How Should I Protect Hair From Heat Damage?

We get that you love heat styling, but your favourite hair curlers could become your worst nightmare if you don’t take safety measures and keep heat styling at bay. Using curling irons and hair dryers is not for everybody, and if you already have dry hair, it wouldn’t help you much. 

So, it’s better to know some tips for the prevention of heat damage before you go for heat styling. So stick with us; we'll walk you through a fool proof hair care plan for heat styling.

How to Protect Your Hair from Heat Damage?

We obviously can’t stay away from our previous styling tools always, so we have to figure out ways to minimize the damage caused by heat. Let's get into it and find out how you can make matters easier for your hair.

1. Use a Protective Shield 

If you don’t use hair protectants before heat styling, your hair is bound to be damaged. It is one of the most critical pre-styling steps all hair experts recommend. There are a lot of heat protectant creams and sprays available in the market, and very little quantity goes a long way.

Moreover, these protectants decrease the rate of heat conduction to your hair. Hence, the damage is somehow minimized, although it's still there. Using a heat protectant also doesn't mean you can style your hair every day because even the protectants are not 100% effective.

Just make sure that before you style your hair with dryers or straighteners, just spray the heat protectant on all your hair, and then you can start styling. It can still reduce damage up to 50 to 70 percent, which is also good enough.

2. Don’t Fry Your Hair

Even if you’re using a straightener or a curling iron, make sure you limit your heat settings to 300 or 350 degrees and never go over 410 because that’s practically gonna fry your hair, and they'll become super dry and stiff, which you don't want.

Higher temperatures also start melting keratin from your hair, a very beneficial compound to keep your hair healthy. Also, ensure you keep the heating tools on your hair for a short time.

For example, if you're straightening your hair, the iron shouldn't be in contact with it for more than 10 seconds, or it will burn them. Moreover, excessive heat exposure should be avoided when you have color-treated hair because your hair is super sensitive and prone to breakage in this situation.

3. Don’t Style Damp Hair 

We often make the mistake of heat styling damp hair because we're late for the office or just in a rush. But our hair pays the price of this rush. Just know that when you apply heat to damp hair, you're practically frying them.

In addition, wet hair is also prone to more breakage, which can result in increased hair fall, and just one mistake can cost you the health of your hair. So, dry your hair completely before using any heat on them.

4. Up Your Hair Care Game 

Hair care is the most crucial thing if you want to keep your hair safe from heat damage. Make sure to invest in a shampoo, conditioner, and mask that keep your hair healthy and protected.

However, this is just an additional step for those who want to improve the health of their hair. It might not completely reverse the effects of heat damage, but it will surely bring some life to your hair.

3 After-Care Tips for Heat Damaged Hair 

Let's imagine you've damaged your hair with heat; what now? Well, it's not all done yet because you can still do a lot to bring back that natural shine and luster of your hair. These tricks will surely be a holy grail for you, so buck up.

1. Don’t Dye Your Hair 

The first step to taking care of heat-damaged hair is to keep it as healthy as possible, and dyeing your hair will surely not help. Many chemicals are applied to your hair during dyeing, and you don't want to do that to your hair, especially when they're so fragile.

Even if you absolutely have to dye your hair, make sure to avoid all kinds of bleach and only use ammonia-free hair dyes because they're comparatively gentler. Also, semi-permanent hair colours are a better option to keep your hair safe.

2.     After-Care Regimen 

If the heat has damaged your hair entirely, using shampoo and conditioner might not help. It is precisely where protein treatments and specialized hair serums come to play. There are a whole lot of great treatments out there, for instance, Olaplex treatments that are perfect for dry and heat-damaged hair.

Besides, hair serums and oils like the ones from The Ordinary are also great for reviving your hair's natural bonds and restoring the keratin to make the hair look healthier. We suggest you take a few trips to the salon because a hair expert can recommend better treatments according to your hair type.

3.     Chop off Those Locks 

It sounds scary to cut your lengths, but if none of the other methods work, you might have to do it. Your hair might be burnt entirely, and cutting them might be your last chance to save your look; otherwise, it'll keep looking lifeless and dry like brass.

But cutting your hair could be a holy grail for you because the right haircut can add volume to your hair and change your look completely, so you should not take a quick chop for granted. If you don't like short hair, you can also get extensions for a short time until your hair grows back.

Conclusion 

Lastly, you should know that it only takes a few uses to cause heat damage to your hair, but the repairing phase takes a lot of time and effort. Just know that your hair will go back to normal if you continue to care for it.

Also, after going through all this, you should avoid using all kinds of heat styling. Also, go for methods that don't damage your hair as much. Even if you're using a curling iron or dryer, make sure to use it only once in a while to minimize the damage. Wishing you a great hair day!