Silk Press

If you've spent years alternating between chemical relaxers and giving up on straight styles altogether, the silk press is worth a proper look. It's the technique that's brought a 90s classic back into the spotlight through 2026, giving natural and textured hair a sleek, smooth finish using heat alone, with none of the commitment of a relaxer.

What Is a Silk Press?

A silk press is a heat-styling technique for natural, curly or coily hair that temporarily straightens it into a smooth, silky finish using a blow-dry and flat iron, rather than any chemical process. Hair is washed, deep conditioned, blow-dried section by section on a round brush, then flat-ironed to seal the cuticle and create that glassy, light-catching shine the style is known for. Crucially, the curl pattern underneath is untouched, so the next wash brings your natural texture straight back.

How It Differs From a Standard Blow-Dry or Relaxer

A regular blow-dry works with whatever texture you arrive with, adding smoothness and body without necessarily eliminating curl. A relaxer changes the hair's structure permanently, breaking down the curl pattern with chemicals until it's cut out or grows out. A silk press sits between the two: heat-only, fully reversible, but far more thorough than an everyday straightening blow-dry, specifically technique-led to work with coily and curly textures rather than against them.

Why It's Having a Moment

The silk press has come back around as part of a wider return to 90s hair glamour, and because it offers something genuinely useful: a way to wear hair sleek and long-looking for a special occasion, a holiday or simply a change, without the damage risk or permanence of chemical straightening. For clients who've been chemically relaxing for years, it's also proving to be a lower-commitment way to explore wearing their natural texture more often, since a silk press keeps the curl pattern intact underneath.

How Gusto Approaches It for Curly and Coily Textures

Getting a silk press right relies on prepping the hair properly beforehand: a good clarifying wash, deep conditioning treatment and the right heat protectant before any tool touches the hair. Our stylists section hair carefully and work at a lower, controlled heat with multiple passes rather than one aggressive pass, which is what actually protects curl elasticity long-term. If you're coming in for a silk press, book a consultation first so we can assess your hair's condition and talk through what result is realistic for your texture.

Aftercare and Making It Last

A silk press typically lasts one to two weeks depending on humidity and how you sleep and wash in between. Wrap hair at night with a silk or satin scarf or bonnet to protect the style and prevent frizz, avoid excess moisture and steam where possible, and use a light oil sparingly to maintain shine without weighing hair down. When you're ready to go back to your natural texture, a normal wash will bring the curl pattern straight back with no damage from the style itself.

Curious whether a silk press would suit your hair? Book a consultation with our stylists at either Gusto salon and we'll talk you through it. Book at Oxford Street or book at Covent Garden.