Straightening irons, blow dryers and curling irons are just some culprits that cause heat damage to your hair. These tools are notorious for drying out hair cuticles and messing up the structure of proteins in your hair.
How can heat damage your hair? What can you do to prevent the damage and revive your hair's natural bounce?
How Does Heat Damage Happen to Hair?
Men and women can both develop heat-damaged hair by using hot tools. However, women with finer or thinner air are more prone to extreme damage.
Our hair is made up of a protein called keratin that protects and gives hair its natural strength. However, heat destroys keratin and dries out the hair. This results in brittle hair, that's dried and cracked.
How to Prevent Heat Damaged Hair
Here are some tips that can help you avoid damaging your hair and cause them to lose its natural shine.
- Try to Limit Putting Heat on Your Hair
It is possible to completely stop using any device that puts heat on your hair, however, for most, it's unavoidable. Blow drying has been a part of many people's lives. Some people are even addicted to using curling irons. However, if you can't totally avoid using heating devices, try to limit using them. When you do, make sure that you're using them at the lowest temperature. As a rule of thumb, never go beyond150 degrees C for blow dryers and 140 degrees C for irons.
Research also suggests that blow-drying using cold air is healthier. So if you find that you're not in a rush, choose to blow dry your hair using the "cool" mode on your device.
2. Protect Hair with Hair Protectant Serum or Spray
Prep your hair every time it's about to go under a hot tool. Heat protectorates or styling products designed to protect hair against high temperatures work by limiting heat conduction, but they still can't 100% protect your hair from extreme heat damages so still limit the use of heating devices.
3. Avoid Applying Heat on Wet Hair
Using hot tools directly on wet hair will destroy your hair because it's making the temperature hotter and your hair is more fragile when wet than it is dry. Heating hair, while it's wet, can be likened to cooking your hair.
Choose to air-dry your hair before heating it and make sure that as much as possible, you're not applying heat on damp hair.
How to Help Repair Heat Damaged Hair
Some signs of heat-damaged hair are:
- Split ends
- Dry and dull hair
- Frizzy strands
- Breakage
If you see some of these signs then it might be time to stop using your heating products and start reviving your crowning glory.
Here's how:
- Wash Hair Properly
Start in the shower. Focus on bringing back the nutrients into your hair and help it heal itself. To do this, you have to find a shampoo that isn't too hard on your hair, doesn't have chemicals that will do further damage, and will moisturize and keep your hair dandruff free. A good organic shampoo for dandruffwith argan oil should do the trick of keeping your hair moisturized, healthy and strong.
Use warm water and make sure that you massage the shampoo onto the fibers of your hair. Always rinse properly from roots to tips. Use a conditioner that will help moisturize your hair and make sure to remove every single product off of your head. Failing to do so can cause dandruff as a result.
2. Use Wide-Tooth Bristled Comb
If you're using a hairbrush to untangle your hair, it's time to switch to a wide-toothed comb that's less likely to cause friction and breakage.
Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid combing your hair wet. Wet hair is more likely to break, so wait until it's dry before you rake your comb through it.
3. Avoid Dyes
Damaged hair should not be exposed to chemicals like dyes and other intense treatments. Dyes and bleaches will stress your hair and should be avoided if you're trying to revive it.Wait until your hair recovers before coloring your hair or bleaching it blonde.
4. Get a Haircut or Hair Trim Once a Month
If your hair is severely damaged, sometimes, there's no other choice but to remove the damaged parts and move on. You may have to trim your hair once a month to restore its natural shine and bounce.
Heat-damaged hair will ruin your once gorgeous locks. Once you notice the signs, resolve them immediately to prevent long-term damage.
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