bad hair and clueless

right, i know its probably odd for a guy to come on something like this but i really am desperate...

i know nothing about hair, i have the worse hair in the world, and i want to do something about it.

i have to have a grade 2 crew cut everytime i go to the barbers because i just dont know what to do with my hair! i grew it once in school/college and it turned into a mess of an afro.

its dry, frizzes, tight curls in parts, and really thick. its been compared to 'brillo pad' and carpet, which isnt a bad description.

for someone who is 22 years old, i still get teased about it, which cant be healthy hehe.

what can i do to achieve anything that isnt what i have? i would love to be able to 'tame' it and embrace the curls but that sounds harder than to have it straight-ish and be able to 'do things' with it.

i would be so grateful for any advice please. any products that might help me, whether i need to go to a stylist or something.. i really am clueless lol..

thanks for any help anyone can give.