Have Smooth and Silky Hair
You can have silky smooth hair if you use the right techniques for taking care of your hair and styling it after shampooing. Start with products that keep your hair soft, rather than stripping away its natural oils. Style your hair in a way that helps it stay strong instead of breaking or becoming brittle and frizzy. On special occasions you can make it extra silky using a hair dryer or straightening iron.
Contents
Steps
General Care
- Use cold water when you wash your hair. It might be hard to wash your hair in ice-cold water, but if you want silky, smooth hair, make it as chilly as you can take. Cold water helps the hair shaft lie flat, so when it dries it has a smooth, shiny appearance. Hot water has the opposite effect, creating frizz and drying out your hair.
- If you can’t stand the thought of taking a cold shower, take a shower using warm water and wash your hair separately.
- Wash your hair a few times a week, not every day. In order for your hair to stay soft and smooth, it needs the natural conditioning of sebum, the oil that your scalp produces to keep your hair strong. If you wash your hair every day, you rinse away this nourishing oil before it ever gets the chance to soften your hair. Washing your hair every day will eventually make it feel dry and coarse instead of smooth and silky.
- Find the washing routine that’s right for you. Some people do it two or three times a week, while others wash every other day if their hair is especially oily.
- In between washings, dry shampoo to keep your hair looking fresh.
- Wash with sulfate-free shampoo. Sulfates are found in many cleansers, including dishwashing detergent, laundry detergent, and more. Sulfates are effective and washing away oil and grease, but using this ingredient on your hair can be too harsh and damaging. Look for sulfate-free shampoo that will cleanse your hair without stripping away its protective oils.
- Use a moisturizing conditioner. Conditioner helps hair stay smooth and silky by moisturizing it and keeping it tangle-free. Look for a conditioner that will keep your hair smooth without weighing it down. Silicone-free conditioner is best, since silicones build up in your hair and cause it to look dull after awhile.
- Leave-in conditioners are great for hair that tends to be dry or coarse. Since you don’t rinse them out, they add an extra layer of protection against dry air and humidity that can cause your hair to frizz up.
- Use a wide-toothed comb when your hair is wet. Gently combing your hair instead of brushing it while it’s wet will prevent it from getting broken and damaged. Hair is fragile when it’s wet, and using a wide-toothed comb allows you to detangle it without causing problems. Start near the tips and work your way up to the roots so you don’t pull out any hair.
- Use a boar bristle brush when your hair is dry. This type of brush is made using natural bristles that are similar to the texture of human hair. It’s used to pull sebum from the scalp down to the tips of the hair, so that the entire length of hair gets its nourishing benefits. Brushing your hair using a boar bristle brush is as effective as a deep conditioning treatment in helping your hair feel soft and silky.
- However, don’t brush your hair when it’s wet, since this can cause it to break.
- Only use a boar bristle brush, or another one designed specifically to distribute your natural oils. Plastic-bristled brushes don’t work the same way, and they can damage your hair.
Deep Conditioning
- Use anti-frizz serum. This product is sold in drugstores and is an effective way to keep frizz at bay if your hair tends to be dry and coarse. Smooth some in after taking a shower, or apply it while your hair is dry if it frizzes up during the day.
- Try argan oil. This oil is made from a tree that grows in Morocco. It has been found to have restorative properties that help hair stay smooth, strong and healthy. It’s so lightweight that you can apply it to your hair as a leave-in conditioner. Just smooth a little into your hair, focusing on the tips, while your hair is still damp after shampooing.
- There’s no need to apply as much oil to the roots area, since this part of your hair will naturally get oily faster than the rest of your hair.
- Do a coconut oil treatment. Once a week, try this treatment to get soft, smooth, shiny hair. Take a tablespoon or so of coconut oil and comb it into your hair from the roots to the tips, making sure every strand is covered. Cover your hair with a shower cap or a piece of plastic wrap and let the oil sit in your hair for an hour or overnight. Shampoo your hair two or three times to rinse out all of the oil. When your hair dries, you’ll be impressed with the results.
- Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so you may have to warm it up before applying.
- Use unrefined coconut oil, rather than refined coconut oil, since it is better suited to cosmetic use.
- Condition it with olive oil. Comb a tablespoon of olive oil through your hair, then cover your hair with a shower cap or piece of plastic wrap. Let it soak into your hair for an hour, then remove the cap and shampoo your hair two or three times to rinse out the oil. Dry your hair as usual.
- Do an egg white hair mask. This makes a great stand-in for conditioner, and will instantly create a softer, shinier look. Separate two eggs and whisk the whites in a bowl. In the shower, wet your hair and apply the egg whites, making sure to comb it through from the roots to the tips. Let it sit while you do everything else you need to do in the shower, then shampoo your hair to rinse it out.
- Try a honey banana hair mask. Honey brightens, smooths and softens hair, and banana adds some moisture. Mash up a banana with a tablespoon of honey. In the shower, wet your hair and comb the honey banana mask through from the roots to the tips. Let it sit in your hair while you take your shower, then shampoo your hair to rinse it out.
- Use a store-bought deep conditioner. Look for a deep conditioner that contains nourishing oils and is silicone-free, so your hair doesn’t end up feeling weighted down. Apply it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Deep conditioning once a week will help your hair look shiny and smooth.
For Best Results
- Blow out your hair. Applying heat to your hair can create a soft, silky effect. Use a round brush to brush out small sections of hair, starting at the roots and slowly brushing down to the tips. Angle the hair dryer at the section of hair as you brush it out. Repeat several times until the section is dry, then move on to the next one.
- Using a heat protectant product will help ensure your hair looks smooth and silky.
- Don’t blow your hair out every single day, since it will eventually get dry and brittle. Save it for special occasions.
- Use a straightening iron. For super smooth, silky hair, consider straightening it. First blow out your hair, then heat up a straightening iron and straighten it section by section. Make sure each section is combed out before using the iron.
- Doing this too often is damaging to hair, so save it for when you want the smoothest hair possible.
- You may also want to consider getting your hair professionally straightened. Look into permanent treatments offered by salons in your area.
- Get regular trims. Trimming off the dry, coarse ends of your hair will keep your overall look lighter, smoother and softer. Get a trim every four months or so to keep your hair maintained and smooth-looking.
- Get a professional deep conditioning treatment. Many salons offer professional conditioning treatments. The treatments are composed of special oils and other ingredients that penetrate the hair and leave it silky for days to come. A good coconut oil deep conditioning treatment has similar effects, but if you prefer professional treatment, ask about it at your local salon.
Tips
- Don't use heat on your hair too much. It can damage your hair.
- Rinse hair with cold water for smoother hair.
- Don't tie your hair too tightly.
- Don't wash your hair daily: it will decrease the moisture so that your hair will become dry and rough.
- At first use a comb and then a brush.
- Try not to touch your hair to much for this could cause frizziness also. Let your hair shine naturally!
- Try a wood comb and not a plastic one to avoid frizz and split ends.
- Wash your hair every third day for reduced frizziness.
- Don't braid your hair while you sleep, hair like your face needs to breathe. It also makes your hair wavy and frizzy.
- Leave your hair over a silk pillow cover while you sleep to avoid frizz and make it shine.
- Try using buffalo s bone comb as it is best for your hair and apply 100 strokes of it to your hair for healthy and shiny locks!
Warnings
- Don't wash your hair too often. It will lose its natural oils.
