How to Silk Press Natural Hair: 13 Steps with Pictures

Table Of Content

• Prep your hair with styling products
• How to maintain a silk press on natural hair: 7 tips and tricks
• How to Maintain a Silk Press on Natural Hair: Top 7 Tips
• Additional Considerations for a Natural Hair Silk Press
• Silk Press 101: How to Straighten Your Natural Hair at Home Like a Pro
• What products do you use for a silk press?
• Best Curl Defining Products for 4c Hair (That Actually Work)

A silk press for natural hair is similar to the traditional hair straightening process of a “press and curl”. The difference is that you won’t need a painful hot comb or excessive hair grease that used to be the norm for that ‘90s hairstyle. A silk press is a hair styling technique primarily used on natural, textured hair to achieve a straight and smooth look. It involves the use of a flat iron, a blow dryer and a comb to temporarily straighten the hair by applying heat and tension.

Prep your hair with styling products

That’s because heat styling tools tend to strip the hair of its natural moisture, making it more prone to dryness and frizz. On average, a silk press on natural hair can last anywhere from one to two weeks. However, the longevity of this hairstyle may vary, and it can be influenced by individual factors such as hair type, texture, porosity, and the level of maintenance. Simply put, the best conditioner for dry natural hair is one that is rich and slippery, makes your hair... Generally, your silk press will last until you wash your hair again or come into contact with moisture. However, it will differ depending on maintenance (i.e., wrapping your hair at night, avoiding water, etc.), and hair type.

How to maintain a silk press on natural hair: 7 tips and tricks

Trimming dead ends ensures there’s optimal hair growth moving forward. Natural hair is the weakest when it’s wet and should therefore be handled with utmost care. Once your mane is ironed to your desired effect, all you need is a touch of hairspray to lock it all in.

How to Maintain a Silk Press on Natural Hair: Top 7 Tips

If you’re not ready to commit to a full head of color, dye only your ends.

Additional Considerations for a Natural Hair Silk Press

Once you use a silk press treatment, you can forget about swimming or washing your hair throughout that week, and you also have heat damage to worry about. Proper use of the silk press treatment won’t magically break, melt, or damage your hair. However, with any heat-based hair treatment solution, there’s always the risk of hair damage. Once the Tubi is on, top it with a silk scarf or cap to hold it in place before you hit the hay. "Having a scarf that is large enough to the entire head and all of the hair and that you can tie around your head at least twice gives more security at the perimeter," says Campbell. In addition, keep in mind that frayed or damaged ends can disrupt the smooth and sleek appearance of the silk press, reducing its effect.

Using heavy hair products, or an excessive amount of hair products before your silk press, can cause excessive buildup and weigh down the hair. This will help to refresh the hairwithout adding a lot of moisture - which, as we just saw, will revert the effect of the silk press. To minimize exposure to water, make sure to cover your hair when showering, ideally with a shower cap or a scarf. In addition, avoid doing intense exercise that may lead to excessive sweating.

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Just like with 4c natural hair, make sure you fully stretch the hair during the blow dry process to ensure you won’t have to press the hair repeatedly using a flat iron to make it straight. A silk press is simply a combination of the right products and hot tools which in turn creates a silk like straight hairstyle even on curly or afro kinky hair. It’s winter, which means it's the unofficial, official silk press season. You can get a silk press anytime of year, but the heat and humidity of summer makes it way too easy to sweat out the straightening treatment. Below, find answers from Diarra Dumornay, hairstylist and owner of Glam Headz Salon in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Making sure to wrap and pin curl the hair each night is what Williams says is best to wear the hairstyle to its full potential. With the proper preparation, execution, and maintenance, Williams believes silk presses can be as long-lasting and non-damaging as any natural hairstyle. "The best shampoo and conditioner for a silk press needs to cleanse and promote volume and shine without weighing down the hair," says Nelms, who like the Sebastian Dark Oil Shampoo and Conditioner. A shampoo and conditioner of your choice as well as serums and light oils are preferred before doing a silk press. Ensure that you deep condition your hair in order to lock in moisture and avoid damage.

However, if you want to learn how to maintain a silk press on natural hair, you will have to choose them carefully. If you want to learn how to maintain a silk press on natural hair, here is an easy tip for you - sleep on a silk…pillowcase! A satin one would work just as well, but cotton ones are not ideal if you want to protect your hair while sleeping. The key to prolonging the life of your silk press is learning how to maintain it. What are some of the tips and tricks that you can implement to ensure that it lasts as much as possible? In this article, we will show you how to maintain a silk press on natural hair in a few easy and effective steps.

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Silk press season: How Black Vanderbilt students style their hair.

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Grab the L’Oréal Paris Elnett Satin Extra Strong Hold, Light Hairspray Unscented and mist the spray evenly over your hair and you’re done. That price pales in comparison to the $300 to $500 that the average keratin treatment costs. However, it’s a bit more expensive than the $40 to $100 that a blowout treatment costs. Want to be the first to hear about the latest (and greatest) SHOP product drops, custom collections, discounts, and more? Join Well+Good's Fine Print Facebook group (and follow us on Instagram) for must-know tips and tricks.

In this section, you’ll learn some of the pros and cons of getting a silk press over alternate hair straightening treatments. Since you don’t need complicated hair care products for a silk press treatment, it will only set you back around $50 to $150, depending on your location and the stylist. A silk press can be done on any hair, regardless of the type, color, or thickness. If you style your hair with a chemical product, a silk press treatment will be more or less ineffective for you. To keep your hair shiny and smooth between heat treatments, add more moisture to your routine.

To find out more, I spoke with three expert hair stylists to discuss everything you need to know about the silk press—and how to maintain the integrity of your curls while working with hot tools. Now that your hair is dry, it's time to pull out your flat iron; Miller is a fan of the Bio Ionic 10x Pro Styling Iron ($230). "I recommend starting where you're the most comfortable but sectioning your hair to make the flat ironing easier," she says.

Sign up for our email list to receive our exclusive newsletter and keep up with the best tips for growing natural hair, right at your fingertips. The cost of your silk press will vary based on location and the stylist you visit. At an upscale salon, you can expect to pay anywhere from $75 to upwards of $500.

While it is recommended that you try to limit your usage of heat tools even if you apply minimal heat to the hair, you can always do a silk press once a month or every four weeks. Heavy oils or greases can make it appear greasy, which is not exactly the shine we are looking for with a silk press - and it will also reduce the longevity of the hairstyle. Any possible swelling (frizzing) will have already occurred and it won’t re-frizz after you straighten. This is a sure fire way to get heat damage and will irreversibly damage your hair. Getting a silk press on natural hair is still considered a natural hair style, as the hair is not chemically altered, and is a true testament to the versatility of natural hair.

After applying a heat protectant spray, you can start blow-drying your hair without having to worry too much about heat damage. You should also note that heat protectant sprays aren’t failsafe, so you should silk press your hair in moderation. One of the hair straightening solutions for people trying to keep their natural hair is the silk press. The chances that you’ll try the silk press hair treatment at least once in your natural hair journey are very high. When the air is cool and crisp and there's no rain in the forecast—and you don't have to worry about humidity-induced frizz—it's prime time for a silk press.