Silk press care: how to keep it sleek and your curls safe

A silk press is natural hair washed, blow-dried and flat-ironed straight, with no chemical and no relaxer. Done well it moves, it shines and it reverts fully to your curl at the next wash. Done badly it leaves pieces that never curl again. The difference is the heat, the hands and what you do in the days after.

Booking it

The service is longer than people expect. As of October 2026, Ada's Braid Studio in Nashville lists a silk press at $75 for 90 minutes with a $20 deposit. Most of that time is the wash and the blow-dry; the flat iron is the last twenty minutes. If your hair is long, thick or very coily, say so when you book so the stylist can allow more time.

Ask three things:

• What heat do you use? A careful stylist works between 350 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit for most hair and lower for fine or colour-treated hair. "As hot as it goes" is the wrong answer.
• Do you use a heat protectant? Yes is the only answer.
• How many passes? One or two slow passes with a thin section. A stylist who goes over each piece five times is cooking it.

Add a scalp treatment or a trim if you need one; Ada's lists a scalp treatment at $25. A silk press is the best time to trim, because the ends are visible and straight.

Before you go

Arrive with your hair as it is, in a protective style or loose. Do not flat-iron it yourself first, and do not put oil or butter in it the night before; it sits under the heat and that is where the sizzling smell comes from. Some stylists prefer you to arrive with hair washed; most want to do the wash themselves. The service listing or a quick message will say.

The first night

The press is set when the hair cools. Do not put it up for the first few hours. That night, wrap it: brush the hair flat around the head, one direction, pin it, and tie a silk or satin scarf over it. In the morning unwrap, brush out and it falls back into place. If wrapping does not suit your length, a loose pineapple on top of the head in a silk scrunchie is the next best thing, with a satin pillowcase.

The week after

A silk press lasts one to two weeks, until the next wash or the first serious humidity, whichever comes first.

• Keep water away from it. Shower caps, and a dry towel at hand. Sweat at the hairline is the usual enemy; a light sweatband at the gym and a quick blow-dry on cool afterwards buy a few days.