Felicia Mabuza-Suttle ditches the relaxer for a silk press

South African television legend Felicia Mabuza-Suttle has ditched her long-favoured relaxer for a new way to straighten her hair – the silk press.

The broadcasting doyenne, who has a new-found love for Twitter, showed off her afro after her recent transition back to natural hair and hailed the silk press for allowing her to alternate between the two styles easily.

What is a silk press?

According to Loreal Paris USA, a silk press is a hairstyling technique that uses a blow-dryer and flat iron to straighten your hair without a chemical relaxer as explained by Mabuza-Suttle.

Loreal Paris further explains that it involves applying less heat to your strands than other methods and therefore gives your hair movement, body, and a shiny finish without that “weighed down look” that a standard press and curl can provide.

Mabuza -Suttle also explained that her hairstylist had advised her to ditch her straightening iron.

Mabuza-Suttle is well known for rocking the hell out of short crop, something that she has done throughout her time in the limelight. She even referred to the style as her “trademark” in an exchange with a fan who commented on her love for the hairstyle.

How to get hair like Felicia Mabuza-Suttle

Loreal Paris shared a step-by-step guide to doing a silk press on natural hair and it goes as follows:

1. Start with clean hair, i.e.: wash your hair.
2. Use a leave-in conditioner
3. Apply your heat protectant
4. Part your hair into even sections and clip the sections that you will not be silk pressing out of the way.
5. Blow-dry your hair
6. Prep your hair for the silk press by dividing your hair into smaller sections. “Instead of leaving your hair as is, create a part that’s about an inch in size to ensure that the heat from your flat iron will be distributed evenly through your hair. Clip the rest of your hair out of the way.”
7. Press your hair. Remember to start as close to the root as possible without burning your scalp and, slowly flat iron your hair all the way to the ends to make each pass count.
8. Add a touch of hairspray and a moisturising mist.

The brand advises maintaining your silk press by protecting your hair at night by pin-curling it with bobby pins and covering your hair with a satin scarf. You should also stay away from heat, avoid water and using fewer hair products as too many products on the hair can weigh it down and change the look of a press. 

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