The Pro Guide to Getting a Silk Press Without Ruining Your Curls

Curly girlies can rally behind the sentiment that caring for coils is a true labor of love. So when silk press season arrives, you’ll want to make sure the effort you put in to keep your curl pattern intact wasn’t in vain. One of the many beauties of curly hair is its versatility and how easily you can switch up your style, but hair health should always be at the root of how you handle your styling. As the weather cools down and before you crank up the flat iron, take a tip or two from the pros on how to safely transition from curls to a silk press without damage.

Assess the state of your hair

Before anything, take note of the state of your hair before you dive into a silk press. If it’s feeling brittle and dry, take the time to do a deep-conditioning treatment before you start heat styling. “One of the biggest challenges when transitioning from curls to consistent silk presses is making sure the hair has enough hydration,” says hairstylist Myesha Jamerson. “A good silk press starts with hair that is properly moisturized and able to retain moisture. Many curly-haired clients deal with dryness, especially when the hair is frequently being wet, refreshed, or manipulated to maintain their curls. Restoring and maintaining hydration is an important part of getting a smooth, healthy silk press.”

Line up the right tools

Every step of a silk press is important for maintaining your hair’s integrity, but having the right tools will ensure you avoid damaging your precious curls. “A good blow dryer with a concentrator nozzle and a comb attachment, with the hair thick, coarse, or dense, depending on the client’s texture, is essential,” hairstylist Tippi Shorter tells ELLE. “A quality flat iron with adjustable temperature settings and a heat protectant are your essentials. I also recommend using a detangling brush or wide-tooth comb during the blow-dry process to minimize unnecessary tension.” She adds that the goal is to get the hair as smooth as possible during the blow-dry so that you don’t have to rely on excessive flat-iron passes to achieve that silky finish.

Prep with product

How you start your silk press will likely determine how long it’ll last. Your hair and scalp should be free of product buildup that will make your smooth style look greasy and worn in. Jamerson starts with a pre-shampoo scalp scrub, followed by a hydrating shampoo, a moisturizing shampoo, and a conditioning mask. You’ll want to go as light as possible on the products to keep hair from looking and feeling weighed down. For this reason, she says, moisturizing gel-based conditioning masks are a great option. “Ingredients like squalane and hyaluronic acid can help support hydration, while ingredients such as salicylic acid can help cleanse the scalp and remove buildup,” says Jamerson. “Heat protection is also extremely important anytime you’re doing a silk press. I like KISS Colors & Care’s Anti-Reversion Heat Protector collection because there are different options depending on the client’s hair type and texture. A lightweight oil, like the KISS Colors & Care Multivitamin Hair Oil, can also be incorporated as needed to help maintain moisture without overloading the hair.”

Shorter says that ingredients like ceramides, conditioning agents, and lightweight oils are her go-tos for improving softness and reducing the risk of dryness. “For textured hair, I also want moisture without heavy buildup, because too much product can weigh the hair down or encourage reversion. I use the Mizani 25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Conditioner as a prep step—it helps detangle, condition, and soften the hair before you start the blow-dry,” Shorter notes.

Level set the heat

At the beginning of silk press season, both experts recommend starting slow—particularly with your heat setting. “More heat doesn’t necessarily mean a better silk press,” says Shorter. “I always recommend starting with a small section at a lower temperature to see how your hair responds, then adjusting based on your texture, density, and condition.” If you have to smooth that section more than two times, Shorter says that’s when you’ll know the temperature is too low. “My goal is typically about one-and-a-half passes: one pass from the root to mid-length, followed by a pass from root through the ends. The roots tend to puff up first, so they may need two passes, while the ends are usually older, drier, and more fragile, so I try to give them just one.”

The blow-dryer temperature and technique are also important because that’s where you’re doing most of the initial stretching and smoothing. With the flat iron, you want enough heat to get the desired result in as few passes as possible rather than repeatedly going over the same section. Ultimately, the condition of your hair should always dictate how much heat you use.

Silk press safely

Jamerson recommends starting by pre-shampooing the hair to remove any buildup from the scalp. Follow that with a hydrating shampoo to help restore moisture, followed by a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. If your hair is very dry, highly porous, and doesn’t hold moisture easily, Jamerson suggests incorporating either a steam treatment or a deep-conditioning treatment under the dryer before styling. From there, apply heat protection and move into a very thorough blow-dry, which she says is one of the most important parts of the silk press process. “Once the hair is properly stretched and smooth, I follow with thermal styling using a flat iron. If needed, I’ll trim or cut the hair to remove damaged ends, improve the shape, and give the finished style a healthier, more polished look.”

At the blow-dry step, Shorter uses a concentrator nozzle and appropriate brush attachment to direct the airflow down the hair shaft and create as much smoothness as possible. Once she starts flat ironing, she works in small sections with an appropriately heated flat iron. “My goal is typically about one-and-a-half passes: one pass from the root to mid-length, followed by a pass from root through the ends. The roots tend to puff up first, so they may need two passes, while the ends are usually older, drier, and more fragile, so I try to give them just one.” Finish with a very light serum or oil if needed—less is more when you want that airy, bouncy silk-press finish.

Learn how to preserve

To keep the integrity of your curl, you want to keep contact with heat to a minimum, which means preserving your silk press for more than a couple of days. Depending on the fineness of your hair, styling products and oils can weigh the hair down and make it look greasy. More than that, frizz is in no way your friend. “The biggest thing is limiting moisture exposure. Humidity, sweat, and water are all going to encourage the hair to revert, so try to avoid getting the hair wet and be mindful of activities that cause excessive sweating,” says Shorter. Using anti-frizz products at the styling stage will also help create a barrier against humidity without weighing the hair down. Shorter’s top pick is the Mizani Press Agent Thermal Smoothing Raincoat Styling Serum. “And make sure the hair is completely dry before you flat-iron it—pressing damp or even slightly wet hair can compromise the hair and create frizz rather than smoothness,” Shorter concludes.

Even if you’re not one to sweat in your sleep, you can keep hair from frizzing up overnight by wrapping it when possible, especially using a satin pillowcase or a satin scarf or bonnet.

Prevent the breaks

You may think that breaks in between silk presses are necessary to maintain your curl pattern, but both experts agree that if you follow the steps above and keep the heat to a minimum and moisturizing to the max, you can go months silk pressing without causing damage. “A silk press isn’t necessarily a style that you have to take long breaks from,” says Jamerson. “Generally, someone may get their hair done about twice a month, or once every two weeks. The most important thing is keeping additional heat to a minimum between appointments. As long as the hair remains healthy and you aren’t seeing signs of breakage or heat damage, silk presses can be worn consistently. If the hair starts showing signs of stress or breakage, however, that’s when I would recommend taking a break and focusing on restoring the health of the hair,” she says.

A properly done silk press should not permanently alter your curl pattern. What can affect the curl pattern is excessive or improperly applied heat, which can lead to heat damage. As long as the hair is protected and the proper temperature and technique are used, it should revert back to its natural curl pattern after washing.