As a Black girl who grew up in Louisiana, a silk press will all the time convey a smile to my face. I keep in mind feeling excited chills when my mother would drop me off for my standing Thursday hair appointment. I felt so stunning (and grown) when my stylist, Andrea, would blow out my strands, go over my edges with a sizzling comb, earlier than giving me physique and bounce with a flat iron. I would go away the salon with my confidence on 10, my tresses blowing within the wind. Once I moved away from house, to attend Howard College in Washington, D.C., I remained loyal to the silk press, discovering a hairstylist on U Avenue who was simply nearly as good as Andrea at making my hair seem like satin.
I wasn’t alone on this expertise, after all. The salon was filled with my Howard associates and classmates, who had additionally been getting silk presses since they have been youngsters. A few of us, together with myself, even discovered the right way to do silk presses within the dorm—particularly for giant occasions like Homecoming or Spring Fest. Having your hair laid was a should always. Whereas I’ve tried out totally different hairstyles by way of the years, like field braids, sew-ins, pure seems to be, and my go-to slicked-back bun (after I’m feeling lazy), there’s nothing like an excellent silk press. As an grownup dwelling in New York Metropolis, I by no means move up the chance to get my hair carried out, and I nonetheless really feel giddy when my present stylist Karen (in Brooklyn) turns the chair round to disclose the shiny magic she created on my mane.
Whereas silk presses have been round for many years, the method has been a trending matter over the previous couple of years due to Vice President Kamala Harris, who additionally graduated from Howard College. (Come on, illustration!) Madame VP has been hailed the queen of silk presses (alongside Queen Latifah, after all) since she’s all the time noticed with completely polished tresses which are often parted to the aspect and completed with springy curls or flipped-up ends. In a 2023 episode of Keke Palmer’s “Child, This Is Keke Palmer” podcast, Harris defined that she achieves her signature look with solely a spherical brush.
The reveal shocked Palmer and the world, contemplating the strategy often requires a bit extra warmth. Following the interview, searches for “silk presses close to me,” “the right way to keep a silk press,” and “what’s a silk press?” spiked tremendously. The model has continued to pattern all through Harris’ 2024 presidential marketing campaign.
For those who’re interested in a silk press, want some assist perfecting it, or simply wish to higher perceive the hype, I’ve tapped a couple of consultants to interrupt all of it down.
What Is a Silk Press?
For the longest, I assumed a silk press was a kind of haircut, nevertheless it’s truly a method. “It’s the silkening of the hair with out harsh chemical compounds, usually with a flat iron, coupled with a sizzling comb,” Derrick Monroe, a three-time Emmy nominated hairstylist based mostly in New York Metropolis, tells StyleCaster. Many confuse a silk press with a conventional blowout, however the distinction is within the “physique and texture,” in accordance with Monroe. “Blowouts are likely to easy the hair however they don’t all the time get the hair bone straight. Silk presses are usually sleeker and usually use a bit extra warmth.”
Celeb hairstylist Takisha Sturdivant-Drew—whose consumer record contains Tessa Thompson, Misty Copeland, and Naomi Ackie—echoed related sentiments, including that the important thing to a silk press is “stunning shine.”
The way to Obtain a Silk Press?
For Sturdivant-Drew, undertaking the look comes all the way down to the merchandise used. She leans closely on the road Clean Moisture, particularly the Moisturizing Shampoo
, Depart-In Conditioner
, and the Thermal Hair Strengthener
, which all work to nourish and shield the hair “with out utilizing any harsh chemical compounds,” Sturdivant-Drew says. Glam professional Kendra Garvey, who has labored her magic on Kerry Washington, Tia Mowry, Sanaa Lathan, and Storm Reid, emphasised Sturdivant-Drew’s message, telling StyleCaster “the most effective hairstyling seems to be begin on the shampoo bowl.”
“Product information is vital and will help in reaching a silk press. For the reason that method makes use of a variety of warmth to attain the flat, silky look, you’ll want moisturizing merchandise that seal your strands,” Garvey provides. When doing a silk press, Garvey’s course of begins with shampoo and conditioner, adopted by a leave-in conditioner and warmth protectant earlier than moving into with a blow dryer. Subsequent, she makes use of a flat iron after which seals the model with an oil or straightening serum. (My private favorites are the CHI Infra Silk Infusion and the Coloration Wow Additional Energy Dream Coat.)
Coloration Wow Additional Energy Dream Coat Anti-Humidity Therapy
The way to Keep a Silk Press?
Typically it may be arduous to attain that first-day take care of getting a silk press, which is why Monroe suggests prioritizing “wrapping the hair at night time—and whereas exercising—utilizing a silk or satin scarf.” Moreover, “use mild oils or shine sprays to keep up silkiness with out weighing the hair down.”
Within the occasion that you have to reapply warmth, Monroe says, “use a flat iron at a really low setting.”
