Okay, guys, so I’ve decided to become a straight natural!
Or perhaps I should say, I’ve actually been a straight natural for the past few years and am fully embracing the title 😅.
This all started with me wanting to get my first silk press and wanting to do it safely! But then I noticed that “straight natural” has been trending and women are retaining length by keeping their hair straight 👀. I fell deeply down that rabbit hole and am here to share what I learned and what I’ll be doing with my hair.
I hope that after reading this, you’ll know whether or not being a straight natural is right for you–and if so, how to do it in a way that meets your needs.
A little background
Being a straight natural, like so many things, is nothing new. For years, Black women would straighten their hair with relaxers or hotcombs or other heating tools. But in the early 2010s, during the rebirth of the natural hair movement, heat became the enemy. We learned that “heat trained” hair was really heat-damaged hair and many women began avoiding heat like the plague.
Some naturals don’t use heat at all. Others, like me, are okay with blow-drying. But now, the fear of heat seems to be easing, and a growing number of women are leaning into the relative ease of straight hair.
What is a straight natural?
A straight natural is someone that primarily wears her hair straight without using chemical processes like relaxing or texturizing. Typically, she’s doing so by blowing out her hair and/or flat ironing it. The key difference is that the hair still reverts to its natural curl pattern when washed. For example, I blow out my hair after every wash (and it reverts every wash), hence I realized I’m a “straight natural.”
Why go straight?
| Pros | Cons |
| Versatile styling options
Some find straight hair easier to manage and maintain Straight hair without exposure to harsh chemicals Straight styles can be protective and help retain length when done correctly |
Risk of heat damage if not careful
It can potentially change your curl pattern Managing frizz and your curls reverting can be a challenge Judgements from others about why you straighten your hair 🙄 |
It’s worth noting that manageability is subjective. If you’ve nailed your natural hair routine and keep it simple, then manageability is a non-issue. But if you’re struggling, then straight hair could be an appealing alternative.
Why I think it’s for me
I accepted long ago that no Black hairstyle comes without some level of maintenance if you want healthy hair. For me, choosing straight hair is more about the look and the potential length (more on that below).
I’ve NEVER worn a wash-and-go and never will—it’s just not for me. My hair is usually in a protective style or is stretched in some way, even when I wear it in a ‘fro. So, I’m leaning into that reality. Why keep my hair coily if I’m never wearing it coily 🤷🏾♀️?
Why it might be for you
Being some degree of a straight natural might be for you if you…
- love your curls but want the option of sleek, straight styles without compromising the health of your hair
- struggle with maintaining your curls and rarely wear them out
- want a looser curl without resorting to a relaxer
So, does wearing your hair straight make it grow?
Everyone’s hair grows on average about six inches a year (though this varies by genetics, lifestyle, and other factors). For the longest time many of us thought Black hair couldn’t grow. But the natural hair movement taught us that Black women can in fact have long hair; we just have to keep it from breaking.
You can minimize breakage whether or not your hair is curly, coily or straight. Some people may just find it easier to do when it’s straight. One factor that helps with length retention is keeping your hair adequately moisturized (but not too moisturized). Moisture tends to coat straighter hair more easily since it doesn’t have to navigate the twists and turns of curls. But again, plenty of naturals are able to keep their hair moisturized. The big question is can you?
For me, I’ve struggled with detangling and moisturizing. I’ve always wanted to be that girl with a spray bottle of oils, but that’s just not me 😩. Straight hair might align better with my habits.
Will a silk press or being a straight natural damage my hair?
This is the BIG question!
The short answer: it depends.
It comes down to:
- How you prep your hair before applying heat.
- How you protect your hair during the process.
- How frequently and at what temperature you apply heat.
- How you maintain your hair afterward.
High heat, frequent use, and no protection can damage your hair’s structure, leaving it brittle, dry, and prone to breakage. (The opposite of what we want). However, there are ways to minimize these risks, which I’ll cover below.
But first I want to touch on the degrees of straightness because how straight you want your hair factors into the risk of damage.
Degrees of straight
When it comes to straightening, there’s a spectrum:
- Stretched hair: no heat, achieved by braiding, twisting, or threading.
- Tension blowout: using a blow dryer while holding sections taut.
- Blowout: blow-drying with a brush.
- Light press: blow dry and flat ironing at low heat.
- Silk press: blow dry and flat ironing with higher heat for bone-straight results.
No heat stretching has zero risk. Using a blow dryer on your hair is a form of indirect heat, so it’s less risky. While using a flat iron is a form of direct heat, which is relatively more risky.
The method you choose will depend on the level of straightness you’re trying to achieve. If you’d like your hair silky bone straight, then a silk press would be the way to go. Whereas some people might prefer a “fluffy press”–straight with a bit of kink–which can be achieved with a light press. And then there’s the kinky blow out look, one of my personal favorites, which gives more volume.
Okay, so how can I safely press my hair?
Even though there are safe ways to straighten your hair, a good question to ask yourself is how much do I want to keep my curls? Take the time to really think about your answer. Many straight naturals don’t mind the change in curl pattern.
I love this quote from a user on Reddit: “You have to create a frizzier version of a silk press if you want to keep your curls,” which is kind of what YouTuber Roxanna Renea does (although I don’t consider her hair frizzy). She’s got a really great process. Below’s what her hair looks like wet (curls still visible and springy) and what it looks like straight.
Roxana has a great blow out routine. You can watch it below.
Another great, “safe” routine comes from Nadine Ruwa and inspired by Kamala Harris. Note: Nadine has keratin treated hair.
Linwood Darkis of GlamFam on Youtube has a GREAT breakdown of heat damaged vs heat trained hair and the video also contains tips for mitigating damage.
How to Silk Press Your Hair (Safely)
Regardless of if you want to go lightly straight or bone straight, the steps are generally the same (you might just skip the flat iron or use a lower temperature). Between Linwood, Roxanna, tips from our stylists and some other vloggers, here are the steps everyone seems to agree on:
- Strengthen your hair first. You can do this by using a bond strengthening treatment. Product suggestions below.
- After you treat your hair, wash with a moisturizing shampoo. Applying heat to your hair strips it of moisture. So, prior to getting a silk press or any other style that requires heat, you want to give your hair as much moisture as possible.
- Next apply a deep conditioner with a balanced pH (around 5.5) to replenish moisture and elasticity. Throw on a heat cap while conditioning to enhance penetration. (More moisture.)
- Apply a lightweight leave-in conditioner for an extra layer of moisture! (Do you see a theme?)
- Then comes your heat protectant or blow dry cream to protect against heat and reduce frizz. Seal with a lightweight oil for added shine and moisture retention, if the protectant isn’t an oil.
- Be sure to actually use a pea-size amount of products. If you want your hair to bounce, you can’t weigh it down with product.
- Take your time when blowing out your hair. This is key. The straighter you can get your hair when blowing it out (indirect heat), the less heat you’ll need to apply with the flat iron.
- When you finally get to the flat iron part, use the lowest heat possible that gets the result you want with only one or two passes of the flat iron. If your hair gets silky straight at 340°F, why go higher? A good rule of thumb if you want to keep your curls is to say below 400 degrees. The chart here has temperature guidelines from FHI Heat Pro. On the other hand, if you want to change your pattern then you can go higher. But going too high can lead to this happening.
- Work in small sections.
You can see the above (and some extra) steps in this video by Timelessly Mirna.
Some additional tips:
- Incorporate a protein treatment into your routine every 3-6 months if your hair needs extra strengthening. Protein treatments help restore and maintain the structural integrity of your hair.
- Stay away from color if you can. Adding heat to chemically colored hair is asking your hair to do a lot 😩. If you care about not deteriorating the structure of your hair too much, then you may want to choose one or the other. (It’s possible to do both, but I’d work with a seasoned pro for that).
- If you’re straightening your hair regularly, consider using the double flat iron method like Deborah Wanjala. This involves using a lower temperature on the mid-lengths and ends of your hair—which are older and more heat-exposed—and a higher temperature at the roots. See video below.
How to maintain a silk press or blow out
The key to maintaining a silk press is wrapping it at night with a silk bonnet. Doing so helps keep it stretched, moisturized and smooth. If your hair is long, using a net will help. See below!
Some vloggers recommend changing the direction of your wrap every two days or so–wrap to the left for two days, then to the right for two days. This minimizes the risk of shedding or breakage that might occur from repeatedly brushing in the same direction.
Additional tips for silk press longevity:
- Avoid additional heat. Resist the temptation to touch up your hair with heat between washes. Instead, use heat-free techniques like pin curls or wrapping to maintain the style.
- Trim seasonally. Trim your ends every season to keep them healthy and prevent split ends from traveling up the hair shaft.
- Deep condition regularly. After every wash, deep condition your hair to restore moisture and repair any minor damage from styling or environmental stressors.
- Use anti-humidity sprays sparingly: Some people use anti-humidity sprays or silicone-based serums for extra frizz protection but those products tend to have endocrine disrupting ingredients you want to avoid 👀.
Keeping Your Silk Press Moisturized
Nadine Ruwa keeps her silk press moisturized by applying a pea size amount of leave-in conditioner to the ends of your hair, followed by jojoba oil–which can be applied to your scalp as well with less frequency. She does this at night, right before wrapping, allowing the hair to set overnight.
Alternatively, a silky silk press can be kept moisturized simply by wrapping it at night–no extra products!
Working out with a silk press
Working out with straight hair was one of the big concerns for me, as I work out six times a week and SWEAT my arse off in the process. (Thanks Jillian Michaels). However, LA Pilates instructor Mo Jo, who appears to usually have her hair straightened, managed to keep her hair straight after five workouts in one week. Here’s what she does:
- Puts her hair in two buns (I prefer to use hair ties vs pins)
- Uses a wicking head band that TIES
- Keeps the head band on till her hair is dry
Here are the tools and products needed to do and maintain your silk press. These recommendations are based on products that came up repeatedly online and advice from our stylists.
Tools
- Blow dryer: I use a Twin Turbo 3200, recommended by one of our stylists. If frizz is a big concern and you’re in the market for a new dryer, you may want to go with an ionic dryer.
- Thermal hat for deep conditioning
- Flat iron:
- Hair net: Perfect for wrapping and securing long hair at night.
- Sweat wicking headband that ties for workouts. I got this Nike one even though I don’t like the big logo on it. I’m also trying this unbranded one that’s cheaper.
- Ionic paddle brush and a round brush and/or…
- … a blow dry brush: a great alternative if handling a blow-dryer and brush simultaneously is tricky. I got this set. For wet hair, I start with a tension blow-dry (no brush or comb) before using attachments. Then I use the paddle brush on already stretched hair. And then go in with the round brush for more refinement.
Products
- Strengthener:
- Many people swear by Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector for strengthening hair before applying heat. However, it has a “poor” rating on Yuka (which rates product ingredients for health concerns).
- I’ve used Olaplex once and it seemed to work great. But I’m going to try BONDIBOOST Rapid Repair Bond Builder + Hair Mask next time. It costs the same and has a “good” Yuka rating.
- Your favorite moisturizing shampoo
- And your favorite deep conditioner and leave-in conditioner
- Heat protectant
While I’m not recommending specific shampoos and conditioners, I do suggest sticking with products that work for you. Just be sure to check the ingredients! And note that mixing and matching brands isn’t always ideal since they’re often formulated to work as a pair.
Final Thoughts
That’s it! If you’ve made it this far, congratulations—this was a beast to write, so I hope you found it helpful.
Before picking up a flat iron, I strongly recommend reflecting on how you feel about your hair texture and consider whether straightening aligns with your lifestyle.
I’ll be sharing my journey into Straight Natural Land as I go, so watch this space. If you want to share your thoughts, chat with us on IG! Watch me get my first silk press!
