10 Tips on How to Get Soft, Silky Hair
Regardless of your hair type or concern, we’re all striving to figure out how to get silky hair that’s soft to the touch.
The good news is that supple, shiny hair is entirely achievable – even outside of the salon chair. With a few lifestyle adjustments and a hair care overhaul, you can reclaim silky and soft hair and leave lacklustre locks behind.
So, how do you make hair silky-soft?
Below, you’ll find our expert tips on how to get silky hair. Combining simple lifestyle shifts with our top products and ranges for soft hair – including our Gloss Absolu collection – we’ll walk you through 10 key strategies designed to help you achieve that soft, silky result.
What is silky hair?
Silky hair describes how your hair feels – smooth, soft, and even through the lengths.
When your hair starts to look dull, dryness is usually behind it. Colouring, heat styling, over-washing, and climate gradually take their toll, leaving your lengths dry and rough.
Using nourishing products for soft hair helps bring hydration back into the lengths, so your hair becomes easier to manage and takes on a softer, silky feel.
How to get soft hair: 10 silky hair tips
Learning how to make your hair silky comes down to how consistently you care for it. The right routine – and the right products – helps reduce dryness, limit damage, and prevent build-up from weighing your hair down.
Below, we’ve outlined 10 tips on how to get silky hair that you can easily integrate into your lifestyle.
1. Switch to a sulfate-free shampoo that's right for your hair type
Sulfates are cleansing agents used in many shampoos to remove oil, dirt, and product build-up quickly and effectively. They’re what create that rich, foamy lather, but because they cleanse so thoroughly, they can also remove the moisture your hair needs to stay soft – leaving it feeling dry, rough, and far from silky.
Because of this, we suggest starting with a sulfate-free formula – then matching it to your hair type. Fine hair builds up oil easily, while thicker or textured hair is prone to dryness, so each requires a different approach to cleansing.
If you have:
• Fine to medium hair: Gloss Absolu Hydra-Glaze Illuminating Shampoo uses a lightweight, high-foaming gel texture to lift sweat, oil, and residue while keeping hair light.
• Thick or frizzy hair: Gloss Absolu Crème Hydra-Glaze Shampoo uses a cream-based formula to remove build-up while maintaining moisture through your lengths.
Not sure what your hair needs? Take our online hair quiz for a personalised diagnosis and tailored products for silky hair.
2. Follow with a hydrating conditioner
If you want to know how to achieve silky-smooth hair, your conditioner is one of the most important steps. This is where you start to change how the hair feels through the mid-lengths and ends – and our Gloss Absolu Insta Glaze Conditioner is the perfect place to start.
Formulated with hyaluronic acid (to draw hydration into the hair), glycolic acid (to refine uneven texture) and wild rose oil (to smooth and soften the fibre), it leaves your hair feeling more even from root to tip.
If dryness is already a concern of yours, Nutritive Lait Vital Conditioner for Dry Hair offers a more tailored option. Its lipid- and vitamin-enriched formula works to hydrate and moisturise dry hair, helping restore softness where your lengths feel most depleted.
3. Adopt leave-in treatments and serums
Another effective way to support soft hair is by adding leave-in treatments, oils, and serums to your routine.
Elixir Ultime Refillable Hair Oil is ideal when your hair starts to feel dry through the lengths or frizzy at the surface. Work a few drops through your mid-lengths and ends to soften rough areas, smooth flyaways, and help your hair fall back into place with a polished finish.
If your hair needs more overnight nourishment, introduce Nutritive Magic 8H Night Serum. Designed for all types of dry hair, it contains iris root extract, niacinamide, and a blend of five vitamins to help support hydration levels while you sleep.
4. Get an in-salon treatment
If you want to take your results further – or your hair feels especially dry through the lengths – an in-salon treatment can help support your at-home routine.
Our Glaze Gloss service from our in-salon services uses Hydra-Glazing technology to push hydration into your lengths and help it stay there, reducing dry, uneven sections. It is a targeted solution when your hair needs more than day-to-day maintenance can deliver, or when you want extra-silky hair ahead of a special occasion.
Let our professionals show you how to get silky hair. Use our interactive salon locator to find your nearest Kérastase salon.
5. Use weekly hair masks for deep nourishment
Your ends are the most prone to dryness. That’s because they’re older and receive less of your scalp’s natural oils, which is why they often feel rough first.
This is where a weekly hair mask comes in. As a targeted product for soft hair, it delivers hydration back into your ends, where it’s needed most.
If you have:
• Fine to medium hair: Nutritive Masquintense for Dry Hair is a lightweight mask with lipids, vitamins, and niacinamide to hydrate your ends without overloading your hair with product.
• Medium to thick hair: Nutritive Masquintense Riche for Very Dry Hair uses the same nourishing ingredients at a higher concentration, so it can deliver enough moisture to penetrate thicker strands and fully hydrate your lengths.
• Frizzy and curly hair: Gloss Absolu Crème Hydra-Glaze Mask helps curls retain hydration: keeping their shape, without expanding, to leave bouncy, silky hair.
6. Always use a heat protectant
Excessive heat styling can be the enemy of silky hair, making heat protecting products essential to help reduce and fix heat-damaged hair.
To prevent heat damage, use Gloss Absolu Anti-Frizz Glaze Milk All-In-1 Spray. It protects your hair up to 230°C while helping control frizz and humidity. The fast-absorbing milky formula adds hydration through the lengths, too, so you’re left with silky-soft hair after styling.
7. Don't over-wash your hair
It feels undeniably luxurious to start the day with freshly washed, soft hair. But over-washing can remove your hair’s natural oils, creating unwanted dryness and brittleness.
So, how often should you wash your hair?
While the exact answer depends on your hair type – and your hair’s other unique needs – aim to wash your locks between two and three times per week. In between, use our Fresh Affair Refreshing Dry Shampoo. Its lightweight formula absorbs excess oil at the root, extending time between washes without compromising on that silky, freshly washed feel.
8. Use a silk or satin pillowcase
Silk or satin pillowcases are a simple addition to your routine if you want to know how to make hair silky soft with less daily effort.
• Unlike standard cotton, silk or satin absorbs less moisture, which helps preserve the natural hydration in your hair.
• The gentle fabric reduces friction against the hair. This not only reduces hair breakage – it also minimises frizz and keeps your locks looking smooth.
9. Seek regular trims
Leave too long between trims and your hair can start to look heavy and dull.
Split ends are usually the first sign, and – if you ignore them – they can travel up the lengths and lead to breakage. To avoid this, trim your hair every six to eight weeks to remove split ends and keep your hair soft and silky.
10. Impart lasting softness with a hair perfume
Gloss Absolu Le Parfum Hair Perfume is one of our foremost products for soft hair, designed for use throughout the day. As the final step in your silky hair routine, it captures the signature scent of the Gloss Absolu collection, refreshing your lengths with a mesmerising citrus-floral fragrance. Light enough to slip into your handbag, it’s made for easy on-the-go touch-ups – wherever you are in the world.
Now that you know how to achieve silky-smooth hair, turn your attention to the finishing touches – next, discover how to get glossy, shiny hair.
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