How to Protect Your Curls During a Silk Press

If you person curly, textured hairsbreadth and want sleek, shiny consecutive hairsbreadth without a chemical relaxer, a silk property is precisely what you need. Every curly-haired woman knows that it’s important to tread lightly erstwhile it comes to power because curly hairsbreadth tends to beryllium connected nan drier broadside and truthful much susceptible to breakage. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t indulge successful a silk property while still protecting your curls. 

Gone are nan days of having to walk hours and a ton of money applying chemic relaxers to textured hairsbreadth to execute a silky consecutive look. The silk property is nan safest measurement to straighten your hairsbreadth without applying perchance harmful chemicals that whitethorn irritate your scalp, origin breakage and harm your curls.

The champion portion astir having curly textured hairsbreadth is that you get to mosey betwixt nan worlds of afros, twist-outs, top-knot buns, braided protective styles and consecutive hairsbreadth whenever you spot fit. A silk property is nan cleanable hairsbreadth look for those days erstwhile you want to return a small break from your curls and coils. Before we dive into really you tin safely protect your curls during a silk press, let’s first dip our toes into what precisely a silk property is.

What is simply a silk press? 

A silk property is nan process of straightening curly textured hairsbreadth utilizing a rustle dryer followed by a level iron. Silk presses are done connected hairsbreadth that is curly, earthy and not chemically processed pinch a relaxer. If you’ve precocious transitioned to earthy hair, you cognize that 1 of nan hard-and-fast rules of being a naturalista is to steer clear of excessive power styling, which is why silk presses are perfectly patient for your hairsbreadth if done successful moderation. It’s champion to get a silk property during winter, autumn aliases outpouring months because nan humidity of summertime months will origin your hairsbreadth to revert backmost to its curly authorities and not support nan straight, silky texture. It’s besides champion to do nary much than 3 aliases 4 silk presses per twelvemonth to debar damaging your beautiful bouncy curls. 

“One tin person a silk property each 3 to 4 months to support nan wellness of their hairsbreadth and to clasp magnitude without power damage,” said personage hairstylist Le'Ana McKnight of West Hollywood’s Stylist Lee Studios.

What sets a silk property isolated from a chemic relaxer is that it won’t change your curl shape nan measurement a chemic relaxer will. When done often complete time, chemic relaxers tin permanently harm and loosen nan shape of your curls which tin yet only beryllium repaired by doing a “big chop” a.k.a. cutting disconnected each of your hairsbreadth correct down to a buzz cut. So if you’re looking to safely execute nan consecutive hairsbreadth look, while maintaining your curl pattern, nan silk property is nan champion look for you.

“What nan silk property did is springiness america backmost our powerfulness and besides punctual america of nan magic wrong our hairsbreadth and our skin. The updated property has movement, shine, body, and bounce" said personage hairstylist Ursula Stephen of nan Ursula Stephen The Salon.

How is simply a silk property done and really tin you protect your curls?

In bid to do a silk press, you’ll request nan pursuing tools:

• A heat protectant spray
• A hair mask
• A blowdryer
• A level iron
• An overhead/bonnet hairsbreadth dryer (optional)
• Plastic wrap (optional)

The first measurement you want to do earlier doing a silk property is to make judge your hairsbreadth is freshly washed pinch a sulfate-free shampoo and free of immoderate merchandise buildup. Excess merchandise buildup will time off your hairsbreadth stiff and motionless alternatively of soft and bouncy.

The logic you want to beryllium judge to usage a sulfate-free shampoo is because shampoos pinch sulfates will time off your curls highly barren and coarse. After shampooing your hair, use a hairsbreadth disguise for 15-20 minutes, which will hydrate and replenish each inch of your tresses. If you person overly barren and/or damaged hair, you want to beryllium judge to use a Length Repairing Hair Mask, which will thief to repair divided ends, trim frizz and supply an other blast of moisture to your hairsbreadth cuticles.

During winter months earthy hairsbreadth textures go particularly barren owed to frigid temperatures and communal accessories specified arsenic wool hats and scarves truthful a hairsbreadth disguise is simply a must-have for nan wintertime play erstwhile your hairsbreadth starts to shed much than usual.

After applying a hairsbreadth disguise for 15-20 minutes, you’ll request to rinse it retired utilizing lukewarm water. After rinsing, let your hairsbreadth to aerial barren until it reaches a damp state. Once your hairsbreadth is connected nan damper side, you’ll request to use a moisturizing leave-in conditioner to get your hairsbreadth conscionable a tad spot softer and time off your curls other hydrated. Next, you’ll request to use a heat protectant spray to protect your hairsbreadth from power harm earlier utilizing immoderate power styling tools. The power protectant will thief to protect your curls by creating a obstruction betwixt your hairsbreadth and nan rustle dryer and level iron, seal successful moisture successful your hairsbreadth cuticles and thief soft retired frizz.

Next, you want to statesman to prep your hairsbreadth for nan silk property process. You should commencement by sectioning disconnected your hairsbreadth into 4 abstracted sections (two sections connected nan apical of your caput and 2 sections astatine nan bottommost of your head), utilizing scrunchies aliases hairsbreadth clips. Sectioning disconnected your hairsbreadth alternatively of rustle drying it each astatine erstwhile will let you drawback mini sections and beryllium capable to precisely straighten retired your hair. After you’ve divided your hairsbreadth into 4 individual sections you’ll want to commencement from 1 of nan backmost sections and return retired astir an inch of hairsbreadth retired of your scrunchie aliases hairsbreadth clip and commencement rustle drying your hair. Repeat that process until your hairsbreadth is wholly barren and arsenic consecutive arsenic you tin get it utilizing a rustle dryer.

Once you’ve rustle dried your hair, you’ll want to put nan apical portion of your hairsbreadth backmost up and abstracted nan backmost conception only. Starting from nan backmost section, you’ll want to get arsenic adjacent to your roots arsenic imaginable and commencement level ironing your hair. Getting adjacent to nan roots will thief your hairsbreadth beryllium soft, flowy and bouncy. Since you’ve already rustle dried your hairsbreadth to get it bully and straight, you want to make judge you only do 1 walk of nan level robust to your hairsbreadth to protect your curls from being power damaged. Doing aggregate passes complete clip will lead to hairsbreadth breakage because it will deplete your hairsbreadth of nan earthy oils it produces.

After you’ve level ironed your full hair, you tin do a doobie wrap, (which consists of wrapping your hairsbreadth successful a information motion) connected your hairsbreadth and clasp it successful spot utilizing a integrative wrap to proceed to protect your hairsbreadth from power past beryllium nether an overhead aliases bonnet hairsbreadth dryer for 15 minutes to seal nan silk property in. This will besides thief your silk property to past longer. 

After 15 minutes you tin unravel your hairsbreadth from nan integrative wrap and spritz a small finishing oil-based hairsbreadth spray and voilà, your hairsbreadth is silk pressed and slayed. Want to adhd much measurement to that beautiful silky hair? Clip connected a group of hair extensions to springiness your hairsbreadth that other dose of assemblage to make it bigger and better. If your hairsbreadth is connected nan shorter side, cheque retired our TikTok tutorial connected really to blend hairsbreadth extensions pinch shorter hair.

How agelong does a silk property last?

Typically a silk property will past for astir 2-3 weeks. Luckily location are ways to make your caller do past longer. Below are immoderate attraction tips connected really to support your silk property looking perfect.

How to make your silk property past longer?

Do protect your hairsbreadth earlier furniture

Remember that doobie wrap you did to seal successful nan silk press? This is precisely really you want to proceed to wrap your hairsbreadth up each nighttime earlier going to bed. You tin besides pin curl your hairsbreadth utilizing bobby pins if you’re looking to do a wavy haired look. Once you’ve doobie wrapped aliases pin coiled your hair, you should necktie a silk/satin scarf and/or bonnet astir your caput to protect it from drying retired and becoming frizzy arsenic you flip astir while you are asleep. Consider besides purchasing a silk aliases satin based pillowcase because fabric pillowcases origin clash that leads to your hairsbreadth becoming dry.

Do enactment distant from h2o

If you person curly hairsbreadth past you cognize that getting your hairsbreadth bedewed is going to origin it to revert backmost to its curly authorities and erstwhile you person a silk property you want to support those consecutive locks for arsenic agelong arsenic possible. This is why it’s important that you enactment distant from water. When showering, beryllium judge to protect your hairsbreadth by wearing a bonnet and ablution headdress to support your hairsbreadth from puffing backmost up again. You besides want to debar basking saunas arsenic nan humidity will besides origin your hairsbreadth to curl backmost up again. On rainy days, you want to beryllium judge to deterioration a chapeau (try wearing 1 lined pinch satin alternatively of cotton) and ever transportation an umbrella around.

Do trim your hairsbreadth

Hair pinch divided ends will tangle up successful a heartbeat because nan splits will make their measurement up to your roots. Think of erstwhile you get a spread astatine nan bottommost of your favourite brace of stockings and that tear travels upwards and ends up wholly ruining that brace of stockings. That’s precisely what happens to your hairsbreadth erstwhile you person divided ends. This is why it’s ace important to trim your hairsbreadth aft getting a silk press. Trimming your hairsbreadth will besides make it fuller and fluffier and astir importantly, your hairsbreadth will beryllium healthier than ever. 

Don’t support level ironing your hairsbreadth regular

Once you’ve gotten a silk press, you want to beryllium judge not to proceed level ironing your hairsbreadth connected a regular basis. Continuing to level robust your hairsbreadth regular aft getting a silk property will beryllium conscionable arsenic damaging arsenic a chemic relaxer and tin origin your curl shape to beryllium wholly destroyed complete time. Instead, if you spot that there’s a conception of your hairsbreadth that is curling up again, simply use a dollop-sized magnitude of hairsbreadth gel to slick your hairsbreadth backmost into place.

Don’t overuse hairsbreadth styling products

As we mentioned earlier, excess merchandise buildup causes your hairsbreadth to go stiff and motionless which is simply a no-no erstwhile it comes to maintaining a silk press. Using excessively galore products will measurement down your hairsbreadth and origin itchiness successful your scalp, which tin lead to breakage. 

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Written by Ashley Inkumsah