I’m a dude in my twenties, born with crazy curly hair. Growing up and in high school I would always just do buzz cuts because I thought there was no other option. It was when I was around 18 or 19 that I found out about flat irons. Yeah, I know, if you’re a dude that straightens your hair, it’s probably something you don’t like to advertise. Both my guy and girl friends think it’s kind of “high maintenance” for guys to do. Fortunately, I’ve came up with a technique that gives you straight hair, but doesn’t make it so pin straight that it looks flat ironed. Here’s my technique.

Get the right size and type of flat iron
This is, by far, the most important thing to do right. Hair straighteners come in all different sizes. They base the sizes off the width of the iron. So if it’s 1” wide, it’s a 1” iron (okay that’s obvious so I probably didn’t have to mention that). But anyway, this is where the biggest mistake is made…

Probably 95% of them sold today are one inch or more. While this works great on a girl’s hair because it’s longer, if you have hair under 6” it’s not a good idea. The reason is that it leaves the hair too pin straight. Also on the sides of your head (like by your ears) you may have shorter hair, and a one inch iron is just too big to keep it looking natural.

So what’s the solution? Well, you need to have the right size – and that is a 1/2” flat iron. Unfortunately, not many manufacturers make them because chicks don’t like that size. And the ones they sell at drugstores and local stores are crappy quality and don’t heat up enough. But if you shop online, you can get some that are this size by great brands that actually work. I recommend GHD flat irons (that’s what I use) but CHI flat irons work good too. You can get them at some high end salons buy they markup them up like crazy. If you get them online, they usually have big discounts, free shipping, and all that good stuff.

The other thing you need to do is get a thermal protector before you iron your hair. What the heck is that? Well, it’s usually a serum or lotion that you put on your hair to protect it from heat damage. You don’t need to put much on, a quarter-sized squirt into your palm is plenty. Rub this through your hair and you can then use your iron. You can pick some of this up a your local drugstore in the hair isle. But the one I found that I like the best is called the “Catwalk Fashionista Smooth & Shine.” It comes in a 8 ounce purple bottle. It’s around $10 to $15 but one bottle lasts me almost a year. The girl that cuts my hair recommended this to me a couple years ago and it definitely works the best. It keeps your hair soft instead of fried which happens with the ones that get really hot, like CHI flat irons.

How do I use it?
Honestly, some people like to pretend it’s rocket science, but it’s pretty simple if you follow this advice. After you put the thermal protector in your hair, plug in your iron and let it heat up. The good ones will heat up in less than 10 seconds. Then take it and run it through your hair. Try and pull it in the direction you want your hair to sit it will make it easier. So if you want the hair to go forward over your forehead, then pull the hair through the iron in that direction. Don’t ever “clip” your hair in the flat iron and let it sit. That will burn it You always want the hair moving when it’s touching your hair… or “gliding” as my hair girl says, ha.

So that’s your answer of how to straighten your hair for guys. But yeah, most important, you need a high quality 1/2” size. Go with the best flat irons which costs a few bucks more… trust me you’ll be glad you did and these things last for years so it’s like a one-time investment, and good hair for years is definitely worth $50 to $100!