Easy Hair Tutorial: How to Do a Silk Press

Tools and materials:

• Heat protectant
• Flat iron
• Blow dryer
• Comb

1. Section your hair

Section your hair to prepare it for blow drying. I like to work in sections because it makes it easier so you don’t miss any strands.

2. Apply heat protectant

Apply heat protectant to your hair. This is such an important step because you don’t want heat damage. You need to protect your hair.

3. Blow dry your hair

Blow dry your hair. I work from the root up, so I make sure to get the roots and then work my way right up to the top to make sure I have an even distribution of straight hair.

I do this all over my hair, working in small sections so I don’t miss any spots. 

This is what one side of my hair looks like.

Look at the shrinkage from one side to the other! This is what you want to go for: A fluffy, blow-dry.

It should be easy to work with, so when you run the straightener through your hair, it’s not too difficult.

4. Twist your hair out of the way as you work

I twist my hair to keep it out of the way as I blow dry, so it’s really easy to work with. 

You can put it up in hair ties or use rubber bands, but I prefer to twist it around and make little Bantu knots.

5. Divide your hair into thin sections

Once you’re done blow-drying, divide your hair into really thin sections.

6. Straighten your hair

Run a comb through your hair just before you straighten it.

This method is really good because it makes sure there are no knots or tangles in your hair before you straighten it, making the straightening more effective. 

I do this for my entire head. It can be quite time-consuming when you first start, but I found the second half of my head to be so much easier to do.

7. Styling

Let’s jump into styling. I like to create curls with a flat iron by running it through my hair at an angle and curling it.

This creates these bouncy curls.

How to do a silk press

Here’s the finished DIY silk press! I love the outcome of this hair, especially the curls.

Let me know what you think about this method down below!

More for hair content, check out my post on How to Do Box Braids on Short Natural Hair.