Tips to Maintain Your Press and Curl

Ever see a woman come back from the salon with a press-and-curl and her hair looked great? However, the following day her hair looked like a bird's nest? I've seen this happen far too often with women of all ages. Why spend the money to have your hair professionally pressed and curled and it last just one day? If you don't know how to keep your press-and-curl fresh, don't worry; there are ways to extend the life of your press-and-curl until your next weekly visit.

You Cannot be Lazy

A press-and-curl does not give you care-free hair. This means you cannot be lazy with it. You have to maintain it between your weekly visits. If you think you can go to sleep and wake up with those smooth bouncy curls without putting in any effort? Think again.

Protect Your Hair at Night

Your press-and-curl maintenance routine begins the same night your hair was styled. Each night you need to wrap your hair and cover it with a silk or silky scarf. Do not confuse this long used hair maintenance method with the "tween" craze that began a few years ago using embroidery floss. African-Americans have been maintaining their sleek hair styles for decades by wrapping their hair at night. This maintenance technique helps keep hair smooth and protected while sleeping.

If you don't know how to wrap your hair, you can do it in a few steps:

1. Using your comb, create a part from the hair line to the crown of your head. It is useful to create the part in the front if you plan to wear a center or side part hairstyle the following day.
2. Begin to comb your hair around your head in either a clockwise or counterclockwise motion.
3. Take a flat brush and smooth hair around the head. This smoothing method will help the hair lay flatter against the head. As you smooth, secure the wrap in place with either bobby pins or flat hair clips.
4. Tie a silk or silky (polyester or nylon) scarf around your hair. You may need to use a bobby pin or clip to secure the scarf so it does not slide off while you sleep.

Revive Your Curls in the Morning

After you "unwrap" your hair by combing it down, you can leave it as is in a straight and sleek style or you can revive the curl. You can do this by using a curling iron on a low heat setting. I prefer to roll hair in hot rollers for 15 to 30 minutes. The rollers will give a curl that has more body and bounce than the curling iron. Finger comb your curls so they maintain shape and volume.

It is not difficult to maintain your press-and-curl between weekly appointments. However, the most important step is to protect it at night by wrapping your hair and covering it with a silky scarf or doo rag. If you skip this important step you may wake up with a bird's nest instead of a sleek style.

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