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We all know at least one naturalista who was whipping her silk press one week, only to be frantically Googling through tears the next, how to make natural hair revert.

Or perhaps you’ve been that girl.

If you’ve made it this far on your natural hair journey and haven’t experienced heat damage, consider yourself lucky and pay close attention.

You love the versatility of your natural hair. In all of its glory, it defies convention, not to mention gravity. But every now and then, you want it straightened; maybe for a length check or trim, a change of pace, special occasion or just because. Whatever the reason, all you know is that you want it to lay down and stay down…but not permanently.

So let’s talk about what you can do so that never even becomes an issue. Alexa play Be Careful.

Many naturals opt for a silk press to get the desired results. That typically involves a shampoo, condition, blow dry, flat iron, trim, wrap, plastic cap and hooded dryer, a.k.a. excessive manipulation and heat. What you do before you ever pick up your blow dryer, is key to making sure you and your hair walk away from a silk press unscathed. Because all it takes is one time. So please make sure you don’t skip these steps.

Moisturize and Prep

Deep conditioning is a must. Applying heat, on top of already dry hair, is a recipe for disaster. Lack of moisture and therefore elasticity is what largely contributes to heat damage. So while prepping your hair for your silk press on the day of is important, overall haircare up until that point matters.

And since we’ve seen things go left, far too many times for far too many girls, we formulated an ENTIRE line (hyperlink to BCM collection) to help a sister out. Our Black Castor Miracle Deep Conditioning Treatment, is just what you need in a case like this. Infused with coconut milk and shea butter, it’ll hydrate and restore much-needed moisture to your hair even if it’s already on the extremely dry or damaged side.

If you have extra time, or don’t mind adding a day to the process, there are simple ways you can stretch your hair ahead of time without heat and virtually eliminate the need for a blow dryer. Divide your freshly washed, conditioned and detangled hair into 4-8 sections and secure the roots with elastic bands. But don’t stop there. Continue banding the entire length of your hair, down to the tip and let it air dry thoroughly overnight. When you remove the bands the following day, your hair will be stretched and ready to style.

Style and Protect

Next up, you need the right heat protectant. Our Black Castor Miracle Anti Humidity Heat Protectant Spray (hyperlink) enables hair to withstand heat up to 400 F, which is well over the temperature you should ever need to get amazing results. It is lightweight, blocks humidity, seals in shine and helps keep your hair straight for up to two weeks. That’s everything you need to get, and keep, the silk in silk press. After all, you didn’t put in all of that hard work, to have it revert on you before you’re ready.

Lastly, you should only need one pass with the flat iron, used in conjunction with a rattail comb or detangling brush, known as the chase method. If you need to go over an area more than once, that means you didn’t prep your hair properly. Applying too much heat to the same area, again is asking for trouble.

Remember, take your time, prep thoroughly and protect what’s yours. The goal is to look smoking hot now and not wind up a heat-damaged hot mess later. Happy tears only ladies!