Everyone has tried or want to try heat styling to get straight hair and other styles for their hair. But what you should know before applying heat styling on your hair is that they damage your hair or not.
Heat styling is a long lasting fixation of hair in your desired form. And this process you use for your hair always involves the heat which is hotter than the air. Appliances use heat styling includes a hair straightener brush, blow dryer, curling and flat irons or hot rollers. It is a great invention though, which can help you get your desired shape, volume and hair type.
You will understand all the facts and myths by reading this guide that heat styling damages hair or not?
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Types of Heated Hair Styling
The different types of heated styling include:
- Blow dryer
- Hooded dryer
- Hot rollers
- Curling and flat irons
- Straightening brushes
Blow Dryer
Hot air styling or blow drying can be performed easily on the hair of almost any length. Therefore, blow dryer is used for drying and creating not only women’s hairstyles but it works great on men’s hairstyles too. A blow dryer is the best on hair that is at least 4-6 cm long. Blow dryer should only be used on clean hair because, if the roots are dirty, it is impossible to lift them.
Hooded Dryer
Hooded dryer looks like a warming helmet, you place your head under this helmet. Until recently, only beauty salons used it, but now there are new types of hooded dryers which you can use at home. And it is one of the safest method of heat styling because it does not in contact with the hair directly. And it works with your hair at a distance of 10-20 cm.
Hot Rollers
Hot rollers are made of hair-friendly materials which are soft plastic with a paraffin rod inside. And they are same as the usual rollers. Hot rollers can have any diameter; usually, they are sold in a kit form on a special stand.
Hot rollers do not cause any severe damage to the hair as curling iron does. Just be careful and don’t overdry it and don’t burn it. For this, curls after using hot rollers are very durable, as compared to the usual curling iron.
Styling with hot rollers takes no longer than 15 minutes, but your hair must be slightly damp or dry. Using hot rollers, you can create any hairstyle – you can soft locks, natural locks, wavy locks and small curls which will look flexible and natural.
Curling and Flat Irons
When curling hair with flat and curling irons, they are one of the simple and most effective methods. The use of these devices will get you smooth flowing locks only, however, Curling and flat irons can give you style bands and bouncy curls quickly.
Thinking about not only straighten your hair, also want to wind them, go for rounded flat irons, they will allow you to curl. Plates of rounded flat irons must be heated throughout.
Size of curls you are looking for depends on the thickness of the lock and temperature of the iron. For smaller curls, take very thin locks and vice versa. If the temperature is lower than 180 C, you will get wavy curls, if the temperature is at 180 C, the curls you will get will be tight. The biggest advantage of curling and flat irons is that they are suitable for any length.
Straightening Brushes
A straightening brush is very similar to an ordinary hairbrush, if you look at its shape and design. However, it works in a different way. You get straight hair quickly, but it does not overdry your hair. After using hair straightening brush, you can get a good condition of your hair. Other benefits of this device include; it is easy to use, cheap as compared to other devices and is safer.
Hair straightening brush bristles should be either mixed or natural. Then the hair will not get any negative affect. Using of hair straightener brush will get you a perfect smoothness in just 10 minutes.
From all of these styling tools, straightening brushes are the most harmless.
After Heat Styling, What happens to the Hair?
There are about 100,000 hair follicles on your head and each hair has a complicated structure. The shaft consists of three layers:
- Inner or Medulla Layer
- Middle or Cortex Layer
- Outer or Cuticle Layer
Medulla or Inner Layer
It contains a Keratin (a special substance) which is also an essential protein, thats by which you get shiny, elastic and smooth hair.
Cortex or Middle Layer
This layer is responsible for the flexibility of your hair because it contains melanin – which is a pigment that gives it a certain color.
Cuticle or Outer Layer
This layer has a protective barrier function. And its condition directly affects the overall health of the hair.
When you look at a strand of hair through a microscope, you can clearly see that the cuticle resembles roof-like tile. The purpose of the roof, the cuticle protects each hair from external influences. Closer the cuticle is adjacent to the hair shaft, more elastic, healthy and less likely it is to break.
You always look for the devices that can save time. So, you can make a terrible mistake, like, styling and drying your hair right after washing it. It is necessary to wait for at least 150-20 minutes after washing your hair. Because cuticle scales in wet hair are more raised or opened. Therefore, heat during drying causes damage and breakage of cuticle fragments. In result, hair shaft becomes more thin and fragile due to the cuticle damage and cortex substance in it become more vulnerable to various chemical and physical factors which include chlorinated water. Keratin protein in it makes up 85-90% of the total hair weight, thermally degrades.
Unfortunately, if we cannot completely abandon styling and drying nowadays. So, a simple rule you should follow is the less is the better. Also give your hair a rest from thermal procedures on the weekend. And try to wash it not before work in the morning, but in the evening to avoid drying.
Tips to Avoid Harmful Effects?
Heat styling cause damage to your hair and you cannot eliminate all these harmful effects of heated styling, but, you can minimize them with the help of professional cosmetics. These following tips are written for you to maintain healthy hair.
- Don’t do heat styling more than 2-3 times a week. And save the beauty of your hair and that will help you diversify your usual look.
- Use styling tools that are high-quality and have a special protective coating. It’s worth paying attention to professional devices when you love your hair.
- Apply special heat-protective agents before the procedure. Such cosmetics will help you minimize the damage, but you should choose them after considering the individual characteristics of your hair.
- If you are drying your hair, Dry them carefully at a distance of 30 cm. If you dry wet hair, it leads to overheating, burns and accordingly to its destruction.
- Hide your hair under headwear on sunny days.
Styling with Heat is Bad for your Hair or Not?
Everyone is not able to afford not styling their hair. Because of busy lifestyles and a common lack of time, heated styling became very popular of making hair look beautiful efficiently.
Constant contact of your hair with hot surfaces, hot, moist or dry air, the Keratin protective layer of hair degrades, nutrients are lost, and virtually every hair becomes rough and gets split ends. After all of this, your hair will look dry and dull, becomes hard to style and requires different balms to soften them.
Heat Hair Styling, Myths and Facts:
Myth #1 Hair Styling Cosmetics Should Only be of a Professional Salon Type
FACT: Result you get is important by using any cosmetics product, what kind of cosmetic product you are using is not whats important. There are people who like only super expensive professional mousse, but some people are there who loves a cheap product which is easily available at a local pharmacy – everything is individual. Which products work for someone, that product must not work on another person. General recommendations for choosing hair cosmetics are pay attention to the ingredients. Closer the beneficial ingredients ( natural extracts, silk protein, argan oil and so on). The less is their content, the less significant are their results.
Myth #2 The More Styling Products, the Better
FACT: We tend to think that the girl has self-respect should have at least 5-10 different styling products in her collection to nourish her beauty every day. Ranging from foams, leave-in conditioners, texturizing sprays, waxes, and hairsprays. Proper styling of your hair requires only one product that is two or three comb strokes. Another product for your hair that is necessary is a hairspray, it should only be used when you need a long fixation.
Myth #3 You Should Just use an Ordinary Comb
FACT: Any type of combing can harm your hair as comb may break the ends of your hair right from the root. Wooden of soft professional brushes or combs. You can also use hot brushes or straightening brush. These type of brushes straighten and detangle hair at the same time with almost zero harm.
Myth #4 You Should Apply a Lot of Hair Products
FACT: Everyone wants their hairstyle to look magnificent, so don’t overdo it with styling products. Do not apply these styling products to the roots, and make sure to rinse conditioners and masks out thoroughly. Products with keratin, collagen, light silicones or amino acids, go for them.
Myth #5 Hair Styling Can be Done Without Heat Protectants
FACT: All types of heated hair styling are harmful to your hair. Before going for heated styling or using a blow dryer on your hair, apply a heat protectant. Proper use of styling devices can save your hair from heat damage.
Final Words
Hot styling is fast, popular way to style your hair but it’s not 100% safe. Don’t use it often and when using it, follow our recommendations to get healthy and good-looking hair.
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