What you need to be using EVERY time you do your hair!
In this day and age, you cannot get away without using some kind of hot tool for styling your hair, whether that means a salon blow out or using your favorite beach waver to make all your mermaid hair dreams come true. These gorgeous styles may come with a price if you aren’t careful.
Did you know that your hair has different layers? It sure does! Each time you take that flat iron to your hair, it could be causing a TON of damage to these layer, even the most gorgeous heads of hair are at risk of heat damage!
Image credit: Shutterstock
There are technically 3 layers in each and every strand of hair.
Cuticle- the outer most layer of your hair. The cuticle is made of flatten cells that overlap kind of like shingles on a roof. The cuticle works a barrier to protect the other layers of your hair strand.
Cortex- the cortex is made of long proteins that twist up tightly like a spiral. Your hair’s cortex is filled with water molecules and keratin; the pigments that give your hair its natural color also live here. If you had split ends, you are seeing the cortex at its worst, meaning you have worn down the cuticle leaving the cortex unprotected.
Medulla- a soft, spongey mass of tissue. Some hair has it and some doesn’t. It is more commonly found in coarse hair but not in fine hair. The medulla doesn’t really serve a purpose, so no need to worry about not having one!
Flat irons and curling irons can heat up to 450* F. You cook a frozen pizza at 425* F, there is absolutely NO reason why your tools should be that hot. That is insane! When your hair gets heated past 260* F, this is when you need to be careful. Past 260* F you can cause major damage to your hair. If you let that hot metal sit on your hair for too long, your hair can melt right off! I think we have all seen this video enough times to know that I am not lying!
Image credit: dailymail.co.uk
Here is what else can happen when you heat style your hair:
The outer layer, cuticle, cracks and looses it’s ability to protect the cortex.
Hair color starts to change. Yeah, that gorgeous color that you just paid so much money for? Completely starts to fade because of the heat can literally burn it off. Oh, you are an beautiful icy blonde? No, heat protection? Well, now you are a gross brassy orange blonde. 😳
The keratin proteins in your hair’s cortex start to break down and so does your hair’s strength and elasticity.
Moisture in your cortex evaporates, the steam from heating wet hair, blasts through the entire strand of hair causing major split ends.
I know sounds pretty horrible, right? Lucky for all of us, we can do something to help reduce the amount of damage done to our hair from all that heat styling!
HEAT PROTECTION PRODUCTS!!!
The only way to prevent any damage done from heat, is to avoid ALL heat styling. If you are good with that low maintenance life, cool, cool, cool. But for the rest of us that can’t live without a blow dryer or curling iron, the best way to protect those locks is by using thermal protective products.
How heat protection works
It is really quite simple how these products work. Once applied, they create a barrier between the heat and hair to help maintain healthy hair. What that barrier does is help the hair heat up in a more gentle and gradual way vs so hot all at once, which causes less damage. The majority of products now have some sort of thermal protection in them. They can come in a cream, spray, or serum, and some can be used on wet hair while others are used on dry hair.
What that barrier does, is help the hair heat up in a more gentle gradual way vs so hot all at once.
Heat protection also helps seal in the moisture that is already in your hair rather than letting it escape and evaporate. This seal is also meant to keep out the moisture in the air, making your hair frizzy and the style fall, HELLO WISCONSIN SUMMERS?! But make sure to keep in mind that just because you are using a heat protectant, does not mean that you are in free and clear. Using a heat protectant only will reduce the amount of damage caused by heat styling by about 50%.
What can you do to help keep your hair healthy?
When you start to style your hair, you want to make sure that your hair is thoroughly towel dried. Once your hair is towel dried then apply your hair products, including thermal protection. Then you can start blow drying, start from the roots down, do not go against your hair strands because that can cause more damage. When your hair is 100% completely dry, I would recommend using another thermal protection that is meant to be used on dry hair before proceeding with a hot tool. While you are working with your flat iron/curling iron, try to work as quickly as possible. You really do not want to leave that hot metal sitting on your hair for too long.
I definitely recommend using professional grade heat styling tools vs Conair or Revlon that you can get at big box stores like Target or Walmart.
I will do another blog post about the different kinds of tools and how to use them and what to look for when you are purchasing a irons.
If you smell burning hair or hear sizzling, when you are using your iron, IT IS TOO HOT!
If you are finding that your hair is chronically dry or that you have a ton of split ends, you need to stop using heat styling. The only way to get rid of split ends is to cut them off!
Remember, that while thermal protection doesn’t stop 100% of damage caused by heat, it does make a HUGE difference when you use protection vs when you use nothing. Thermal protection products do create a barrier between your hair strand and the heat, it will also help slow down the heating process and heat the hair more evenly.
Amber’s favorite thermal protection products
All of these are available for online ordering. Click here to order yours today!
*Only for local pick-up*
