Reader Question: HELP! My Pressed Hair Never Stays Straight!

"You had a picture wearing purple with another young lady and I love how straight your hair was. I usually like to wear my hair pressed straight for the winter because it is easier to retain length and I was wondering how you managed to get your hair so straight. I am never able to get my hair that straight and besides that it is always stiff and poofs up easily, any advice would help"

Get the hair clean. I recommend clarifying [then following up with a moisturizing poo of course]: You want the hair to be as clean as possible, as any dirt, film, or residue left on the hair will cause your strands to lack body and shine. Buildup is also the culprit behind stiff, dry hair.

Rinse out the conditioner WELL. You spent all that time making sure your hair was clean, pay equal attention to ensuring you have rinsed your conditioner out thoroughly. Any conditioner left on your hair will coat the strands with a waxy film and shorten the "life-span" of your freshly pressed tresses.

Places to pay close attention to: The nape area, the crown, and the area slightly behind your temple.

Detangle thoroughly: Pressing hair that is matted/knotted and/or tangled not only causes unnecessary hair loss, but it also takes away from your desired results. Hair that is detangled well before pressing is sleeker and shiner because you didn't subject your strands to excess mechanical manipulation by continuously raking a pressing comb through your hair.

Cool shot after blow-drying: Utilizing the blue or cool button after blow-drying will seal the cuticles making your hair shiny and easier to manage.

Use the right pressing comb for your hair type: This is important to ensure you get an even press without having to pass the pressing comb through your hair more than necessary [I usually do two passes]. Finer hair requires a pressing comb with teeth that are closer together, and thicker hair requires a comb with teeth that are spaced further apart.

• Coarse thick hair with regular density? Try this comb
• Coarse thin hair with regular density? Try this comb
• Coarse thin hair with a heavier density? Try this comb
• Coarse thick hair with heavier density? Try this comb

When pressing the hairline and nape area; use a pressing comb suitable for the texture/density of the hair. Kizure also makes a temple pressing comb specifically for those areas. The teeth are very close together ensuring you get an even press.

Temper the comb well: Probably one of the single most important pieces of information to remember. Tempering the comb ensures that your comb will hold the required amount of heat and will hold it evenly. This is important as combs that are unable to hold heat will have a hard time getting your hair straight. This usually results to you placing your comb back on the heat source for more heat. - It isn't that you need more heat, you need your comb to retain the heat and it needs to be distributed evenly along the comb so that your roots are just as straight as your ends.

You only need to temper a comb once. To do so, place the comb on a heat source [either the stove or the hair oven] for about 6-8 hours. If you use Kizure irons/combs they are pre-tempered so it saves you the hassle.


If the comb is smoking, there is an issue: Steam is ok, smoke isn't. Smoke usually signifies a pressing comb that hasn't been cleaned thoroughly or hair that has excess product residue. Pressing your hair with a dirty pressing comb or hair that is filled with product residue will not only cause your hair to have that "pressing comb odor" but will also take away from the finished look. Your hair may appear dull, stiff or lack body.

Do not add oil: Oil can really be your arch nemesis to free flowing hair filled with body and shine. If you are looking for moisture, you can opt for using a leave-in conditioner. If you are looking for shine; making sure your hair is completely clean, rinsing out conditioner with cold water and using a cool shot after blow-drying helps out immensely for increasing that shine factor. Tried all of the above but you still lack shine? Try a clear cellophane treatment or even a shine serum for instant gratification.

One inch sections: Ensuring that you get a nice even press means starting off with workable sections. I press sections of hair no bigger than one inch. While it may take longer using smaller sections, it extends the life of your press by lowering the chance of reversion.

Clean combs after each use: Pressing clean hair with dirty combs not only transfers residue to your strands, but it can also leave a very distinct smell behind that is hard to remove without shampooing. If you have shampooed your hair thoroughly and properly cleansed your combs, there should be no smell left behind on your tresses after pressing.


Want more tips? Check out these related posts!
The Secrets To Bouncy, Swingin' Pressed Hair
Details: My Straight Hair Regimen

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