Can you style your hair with heat without damaging your hair?
There are studies coming out stating that styling with heat isn’t quite as damaging as people once thought because there are so many products out there that help with heat styling protection. Read further to see 7 tips for styling with heat to prevent damaged hair.
While some still choose not to heat style, for those of you who can’t seem to stay away from it, know that it’s not just about the products you’re using to protect your hair from the heat, but also about the products you use in the shower, and after you heat style.
There are many different factors that play into hair being damaged by heat. Take a look at these tips for keeping your hair healthy.
1. Use Proper Hair Styling Tools
Your hair styling tools don’t have to cost so much you need to remortgage your house or move into a cheaper apartment, but you should look for tools that have basic features. Most hair care professionals worth their weight in gold would agree.
You need to look for tools that will offer different heat settings. The cheaper tools are only going to have one or two settings. Look for a blow-dryer that has three or more settings, a straightener with a range of numbers as settings, and a curling iron that also has a range of numbers as a setting.
Check to see if your tool displays the heating temperature. For example, some hair irons are able to be dialed to a variety of heat settings, from 175 degrees Fahrenheit to almost 400.
The 400 degree Fahrenheit setting is going to be too high for personal use by someone who is not a stylist. You want to stick with 250 degrees and below if you’re not a professional.
If you can afford it, then you want to purchase a blow-dryer from a professional beauty supply center. Professional dryers have a stronger air flower and a lot more power. Choose a dryer that has a nozzle attachment to hone in the air flow and a diffuser to help distribute the heat more evenly.
2. Know Your Hair Type
When you choose a heat setting on your blow-dryer, curling iron, or your straight iron, you should consider how thick your hair is. The finer your hair is, the lower you want the temperature to be. For example, someone who has baby fine hair needs to use the lowest setting possible on their device.
That doesn’t mean that someone who has thick hair should be putting their blow-dryer to its highest setting. Professionals rarely use a very high setting of heat.
Before you purchase a flat iron or a curling iron, you should take your hair’s natural texture into consideration. It’s better to work with your hair’s natural texture rather than work against it.
3. Protect Your Hair from the Heat
There are many hair products out there to protect your hair from curling irons, dryers, or flat irons. Many of these products use silicone as a protective coating for your strands. When it comes to causing damage, the straight or curling irons are the worst for your hair. To protect your hair while you’re styling, you should work quickly. This helps cut down on the frizz and damage caused by the styling.
If you’re using a curling iron or a straight iron, you shouldn’t use it for more than three to four seconds per section of hair.
4. Study Styling Techniques
Look around for some professional advice because it doesn’t hurt to learn from the pros. Ask your stylist to go over how they just styled your hair, even if you did it yourself for years upon years. You might still learn something new.
The stylist might be able to show you a shortcut, or a newer technique. Set up a separate appointment or ask them in advance for some extra time at the next visit. That will give your stylist some time to show you how they make your hair look gorgeous.
5. Prepare Your Hair before You Style
One of the most important steps to styling your hair are the steps you take before you even begin styling. I’m talking about conditioning and moisturizing your hair on a deep level in order to strengthen your hair. This will ensure that your hair cuticles are closed and coated for a smoother, healthier look.
This also helps moisture stay in your hair while you style. Before you use heated tools on your hair, you should deep condition with a product that will strengthen the natural proteins of your hair, such as mayonnaise. You can also use a coconut oil mask to prevent damage.
6. Heat Protectant
If you insist on heat styling your hair, then you need to use a silicone based hair product to protect it. Heat protectant will create a barrier between your hair and the heat you’re exposing it to, protecting it from drying out. Silicone coating the hair will prevent the moisture from leaving the hair shaft. This will prevent dehydration; however, it also keeps moisture from being absorbed by your hair, so moisturize with a light moisturizer before you use a heat protectant.
7. Work Fast and Don’t Style with Heat Often
The best way to protect your hair from damage due to heat exposure to not use heat to style your hair, but if this can’t be avoided, you should work quickly. Anything in excess is bad for your hair, and heat is not an exception to this rule.
You shouldn’t use direct heat on your natural hair more than once a week. Start with a small amount of heat to see how your hair reacts, or only use the medium or low setting when you’re styling.
It’s not that you can’t use heat at all when you style, but you should be aware of how much damage it might be causing. Listen to your hair. When it’s so frizzy you can’t tame it, then you may need to lay off the heat styling for a bit – as usual a bit of preparation goes along way towards healthy hair in the long run.