Hair Care: Tips to protect your hair from heat damage

Those of us who have curly hair want it straight and those of us who have straight hair want it curly. We are never happy with the type of hair we have, does this sound familiar? Today, there are so many options out there for us to wear our hair and it doesn’t matter what type of hair we have we can achieve it all- from curly, wavy, crimped or straight. The problem is with all these heat styling tools comes heat damaged hair. So how can we protect our hair from being damaged?? Simple…

Tip #1

Make sure you get all the excess water out of your hair before you blow dry-ideally 75% dry before you begin. The less amount of heat you have on your hair the better. Also, make sure hair is completely dry before using any type of heat styling tool. When your hair is wet – it is at its weakest point. Applying direct heat will cause hair to fry.

Tip#2

Use Heat protective products. Prior to blow drying use a heat protective cream so it will lock in the moisture and protect your hair. Make sure you then use a good protective spray or serum on your hair before flat ironing or curling your hair. Try using alcohol-free products. Products that contain alcohol will dry your hair out and cause more frizz.

Tip #3

Invest in good styling tools. If you are one that needs to blow dry your hair daily it may be wise to invest the extra dollars in a good blow dryer like an ionic dryer. The ionic dryer is considered one of the safest dryers to use on the hair because it helps protect the hair shaft by breaking down the water molecules faster, reducing the amount of time needed to dry the hair.
If you plan on straightening you hair or curling your hair try using one that is ceramic. The ceramic plates will distribute heat evenly which reduces the amount of heat damage to the hair. Also, choose a flat iron with variable settings so you can control the heat and keep the iron from getting too hot.

Tip #4

At least once a week apply a deep conditioning treatment on your hair. This will restore the moisture lost and replenish the hair with the essential nutrients.

Tip #5

Give your hair a break. If time permits on certain days, let your hair dry naturally.

What other tips do you have to protect your hair from heat damage?