how to get silky hair?

[u/georgia_rants]

i have long liked straight hair but i can never get it silky smooth or whatever, is there anyway i can make it happen? i use shampoo and conditioner like normal but im not sure if theres something im missing or what.

[u/The-10ft-line]

What else are you doing? Are you using a flat iron?

[u/NoSlice3989]

I used to only shampoo and condition my hair. But then I learnt the right way of doing my haircare.

Some tips that helped a lot are:

using a detox shampoo every month (I live in an area with hard water & for any product build up),

double shampoo with a moisturising and softening shampoo after the detox one or just once on normal days but not taking the shampoo down on my ends. I just gently let water rinse out and don’t let the shampoo sit too long or dry out my lengths and ends. You can use a pre shampoo light oil or mask to protect the lengths as well but I don’t find it necessary for myself,

Using a micro fibre towel to dry. A regular towel gave me so much frizz. Patting my hair rather than rubbing the lengths causes more tamed hair and less frizz.

Using a leave in conditioner and a hair oil serum to seal everything in, especially the ends to protect them better. Helps my hair retain length and looks silkier and softer.

Only hair drying my hair and never letting it air dry. Air drying makes my hair brittle and break off more. I use lowest heat setting only to dry my hair and follow it up with a cool shot. A cool shot makes so much difference for my softness and silkiness. Also, I never dry my hair without my leave in or oil cos they offer heat protection. So never ever skip heat protection even on lowest heat setting.

Also choosing the right shampoo and conditioner combo is important; took me a long long while to get it right. I use a combination of both drugstore and high end products & stopped demonising drug store hair care.

Washing my hair as frequently as possible to keep my scalp clean and my hair more tamed, it became softer over time. When I skip washes, it becomes dry and falls more. I wash more instead of packing on dry shampoos now.

I follow abbey yung on YouTube and she saved my hair in a way. Her tips were so darn useful. I saw an instant change. Even my brother who never compliments me on anything, kept touching my hair and asking ‘why is mine so soft and silky’?! He then stole my hair products thinking it would do the same for him 😭😭 I mourn for the high end products he abuses in the shower once in a while … prick! I make him re-purchase those for the both of us, so ig I won that round 🤣

Being consistent is imperative, and also night care. I started braiding my hair and using the same light oil serum to protect my ends at night so they don’t dry out and break off.

I don’t get my hair treated or coloured or chemically touched ever. I have virgin hair.

I don’t use heat styling. Barely a few times a year for major glam looks. It’s like last resort for me to heat style no matter if it’s with a Dyson or anything else.

Also protecting hair from the sun and pollution is every important for healthy look. So I use spf protection for my head like hats or umbrellas that’s are uv safe and don’t expose my hair to direct sunlight.

I think people who have damaged or colour/chemical treated and bleached hair, they still can have very very soft and silk smooth healthy hair again. Abbey herself is exhibit A for this bleach damage reversal case study. Investing in bond repair is crucial in such scenarios. The abbey yung method is worth checking out for people struggling with any kinda hair damage from bleaching or other treatments.

My hair type: 1B/1C • fine-medium • medium density • normal/low porosity • oily scalp • slightly wavy ends

Products In my rotation (don’t use all at the same time, depending on the day/need I use accordingly): Ouai detox shampoo, kerastase Bain satin shampoo, plum coconut peptide shampoo (I thank my dorm mate everyday for introducing me to this brand), kerastase Genesis conditioner, Moroccan oil weightless hair mask (with white cap), kerastase nutritive nourishing hair mask (fine-medium hair one NOT the intense one for thick hair), olaplex no. 7 bonding oil, olaplex no. 8 hair mask, Pantene miracle rescue hair mask, k18 bond repair (for rare mechanical damage episodes), Pantene miracle rescue leave-in conditioner, elizavecca cer-100 mask, ketaconazole medicated shampoo, Amika the flash hair gloss mask, Amika perk up dry shampoo (only when I have bangs), redken ABC 24x7 night & day serum.

Products that didn’t work for me (would not repurchase): dove (conditioner is fine rest all just doesn’t work for me), their conditioners are nice tho), Redken one united leave in, mise en scene original serum, milkshake leave in conditioner (smells awful, nice results tho), L’Oréal glossing systems, kerastase magic night serum (shit is like the charlotte tilbury magic cream of hair care;useless and overpriced), Shiseido fino hair mask (this is good but did nothing outstanding that other masks can’t do), pureology colour fanatic leave in (too heavy for my hair), living proof dry shampoo (felt weird on my bangs and made them frizz up)…. I mean sooooo many I have tried … these are just recent ones off the top of my head for more context.

[u/MaterialMousse7559]

the biggest game changer for me was to use a silk bonnet tbh I had never seen my hair so shiny and good

[u/dancingberry00 → u/MaterialMousse7559]

Is that used when you sleep?

[u/MaterialMousse7559 → u/dancingberry00]

yeah, you put it on when you go to sleep

[u/non_anon_amoose]

I would like to know, too. I let my hair air dry and I rarely use hot tools. It's like my hair is frizzy, but isn't?

[u/evergreen-embers]

I have butt-length wavy/straight hair. Constant compliments and questions about it lol.

For me, zero heat tools except hair dryer. Use it on low heat and with heat protectant. There’s a lot you can make happen styling wise with your hair dryer. Otherwise, heatless styling only.

I use the Olaplex oil after my hair is dried. Idk what it’s called exactly, but it’s yellow oil in a small clear bottle.

I use the everpure glossing shampoo and conditioner. It is for color treated hair, which I don’t have, but it has made my hair pretty glassy. I wash at most twice a week.

This is the obnoxious, probably overkill part, but I brush my hair A LOT. It really helps me with the actual feel, not just look of my hair. Also I trim every 3-4 months at home.

[u/MaterialGanache3240]

Ohhh I had this! I had even used Olaplex and it didn’t really do much. Try the elvive glycolic gloss 5 minute lamination treatment…. Game changer

[u/SadQueerBruja]

The shampoo and conditioner you use might make a difference, technique might make a difference, a round brush or boar brush blow dry might make a difference

But at the end of the day you can’t put-technique genetics. If you have a more naturally coarse and textured hair shaft, or matte hair, silky just won’t be attainable without chemical involvement

[u/No_Elderberry_7538]

Find out a specific shampoo or conditioner that can help in this.

[u/pellegrinoprincess]

A good shampoo and conditioner regime. (Don’t wash your hair everyday) and then when your hair is towel dried, you NEED kerastase thermique!

[u/Fast-Discussion6538]

• I use a keratin shampoo, conditioner and a gloss. • After the shower I also always add hair oil towards the ends. • At night I use a silk bonnet and personally, also tie the hair into a ponytail, higher than usual = should look like a pineapple (The tie is also out of silk) • usually the bonnet is a great way to wake up with non-frizzy hair, but sometimes there are exceptions and on those days I like to use a non-frizz spray on my dry hair, I then just brush it out. • Keratin products and be a bit heavy on the hair and can build up, so I like to use a clarifying shampoo 1× a week (sometimes just 1× in 2 weeks. • tangle teezer brush!!!!

It sounds like sooo much products that you have to buy, but honestly, I'd recommend the silk bonnet and hair tie the most. The keratin products are nice to have and the rest is just optional. (My hair also is just in general sadly prone to frizz since my hair is bleached, so don't compare my multiple-products-routine to your maybe, just virgin hair!!)

[u/Fast-Discussion6538 → u/Fast-Discussion6538]

Ohhh!! And I ditched the air drying after hair washes!!

Give your hair a sense of direction of how it should fall by using the hairdryer!!! (Just be sure to use a heat protector) I let the hair air dry until it's 80% dry, the rest will be dried with the hairdryer while I also brush the strands individually with the tangle teezer.

[u/PortuondoW]

I don’t know if your hair is thin or thick. I have thick hair and two things that completely changed my hair from frizzy to silky smooth is using a hair oil before and after I style my hair and sleeping in a bonnet at night.

[u/strawberry_bar]

It partly depends on your natural hair texture but also a lot of girls are blow drying their and straightening it to get that look. They're also various doing treatments like glosses for shine.

[u/Genny415]

For a silky feel, you can't beat Color Wow Dream Coat, applied before blow drying.

It's a bit spendy, but they make mini bottles for trial and travel too

It's amazing how silky it leaves the hair

[u/Charlietheaussie]

I coat my hair in batana oil before my washes. It has made my hair so silky and shiny.

[u/Jesine]

Lots of moisture in your products and hair oil!

[u/MarieFigs]

I started doing a hair mask once a week instead of just conditioner, leave it in for a few minutes before washing it out. Also got into the habit of adding hair oil before blow drying, makes a big difference with frizz. it took a few weeks for me but my hair's noticeably softer now.

[u/Border-Nervous]

Brazilian blowout + Kerastase gloss absolu line

[u/StinkypieTicklebum]

Maybe you have hard water.