DIY: The Cost of Silk-Pressed Hair
Silk Press Hair straightening is as old as ancient civilization, where people heated combs and tools to "iron" their hair flat. It was prevalent in Egypt. Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, different cultures adopted various techniques to achieve the "straight look," as my mom would say: to get the hair "bone straight." The hair-straightening process evolved over time to become more efficient, and less damaging to the hair due to heat applied to straighten it, as well as the tools used to achieve the straight look. Chemical hair relaxers were popular for women with curly hair patterns. After the hair was chemically relaxed, it was straightened with a metal pressing comb placed on an open burner to heat the tool, then combed through the hair to give it a finished appearance. When non-Black women with straight hair during mid-20 th century wanted straighter hair, they used a clothes iron to straighten their hair to achieve a polished and wel...