Kayla Plush

“Straight hair is prettier on you,” and then, “You should do this more often because this looks better.” Those comments are worthy of pearl-clutching, side-eyeing, and every other ounce of shade in the world. Design CanvaPro.

Someone please buy me a first-class ticket to the North Pole. Could I then tell Santa I don’t want anything other than what I have from the silk press?

I love wintertime. There are so many things that happen within that time: my birthday, my mom’s birthday, holiday shopping, Christmas, seasonal drinks (like a gingerbread chai latte), gift-giving, and so much more. But one of the other things I semi-enjoy is the weather. 

Not the feeling of the coldness, but the aesthetic that comes with it. There’s the whole “Cold Girl Makeup” trend that’s going around, the heart-shaped earmuffs and brown Uggs that elevate every outfit, and then there’s the silk press. 

Recently, my older sister gave me a silk press. For those who don’t know, a silk press is “a non-chemical straightening service that is typically done on curly or coarse hair,” according to Mizani, a beauty brand).

I haven’t had a silk press since eighth grade, so I’m happy I have it.  I get to try so many different hairstyles with it, for example, braids, ponytails, buns, and more. Now, of course, I could do all this with my hair in its natural, curly state, but having straightened hair has made it much easier to accomplish these hairstyles. 

I find myself putting my hair in a brand-new hairstyle almost every day, now that I have the silk press. And of course, you could have a silk press in any other season., However, winter, for my hair texture, is the best. hen you have a silk press in the summer, you have to worry about the possibility of sweating out your straight hair and it converting back to its curly state. In the spring, you have to worry about the rain— trust me–, even if it’s just a few drops of rain that touches the ends, it’s more than enough to make your hair curl up again. 

During the winter, you’re more than likely already wearing a coat with a hood, so if there’s snow, you can always use that to prevent any precipitation from coming onto it. There’s no issue of heat to worry about. In addition, flat, straight hair means it’s easy to wear a hat. 

The only downside to a silk press is the possible backhanded “compliments.” And for anyone with curly hair who has gotten their hair straightened, you can smell them from a mile away..  

There’s the classic: “You look prettier with straight hair,” and then, “You should never wear your hair the way you used to because this looks better.” Those comments are worthy of pearl-clutching, side-eyeing, and every other ounce of shade in the world.

Thank God for actual compliments to combat the ones full of backhandedness though. For example, when I’m talking amongst other Black women, whether they are wearing their hair natural or not, they may flash a smile and say, “Where are you about to go?” or “Who are you trying to look cute for?” (When someone says either of these things it’s a way to give a compliment without actually giving one).

Whether you receive the compliment(s) or not, just know that your silk press looks good simply because you’re wearing it. It wouldn’t even look that good if it was on a mannequin. So as your hair sways in the breezy, chilly winds of winter, own it because there is no better season than winter to have a silk press. And to all the girls, who would prefer their natural hair, or wigs, rather than a silk press, you’re still just as pretty because any and every hairstyle looks good.

As Andy Williams sings in his 1963 hit song, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year… for a silk press.”