Silk press season is upon us. The cooler weather and less humidity makes this time of year the perfect time to trade in our coils and curls for beautifully pressed, glass-shine tresses. The weather will extend the length of the style, however there are a few things you can do to keep the life of your style fresh with vitality without adding additional heat to your hair.
Don’t Add Any Additional Oils Or Products To Your Hair
Your hair has all the oil it will need once you have silk pressed the hair. You don’t need any hair gloss, growth serums, additional edge control. Additional oils and products will weigh your tresses down causing your hair to become limp and lifeless. You do not want your hair becoming ladened with product which can stunt growth and affect your curl pattern. Avoid any hair perfumes. They can dry your hair out as well and/or increase buildup.
Avoid Additional Heat/Pin Curl or Wrap your hair
The desire to keep the body of your hair or those beautiful bountiful curls may cause you to want to add additional heat. Don’t. If you want your hair to maintain its body, wrap it at night and secure it with a satin lined or silk scarf. If you want those bountiful curls to last, go old school with them and pin curl them. Secure your hair with a satin lined or silk scarf. What you don’t want to do is use continuous heat. Not only will you cause your hair to be heat damaged, you will also cause your hair to become dry and brittle resulting in breakage throughout the shaft of your hairy follicles.
Stop Touching Your Hair
If you’re like me, you get your hair silk pressed for regular trims and those occasions when you want to see just how well your methods of hair care have been working. You may feel the need to run your hands through your tresses. Don’t. Our hands have microscopic debris and oils on them that we may not see with the naked eye. Those things will weigh your hair down causing excess build up. Your glass-shine locs will become incredibly stiff and have a greasy appearance.
Schedule Your Silk Presses Accordingly
Schedule your silk presses according to the weight of the week. If you are going to work out, schedule the silk press on days that you are free so that you may extend the life of the press. Workouts are typically Monday through Wednesday for me. I would press my hair Thursday so that I may achieve the bulk of my wear over the weekend.
Use A Blow Dryer and Roller Brush If Needed
You want to avoid heat as much as possible. However, there are times when you may experience dampening your hair. Before you have a melt down and turn your flat iron on sky high because your stylist is unavailable, try the blow dryer and rolling brush method. Turn your blow dryer on a medium air setting with the temperature set to warm. Move the rolling brush through the damp section with the blow dryer pointing at the roots, following the motion of the brush. You should get a beautiful, voluminous curl that didn’t require excessive heat.