Have you noticed your hair becoming dry and brittle? There could be a number of reasons why this might be happening to you, but when we hear of these issues, they usually stem from heat damage from hair styling tools like your beloved straightener. But how do you prevent heat damage from occurring when you use a straightener?
Do hair straighteners damage your hair?
When you straighten your hair consistently, the exposure to the intense heat given off by the straightener causes your hair strands to weaken and become more brittle—this is what causes that dry, frizzy look and feel that we all dread. But this could all be prevented with just a few simple steps.
How can you prevent heat damage?
Yes, while it’s not possible to prevent all heat damage, it is possible to avoid excessive damage to your hair while straightening. Here are some ways in which you can prevent your hair from getting badly damaged when you straighten it:
Straighten your hair when it’s dry
We get it, styling can take some time, and we don’t all have the time to wait for our hair to be completely dry before taking a straightener to it. But for the love of your strands, just don’t do it! Remember that wet hair is weakened hair and applying intense heat to your hair while it’s still soaked can cause irreparable damage.
Essentially, that sizzling and smoking that typically accompanies straightening wet hair, is you rapidly heating the moisture in your hair, causing it to evaporate inside the strand. This leaves your hair in a weakened and damaged state. Instead, allow your hair to air-dry until it is mostly dry. Then, start using your hair straightener at an appropriate temperature.
Use a high-quality hair straightener
There’s a lot of debate about what hair straightener people should use. For us, the answer is pretty clear. Only use high-quality hair straighteners. Lower ranger straighteners simply don’t use the same quality materials, meaning they don’t regulate temperature, apply heat unevenly to your hair, and don’t last as long. Ideally, look for a hair straightener with a variable temperature control, full ceramic or other high-quality plates. Avoid ceramic-coated plates; they don’t work well.
Use heat protectant spray
Each protectant spray should be your first priority before you start styling your hair with a straightener. Hair protectant spray coats your hair with a layer of protection that limits the impact heat has on it. In addition, it also infuses nutrients into your hair, assisting in improving and maintaining its health, leading us to our next point.
Keep your hair healthy
You need to care for your hair properly! This means washing it regularly using products that are known to add nutrients and help it retain moisture. You may even want to consider using a hair mask, which could make your hair shine and improve its overall health.
Straighten your hair less often
When you straighten your hair every day, then, of course, it’s going to take a little bit of damage. If you notice that your hair is getting damaged from straightening, limit how often you straighten it. This should give your hair time to rejuvenate and reduce the damage done to it.
Learn how to straighten your hair properly
Finally, learn how to straighten your hair properly. Many guides on YouTube and other sites can teach you the proper way to straighten your hair. The more you know, the easier it will be to avoid mistakes that could damage your hair.
Find the right hair straightener
Finding the right hair straightener can significantly affect the quality of your hairstyle and how well your hair is protected. Cheaper straighteners use inferior materials for their irons, which provide inconsistent results and cause hot spots and other issues. Rather, find a deal on hair straighteners from GHD, a well-known brand that has produced some of the best hair straighteners in the world.
Final Thoughts
Heat damage can wreak havoc on your hair. Unfortunately, if your hair has been damaged by heat, you’ll need to let it rejuvenate before styling it again; otherwise, you could cause further damage. Some vital components of hair health practices when straightening your hair include allowing it to air dry, using a good-quality straightener, spraying on heat protectant spray, and ensuring that your hair is always well looked after. By doing this, you should keep your hair healthy.
