In a world with a million options, various styling utensils have come in and out of style. From straighteners to curling irons, blow dryers, crimpers, and more… they all have one thing in common. Heat. They provide us the versatility to change our hairstyle but come with a side effect to the convenience. Protecting your hair from heat is an important step in haircare and can ensure your hair stays healthy, shiny, and moisturized. Constant exposure to heat can cause dryness, breakage, and split ends, but with the help of a few easy steps you can use your tools and protect your hair at the same time.
Adding a heat protectant to your hair routine is one of the most important steps to protecting your hair from heat. Heat protectants create a barrier between your hair and the heat being applied, ensuring the heat doesn’t cause as much damage. The spray works by not allowing the heat to penetrate the hair, which helps avoid damage and retain moisture.
Silicone and Keratin are some of the most common ingredients in heat protectants and will offer the most protection to your hair. According to TheCut.com, “Heat protectants create a barrier or film around the surface of the hair, known as the cuticle — they’re essentially a shield between your heat styling tool and the hair,” and “these barriers are usually made from polymers, silicones, and even hydrolyzed wheat protein.”
Investing in the right product for your hair will save you from dull, broken hair. Many protectants are made of other ingredients that will provide benefits to your hair like hydration, uv protection, and frizz control. When it comes to using protectants, a motto of better safe than sorry will be your guidepost.
Ensuring you use your styling tools in the right setting is crucial to protecting your hair from heat damage. Check out each tool individually for specifics, but TheCut.com says that “exposing your hair to any temperature above 392 degrees Fahrenheit will cause permanent damage if you aren’t using a heat protectant. (For reference, blow dryers typically run at about 120 to 140 degrees, flat irons at about 300 to 450 degrees, and curling irons at about 200 to 400 degrees”.
Depending on your type of hair, the recommendations can change too –
A lower temperature setting is recommended for finer hair as it is more susceptible to heat damage. Making sure to turn it on to about 250 or 300 degrees max will help preserve the health of your hair.
300-375 degrees is recommended for medium/normal hair. This will allow you to style your hair without excessive damage.
Higher temperatures, like 400 degrees and beyond, are often needed for thicker hair types. It is often recommended that one never exceed 400 degrees, but if necessary, one should limit the frequency of use and use a protectant spray to cover one’s bases.
The recommendation no one wants to hear is that limiting the frequency with which you use hot tools can be extremely beneficial to protecting your hair from heat damage. The less you use the products, the less damage you will get. It’s not realistic to expect yourself never to use the products, but picking and choosing the right time to do so will save your hair in the long run.
Instead of reaching for the blow dryer after you shower, let your hair air dry and skip that step. It saves your hair from unnecessary heat exposure. You can use additional products if you need to control frizz or add shine during the drying process.
Find a way to style curls without using heat. From rollers to towels, research which product might work best for your hair type. Being able to effortlessly style your hair each morning will save you time and hair damage.
Braids, buns, ponytails, and twists can provide you with easy hairstyles that don’t require hot tools to do. Plus, they take the work out of styling giving you time back for anything your heart desires.
What you use in your hair is important. The first step to having happy and healthy hair is avoiding products with certain chemicals that will harm your hair more than help it. When shopping for shampoos, conditioners, and styling products, some chemicals to avoid are sulfates and synthetic fragrances.
Hydrating and conditioning your hair is just as important of a step as shampooing. Finding and using the right conditioner is the first step, but finding the right products to keep your hair soft and healthy while avoiding heat can be hard to do. Just find what works for you!
