How to Get Natural Hair Straight: 11 Methods That Work Without Heat or Relaxer

If you are tired of using heat tools to straighten your hair and relaxer is not an option, you’re in the right place. Yes, you can get your natural hair straight without having to face the aftermath of heat tools or lose your curls to relaxers.

Heat tools produce excellent results but over time, these results are replaced with split ends, dry and brittle hair. It is possible to straighten your natural hair at home without damaging your hair. Did I mention that these methods are also cost-effective?

These methods may not make your hair as straight as a ruler, but they certainly unwind the curls and make your hair more manageable. Moreover, they help reduce the time you’d naturally spend styling curls which can be difficult to tame.

1. African Threading Method

Materials: threads, oil (jojoba, coconut, or olive oil), wide-tooth comb, leave-in conditioner, a small comb

How to:

  • You should be doing this on clean hair, preferably washed a few hours before straightening
  • Apply leave-in conditioner to soften the curls and make sectioning easy
  • Afterward, massage coconut oil into your hair for moisture
  • Comb your hair to evenly distribute product
  • Use the end of the small comb to section your hair
  • Firmly wrap each hair with the thread
  • Then, wrap your hair in a headscarf or wear a bonnet. This is best done overnight
  • In the morning, carefully loosen the hair and oil it generously
  • Comb and style as you like

2. Use Plastic Rollers

Plastic rollers work with wet hair. You should do this on freshly washed hair.

  • After washing your hair, towel dry it to remove excess water but retain enough moisture in it
  • Afterward, divide your hair into medium sections and roll each over the rollers
  • Secure each section with a pin to keep the rollers from falling off
  • Leave it to air dry. Make sure the hair dries completely. Otherwise, the curls will  form quickly
  • When your hair is completely dry, remove the rollers, apply oil and comb it together

3. Bobby Pins Wrap

Materials: oil, bobby pins, a wide-tooth comb, a wig cap

How to:

  • You should be working with freshly washed and damp hair
  • Part your hair into sections and comb
  • Comb each section until it is straight, then, wrap and secure it with pins
  • Then, wear the wig cap over the wrapped hair and leave your hair to dry overnight
  • In the morning, remove the pins and unwrap the hair, apply oil, comb it all together, and style as you desire

4. Brush Your Hair Wet

Brushing your hair while it is wet can help to loosen your curls. The effects of this method, however, don’t last long. After a day or two, the curls will return.

  • After washing your hair, use a towel to wring out excess water
  • Use a brush that won’t snag or pull your hair to brush the curls
  • To make it easier, divide your hair into sections as you brush
  • Brush each section until it straightens. The hair will dry while you brush
  • When it is straight enough, you can stop and style the hair as you want

SEE: Hair Hack: How to Straighten Curly Hair Without Frizz + Guide

5. Coconut Milk and Lemon Juice

Coconut milk and lemon juice hair mask can help straighten your curls. Moreover, they improve the health of your hair and make it more radiant. As a plus, your scalp can enjoy the antibacterial properties of lemon juice.

However, this method is not a quick fix for curls straightening. You need to repeat it a couple of times in a week to see lasting results.

Materials: coconut milk, one big lemon, a glass jar, a towel, hot water, shampoo, cold water

How to:

  • Depending on the volume of your hair, take coconut milk that will be enough for your hair. Put the milk in a glass jar
  • Then, add 2-3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice to it and mix it into a paste
  • Refrigerate the contents of the jar for up to 30 minutes and bring it out
  • Stir it again to mix the milk and oil
  • Scoop the paste and apply it all over your pre-washed hair
  • Afterward, soak the towel in the hot water (it shouldn’t be hot enough to scald you), bring it out, and squeeze
  • Wrap the towel around your hair and leave it for 5-10 minutes. The heat from the towel will melt the paste and enhance the absorption
  • Remove the towel and wash your hair with sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner
  • Repeat this three times a week for at least three weeks to get straight natural hair

6. Banana and Pawpaw Mash

Bananas and pawpaws are chock full of antioxidants that protect your hair while getting your natural hair straight. Banana and pawpaws do not soften only the skin, this benefit extends to the hair.

In addition, they work together to alleviate scalp dryness, prevent and treat dandruff. Also, they keep the scalp and hair moisturized and radiant.

Materials: 2-3 ripe bananas, one giant ripe pawpaw

How to:

  • Peel off the skin of the bananas and the pawpaw
  • Blend or mash the fruits together until you have a smooth paste
  • Thereafter, apply the paste all over your hair, from the ends to the roots
  • Wear a shower cap over your head for 30-45 minutes
  • Afterward, rinse off the paste and wash  your hair with shampoo
  • Do this once or twice a week for up to four weeks to get results
  • Additionally, you can make a banana hair mask with bananas, honey, yogurt, olive oil, or coconut oil. This paste is just as nourishing as banana and pawpaw paste.

7. Aloe Gel

Recent times have seen the benefits of using aloe vera on the hair being more appreciated. Aloe gel helps to hydrate and rejuvenate dry, limp hair. Moreover, it has a reputation for preventing and treating scalp dandruff.

Materials: one medium-sized aloe vera leaf, coconut oil

How to:

  • Wash the aloe vera leaf to remove sand or dust
  • Lean the leaf somewhere to drain out the yellow latex that drips from the bottom of the leaf
  • Also, you can cut the leaf into two to remove the liquid better
  • Wash the leaf again to rinse off any latex residues
  • Afterward, cut the leaf open to extract the gel
  • After removing the gel, rinse it again to remove latex residue
  • Blend the gel into smooth liquid and take a cup of it
  • Also, melt 4-5 tablespoons or ¼ cup of olive oil in warm water
  • Mix the gel and oil in a clean bowl
  • Apply the mix to your hair. Make sure it is evenly distributed
  • Then, wear a shower cap over your hair and leave the mixture on for about half an hour before you rinse it out with cold or lukewarm water
  • You still need to wash your hair with shampoo to thoroughly remove the mixture from your hair
  • Repeat this once a week for about a month to get straight natural hair

SEE: Best Hair Mask For Hair Growth

8. Rice Flour and Egg White

Eggs are rich in protein. While it straights out your natural hair, it makes up for protein imbalance in your hair. The ingredients in this hair mask help to dissolve and remove build-up from your scalp. This mask is very nourishing, and it helps to improve the health and appearance of your hair.

Materials: ¼ cup of rice flour, 1 medium-sized egg, 1 cup of Fuller’s earth, ¼ cup of milk

How to:

  • Make a small hole on the top of the egg to extract only the white
  • Pour in the milk and beat the mixture into a fine mix
  • Then, add the rice flour and Fuller’s earth to make a fine paste. If it’s too runny, add more Fuller’s earth until it’s thick
  • Apply the paste all over your hair and cover your hair with a shower cap
  • Allow it to sit for up to 45 minutes
  • Thereafter, rinse off the mask and wash your hair thoroughly with shampoo and conditioner
  • Use this mask once a week

SEE: Steaming Natural Hair- The Choice for Dry Hair

9. Egg and Olive Oil

Another way to use egg to get your hair straight naturally is to mix it with olive oil.

  • Break a giant egg into a clean bowl
  • Then, add ¼ cup of olive oil and beat it to a fine mix
  • Apply the syrup to your hair and massage it in
  • Leave it to sit in your hair for 45 minutes to an hour, then, rinse
  • Afterward, shampoo your hair to thoroughly cleanse your hair
  • Repeat this once every week

10. Hot Oil Treatment

Combining oils like castor oil and coconut oil make a hydrating, frizz combatant that helps to make natural hair straight. Moreover, it gives your hair a radiant appearance. Additionally, castor oil has antibacterial properties which help to prevent scalp infections.

  • Mix equal parts of castor oil and coconut oil in a glass bowl
  • Heat the oil in hot water to raise the temperature
  • Afterward, apply the oil to your hair and massage it into your scalp and hair
  • Massage until the oil is evenly distributed
  • Leave the oil in your hair for up to 30 minutes, then, rinse off
  • However, you still have to use a mild shampoo to wash off the oil
  • Use hot oil treatment twice a week for up to a month for results

SEE: Amazing Benefits of Hot Oil Treatment to Natural Hair

11. Rinse Hair With Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) helps to dissolve product build-up and dirt on your scalp and hair. It makes it easy to lift them off and leave you with a clean scalp. As it lifts off build-up, it smoothes rough cuticles, eliminating frizz. As a result, curls straighten out.

  • ACV rinse should be on your wash days. Use it as a final rinse for your hair
  • Mix water and ACV in a ratio of 1:4 in a glass jar
  • Keep your head in an inverted position
  • Then, pour the mixture on your hair as a final rinse
  • Repeat this on your wash days until your natural hair becomes straight

FAQs

Can you straighten natural hair permanently?

The effects of straightening your hair only last for as long as the treated hair is on your head. This means that when new hairs begin to grow, they’ll carry the original texture and form of your hair. To keep your hair permanently straight, you’ll have to make a routine of the straightening process.

Can you get natural hair straight overnight?

Yes, you can. African threading, hair banding, and hair straightening masks can give you straight hair over the night. You should however note that methods like African threading and hair banding should not be tight against your scalp.

Will brushing your hair while it is wet damage it?

Although brushing wet hair can help straighten it, it’s not always advisable to do so. Wet hair is fragile, weak at the roots, and prone to breakage. The pressure of brushing will hasten breakage and hair fall.

Conclusion

Heat tools and relaxers have had a fair share of being top choices whenever curls need straightening. However, the damages of methods like using heat tools soon make you forget how beautiful your hair came out.

Home remedies for straightening curls may not give equal results with using straighteners or relaxers but they save you the stress of reversing the damage. Moreover, they enhance the health, texture, and volume of your hair.

It’s about time you ransacked your kitchen and dresser for what can help you get straight natural hair.

Thanks for reading.

Visit Africana Fashion to get easy hair hacks that do not damage your hair.