where relaxers come in. It's a type of chemical mixture that "relaxes" the hair by forcing the coils to straighten.

The application process is long and tedious and going to the salon for one is basically an all-day affair. Also a painful one since the chemicals in the mixture also burn your scalp.

Pros
-pretty low maintenance overall (at least in my experience)
-give a natural look
-barely water-safe

Cons
-The chemicals for relaxers are incredibly harsh
-relaxers are a pretty divisive topic in the Black community these days bc of the modern natural hair movement

Also relaxers are divisive because of its marketing history ("look more employable" + marketing to children), along with the whole problem with what qualifies as "good hair." It's lessened in recent years but honestly this is a talk that's not relevant to this topic so ANYWAYS-

Also please note that if your character stops wearing relaxer, it's unlikely that their hair textures gonna go back to normal. Most ppl who decide to go back to being natural won't retain the same coil type they did before they used relaxer unless they're REALLY lucky.

onto the next one...WIGS. Pretty commonly used in the Black community. Need a character that changes their hairstyle constantly? Wigs are the way to go. Full or front lace wigs in particular (your fave celebs probably wear them all the time).

Full lace wigs offer more style options and the ability to make more natural looking Black hairstyles (ex. below). Honestly it's p dang magical.