What Is A Silk Press And How To Do It?

Who doesn’t like straight hair? Whatever be the type of your hair, at some point or the other we have all longed for that perfectly straight hair with a dazzling shine. The best solution to that craving is Silk Press. But what is silk press?

Though some traditional hair straightening methods turn out to be quite a disaster for people’s natural hair, the silk press is an exception. It is a series of mindful steps that involve no chemicals. It ensures that you get gorgeous straight hair without harming the hair. 

So, what on earth is a Silk Press? Can you do it at home? Does it need any special equipment?… We know you’re curious. So, here we are, with an exhaustive review of Silk Press. Excited?… Let’s dive straight in!

What Is A Silk Press? Everything You Need To Know About This Hair Straightening Technique!

It is a non-chemical hair-straightening technique that is typically done on curly, coily, or coarse hair. The hair is shampooed, deep conditioned, blown out, protected with heat protectants, and straightened with a flat iron. The deep conditioning followed by thermal treatment gives hair that glossy look. 

Silk press does not involve any use of chemicals. Moreover, hair protectants minimize hair damage so that you can flip your hair without flipping out about ruining them(1). 

Now, you might be wondering — If the goal is to get straight hair, why not go for the traditional methods of straightening? Well, here’s why.

Why Choose Silk Press Over Traditional Hair Straightening?

The only similarity between the Silk press and traditional hair straightening methods is that they both aim to create stunning, silky, smooth, and straight hair. But we forget another ‘S’ in traditional hair straightening methods and that is the “Safety of your hair”. 

Traditional hair straightening involves pressing hair with a hot metal comb that is heated over any heat source like a stove. In contrast, this is typically done with a flat iron that has ceramic or titanium plating with heat control settings which are safer. Additionally, the use of other products such as heat protectants, conditioners, and hair serums makes this process a lot safer for your hair. 

So, to settle the Silk press vs traditional hair straightening grudge match: while they both give almost the same results and hair look, it is a safer and a more gentle process of straightening your hair. 

But if your reaction is still “meh” to the silk press, the benefits mentioned below might change your mind. 

Benefits Of Silk Press

If words like “straight”, “glossy”, and “safe” have still not made up your mind about silk press, here are some benefits that might sway your opinion. 

• Non-chemical treatment: It does not involve any kind of chemical treatment in the process. It uses products like oils, heat protectants, deep conditioners, and light hair serums which are healthier options for your hair. 
• Healthy hair: While permanent hair straightening might damage your hair, it is a temporary process and it does not harm your hair. Additionally, with lesser heat and the use of hair protectants, your hair can stay healthy and breakage-free with a silk press. 
• Versatility: To all those wavy to curly hair beauties out there, if you want to change your look by straightening your hair, it is your best bet. 
• Long-lasting results: Given you treat your hairdo properly after the silk press, as mentioned in the blog somewhere below, it is a good option for long-lasting straight hair that stays up to several weeks.
• Gorgeous look: If you need to head to a soonish party and want to attain a gorgeous look with simple steps, go for it. It can be done at home, see below. 

We cannot emphasize more on using a silk press. So, If you’re convinced, let’s start with knowing how you can prepare for this. Alrighty? 

How To Prepare For Silk Press At Home? 

Whether you choose to go to the salon for a professional silk press or bring the salon to your home and take straightening up to your hands, this process is the same everywhere. So, let’s explore the secret to silky smooth straight hair.

But before we land on that, let’s see what tools and products you’ll need on your hands for the silk press process.

Things You Need To Prepare For Silk Press At Home 

It is a simple process of hair straightening that does not involve any special equipment that could only be found at the salon. Pretty much every tool or silk hair product involved in this process could be found at home. 

Preparing for silk press at home? First, gather all the products listed below: 

• Shampoo
• Deep conditioner 
• Heat protectant 
• Blow dryer 
• Light serum
• Flat iron 

Now, let’s dive right into the 6 easy steps to get an oh-so-gorgeous-I’m-gonna-cry kinda straight hair:

1. Cleanse with a Shampoo

The foundation for a successful silk press result is deeply cleansed hair. Go for a sulfate-free shampoo to provide proper hydration to your hair. You need to deeply cleanse your hair to get rid of all the dirt, grease, and oil build-up. Shampoo twice. 

2. Deep conditioning 

If you have used conditioners on your hair before, I don’t even need to get started on the magic it does to your hair texture. It’s like the conditioner gives life to hair. Well, this holds true for silk press as well. The hydrating oils in a deep conditioner protect your hair from frizz and breakage(2). So apply the conditioner and let it sit for 30 minutes. Now that’s deep conditioning. 

3. Heat-protectant 

It is a healthy option for your hair but it still involves thermal treatment. So, make sure that you apply a smoothing heat protectant to protect your hair from heat damage.

4. Blow out the Hair

Blow drying your hair at this step is not only to dry them but also to make them strong against ironing. So, this is another step to protect your hair from the possibility of heat damage. You can go for a blow dryer and round comb or hair-dryer brush. 

5. Put on a light serum or oil 

With the previous steps, you hydrated your hair enough. Now it’s time to lock the hydration. So put on some light serum or light oil. It will also provide your hair with that luster and bouncy look. Again, oil too seals your hair from the harmful effects of heat. 

6. Flat-iron your hair

Now get handy the star tool of that process- a hot flat iron. For perfectly straightened hair, divide your hair into smaller sections and flat iron them individually.

Pro Tip: If you absolutely love straight hair and style them regularly, go for a flat iron with titanium plates. It evenly distributes the heat and glides smoothly over your hair.

Last but not the least, flaunt & flip your hair and spread some gorgeous-girl vibes all across the town. 

Now that you’re done with getting your hair silky and straight, there are some tips to maintain them. You don’t wanna let go of your hairdo in just one outing, do you? So, below are some maintenance tips on taking care of silk press straight hair.

Maintenance And Care For A Silk Press

Here’s how you can flaunt your silk press hairdo for longer:

1. Wrap your hair in at night: Overnight rolling overs and turns can ruin your hairdo. So make sure that for a few days following silk press hair day, you brush your hair neatly and pack them in a silk scarf before sleeping. 

2. Skip shampoo days: Shampooing your hair will bring your hair back to normal in a jiffy. So avoid washing your hair for 1–2 weeks. But not more than 2 weeks.
Also, while taking hot showers make sure you cover your head with a scarf or a shower cap. 

3. Less use of hair styling products: Hair styling products can lead to product scalp build-up which can further weigh your hair down. So, use hair styling products less often after the silk press. 

This technique involves a number of steps that protect your hair from any kind of heat damage. You just need to follow the steps and maintenance tips earnestly to protect your hair from heat damage. 

FAQ On Silk Press

The Bottom Line

A silk press is a great way to attain that silky, smooth, straight hair without using chemicals and causing any harm to your hair. You just need to follow the steps properly and use the right tools to achieve that professional-looking silk press at home. 

However, make sure that you use hair protectants to protect your hair from any heat damage. Avoid excessive heat after the treatment and try using only high-quality silk press products on your hair. 

Now you know the drill to glossy, smooth, and straight hair. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time for you and your hair to shine.