Girls its silk press season and we have partnered with Design Essentials to help you navigate this time of year with no stress using the best products on the market.
Before we share our tips on how you can preserve your silk press, let’s take it back to the basics, shall we?
What is a silk press?
A silk press is the transformation of your hair from its natural state to a straightened, flattened state.
It temporarily keeps your hair straight, almost like a faux perm and the results are typically super straight and well… very silky!
It’s perfect when you want to switch up your look or if you want to flex a little bit and show off just how much your hair has grown. (It’s also a great opportunity to get a solid trim)
Silk presses are achieved with hydrating and strengthening products to keep your hair healthy and tools using heat to straighten your hair.
You will also need a heat protectant to protect your curls.
To revert to your natural hair, all you need to do is wash your hair and your curls should return to normal if the silk press is performed correctly.
How to make your silk press last longer
Fall is the perfect time to get a silk press without worrying about humidity causing your curls to revert before you even get to the car.
Silk presses on average last about around weeks with proper care, however, there are ways you can ensure that you get the most out of your style.
Here are 8 different ways to make your silk press last longer.
1. Wrap it up!
Make sure to wrap up your new silk press before going to sleep. Tossing and turning at night can cause friction and ruin your silk press. Resulting in frizz or tangled hair.
Buy a head wrap, bonnet, or both to secure your hair at night. One of the most efficient ways to wrap your silk press at night is combing into circular motion around your head, securing it with bobby pins, wrapping a scarf around once finished, and covering it with a bonnet.
Another tip is to purchase a satin or silk pillowcase in case your hair escapes your bonnet at night.
Try: Design Essentials PHusion Satin Hair Wrap Plus Sleep Mask
2. Avoid High Amounts of Moisture
High amounts of moisture can cause your hair to return to its natural state. Avoid excessive amounts of moisture, for example, long hot showers and going to the sauna. Humidity and moisture will cause your hair to puff back up within minutes.
If for any reason you have to touch up your press with additional heat you can opt for a short blow-dry session or you can touch up with a flat iron.
Try: Silk Essentials Thermal Strengthening Serum
3. Go to a Professional
While it may be more cost-effective to attempt a silk press at home, going to a professional will benefit in the long run.
Having the right tools and products is vital when doing a silk press to get the desired results and make it long-lasting.
Going to a professional will prevent overly straightening your hair, having to do touch-ups and heat damage.
Professionals have more insight on how to correctly do a silk press, as they perform them often and are familiar with the process.
If you want some insider knowledge on what product stylists are using these days for their clients, we can tell you that they have been loving the Agave and Lavender Blow-Dry and Silk Press collection.
This collection is formulated just for protecting textured hair before, during, and after the heat process.
Try: Agave & Lavender Blow-Dry & Silk Press Collections
4. Avoid overly touching your hair
Yes, your hair looks amazing and feels amazing! You may be tempted to run your fingers through your hair, but try to refrain from constantly touching and manipulating your strands.
Constantly touching your hair can cause frizz and will reduce the amount of time you can keep your style without a touch-up.
5. Trim!
Split and dead ends are hard to maintain, especially in a silk press. They become more visible and tangle easily. Be sure to ask your hairstylist to get a trim next time to maintain the health of your hair.
6. Avoid water
This may seem like the most obvious, but stay away from water! Once water touches your hair it will revert to its curly state.
Make sure to pay attention to the weather when you choose to do a silk press so you can avoid the rain. Likewise when showering wrap your hair up and put on a shower cap.
7. Opt for a flat silk press
Everyone loves big, voluminous curls. However, for your next visit, opt out of the curls. Curls are harder to maintain once you leave the salon.
Once your curls drop, you won’t have the silk press you originally desired. A flat silk press is easier to maintain, will last longer, and look fresh even after you leave the salon.
(If you have curls you can however try pin curling your hair to maintain the curls)
8. Avoid the overuse of products
After you have had your press for awhile you might be tempted to use products to maintain the press however we must warn you that too much product will cause build-up on your hair.
Too much product will cause your silk press to look greasy and weigh down your hair down.
If your hair naturally gets greasy you can try using a dry shampoo to remove some of the oil and possibly extend your press for a few more days.
Check out Design Essentials for more product ideas here.
This post contains affiliate links and is sponsored by Design Essentials, however, all thoughts and opinions are our own
