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Valerie asks: Is there anything out there in the market to straighten my hair without using a harsh chemical relaxer?

The quest for straight hair has led people to try everything from pulling, ironing and blow-drying to chemical treatments. Chemical relaxers have a number of drawbacks, including being inconvenient, expensive and, worse, painful. Relaxers are the most damaging cosmetic treatment you can do to hair.

Unfortunately, there is nothing on the market that works as well or lasts as long as chemical relaxers. However, there are at least five other things you can try to get straight hair that won’t cause as much damage. These include the following:

Hairdressings and silicone creams: Products to control your hair shape have been around for over a hundred years. They contain oily materials like petrolatum, mineral oil and lanolin, which coat hair and prevent it from taking its natural shape. Silicone creams are also available and contain materials like dimethicone or cyclomethicone. The product is put on damp hair and combed straight. VO5 Hairdressing is the most famous of these types of products.

Performance These treatments work well for all types of hair, are nondamaging and are relatively inexpensive. On the other hand, they leave hair feeling greasy, looking unnatural and they only last until your next wash.

Brushing, blow-drying and styling: When hair gets wet, it straightens out. If you can hold the hair in that shape while drying it, you can keep it straight. To aid in this process, styling products like gels, mousses and pomades can all be used. These products will add an additional polymer coating on hair to keep it straight.

Performance This method can be effective but requires a lot of time and some skill in applying the product and shaping your hair. It is minimally damaging and can lead to a natural look. However, the effect doesn’t work on all hair types and lasts only until your next wash. This is much easier if done by a stylist.

Flat iron: If you have really curly hair and the blow-drying + brushing method doesn’t work, a flat iron might. Used on clean, dry hair, it gets hair straight in the same way as blow-drying, but it is more intense and effective on nearly all hair types, especially dry hair.

Performance Flat irons work with almost any hair type and can give a nice, natural look if you know what you are doing. However, they are damaging to hair and hair will frizz out when humidity is high if you don’t use a styling product, too. The results are temporary and have to be redone any time your hair gets wet.

Brazilian hair straightening: This is a chemical treatment in which a stylist applies a keratin protein formula and uses a flat iron to get your hair straight. Theoretically, the protein crystallizes on your hair, which helps keep it straight for many weeks. To retain the look, you need to avoid washing your hair.

Performance Although this method works, at $150 and up per treatment, it hardly seems worth it. You can’t wash your hair or it will return to its natural, curly state. There’s also the issue of a significant amount of formaldehyde being released during the process. It is probably not a problem for occasional use, but imagine your poor stylist! You can get the same effect using a flat iron, styling products and less frequent hair washing, so it’s probably not worth the money.

Japanese straightening system: This is a more permanent way to remove the curls from your hair. At $500 and up per treatment, it is the most expensive of all the methods listed. During the Japanese straightening system, the stylist applies a special formula consisting of reducing agents like Thioglycolates. Then a flat iron and a neutralizing solution make the hair straight. With proper care the effect can last for six months.

Performance The high price of this procedure has kept most people away from repeat procedures. It uses a process similar to traditional relaxers and is just as damaging. If you are looking for a replacement for relaxers, this is not a good choice.

Relaxers: No doubt about it—relaxers are the most effective and permanent way to take curls out of hair. They are more effective and less expensive than either the Brazilian or the Japanese systems. Relaxers employ a chemical like sodium hydroxide to break down hair bonds and permanently change the structure.

Performance Relaxers are the most damaging hair treatment, so your hair will break more easily and feel dry. Also, your curly hair will grow back so you’ll need to continue to relax your hair every six weeks to keep it straight.