Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press. If your hair doesn’t go straight after a while, please don’t continue to turn up the heat. This could lead to significant heat damage.
While learning how to flat iron natural hair is a desire of many naturals, moderation is the key to making sure your hair comes out unscathed.
One good pass of a flat iron in a moderate heat setting should be fine, but do you really have to make 20 passes at high heat settings?
The amount of heat needed will definitely differ from one person to another person. Heat provides a temporary, cosmetic effect whenever you need it. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.
If you're looking for an at-home option, Revlon's One-Step Hair Dryer & Styler has made a big splash in the natural hair community. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.
Try the
Kipozi Titanium Straightener
which has wide plates for big, curly hair and a digital temperature reader. It’s an excellent choice for a silk press straightener. "The-Stylist-Lee version of a silk press is done with a good ol' fashioned pressing comb—the kind your Granny used to use," Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.she said proudly (though she doesn't recommend using a pressing comb at home). Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press."The great thing about natural hair is you can approach it so many different ways," says Lee. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.
"I use a comb attachment for my blow dryer when stretching the hair. The comb attachment helps with stretching, detangling, and drying all at the same time, but still leaving your hair with volume." Is Heat Good for Your Hair?
The benefits of heat on your hair depend on how you use it. For example, using a hair dryer on the lowest heat settings for about 5 minutes can help coconut oil seep into the hair strands. When you open and close your flat iron often, it lowers the plate temperature, and plates don’t heat evenly.
When that happens, we tend to make multiple passes or turn the temperature up. Doing so will expose your hair to more heat.
Keys to preventing heat damage are:
Lower heat setting to straighten your hair.
Take smaller sections.
Pass over your hair more slowly.
Buy a hair straightener with a digital heat control for consistent temperature.
ALWAYS use a heat protectant as a barrier between your hair and high temperatures!
Fiction: Steam straighteners only use water vapor (steam) to deliver heat. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.
Partially true, but they also use heated plates to evaporate steam and lock in smoothness. Some of the best steam hair straighteners allow you to turn the steam feature off and use it as a regular hair straightener. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.
Steam Straighteners make your hair silky smooth
FACT: There are just some things that steam straighteners can’t do. Like professional keratin treatments.
Don’t take my word for it!
Here is what others say about steam hair straighteners
I get Dominican blowouts, this product reduced the frizziness, but when I went over it with a steam straightener, it didn’t remain straight for as long.
Conversely, excessive heat can cause significant damage. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press. Remember that hair has a heat tolerance similar to wool, and both are made up primarily of keratin. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.
If we assume that the hair is similar to wool, here are some basic temperature guidelines:
Up to 150°C (302°F): Loosely bound and tightly bound water moisture is lost at this temperature range.
Between 160°-175°C (320°-347°F): The hair goes through a transitive glass phase. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press. This means that the hair flows and behaves like hot glass. Within this temperature range, your hair becomes very elastic. It can be stretched to great lengths and go back to its normal length. This is referred to as plastic deformation. It should be known that the hair has a temporary plasticity, as shown in roller set styles which could produce knot outs and twist outs. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press. While the hair may resemble a normal appearance afterwards, that doesn’t mean that it goes back to its natural state.
Between 215°-235°C (419°-455°F): The hair’s keratin contains a natural twist known as an alpha helix. This is a component present in all hair types. The temperature in this range melts the helices away, which is unfortunately not reversible.
The optimal temperature for flat ironing your natural hair is the range up to 150°C (302°F). The fact is that you’ll need to sacrifice your hair’s moisture to make it straight. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.
Each time you pass the iron through the hair, the strands become hotter. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press. Try doing one carefully planned pass. The hair has less potential to become damaged than it would with several hasty passes. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.
Before we started the blow-drying process, Lee applied a leave-in conditioner followed by Chi's alcohol-free Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex. In silk-pressing videos, I've always seen stylists use a flat iron, but Lee used a tiny pressing comb and followed-up with a flat iron to prevent having to do multiple passes on my hair: meaning, taking a flat iron over my hair more than once to smooth the hair. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press. Dry your hair with a blow dryer, make sure the setting is on medium heat with maximum air flow.
Apply a thermal protectant cream or spray throughout the hair. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.
Divide your hair into large sections and clip back with alligator clips.
Heat your flat iron to a temperature range of 350 to 400 degrees for thick hair, or 300-350 for fine, thin hair. Are you looking for the best flat iron for silk press?
Since we aren't pros, she recommends using this scale: "For someone who has fine hair, use heat 275-310°F; for medium hair, 310-390 °F, and for coarser hair types, 400-420 °F. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.
I always like to test my irons on my hand before applying heat on hair, or you can test yours on a napkin." Since we aren't pros, she recommends using this scale: For someone who has fine hair, use heat 275-310°F; for medium hair, 310-390 °F, and for coarser hair types, 400-420 °F. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.A silk press raises the likelihood that your hair will become damaged, but the heat will not automatically damage your hair.
You can give your hair a chance to be healthy and free of damage by taking some precautions.
Use a Heat Protectant. You should routinely avoid silicones, except when using heat on your hair. Silicones will form a hard layer around each strand to protect it. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.
Use a moderate heat setting. The best temperature range for thick 4c hair is 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit. If your hair is thin or fine, you may want to stick with a lower range of 300-350 degrees Fahrenheit. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press. Avoid using a high temperature as it could cause the water inside your hair’s cortex to boil. Never turn the temperature beyond 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Try One Pass Only
Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press. Do silk presses damage the hair?
The short answer: it’s the technique, not the heat.
“I want a lot of naturals to understand that heat is not the enemy,” says Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.. “It’s more of the way the heat is applied. (Naturals) just need to be very knowledgeable about the stylist they’re going to to receive a silk press and make sure that they ask questions.” Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.
To Tei, a flat iron temperature of between 375-400°F (190-204°C) gives a typical flat iron look - lots of texture, but not as much shine. "In order to achieve a silkier, silk pressed look, the flat irons have to be higher," she says, in the range of 420-450°F (215-232°C). Keep the flat iron temperature under 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and if you want a more bone-straight finish, opt for a titanium flat iron rather than ceramic. The reason being, the plates of titanium flat iron heats the hair from the outside-in, creating a smoother and silkier appearance. For optimal results, you can use the chase method, which includes immediately “chasing” the flat iron with a fine, rat-tooth comb. Avoid going over the hair more than once with the flat iron. Depending on your preferred style, you can flat iron bone-straight or flat iron into a style such as curls or bouncy waves.
Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press. Since I haven't had my hair straightened in years, I was worried about heat damage. Lee reassured me adding, "Most heat damage is preventable, as long as you maintain your conditioning treatments and don't use heat daily. I always like to test my irons on my hand before applying heat on hair, or you can test yours on a napkin. Flat Iron Temperature for Silk Press.