No matter what type of hair you have, chances are you’ve used popular tools. Whether it’s a curling iron, a hair dryer, a diffuser, a straightener, or some combination of the above, most of us use heat in our hair styling process at least some of the time. Unfortunately, it can have an impact on our hair. Read on to learn about every step you can take to mitigate this unfortunate situation.
What Is Thermal Injury?
It’s very simple: heat damage is when hair is damaged by heat. When your hair is dehydrated, dull, soft, and frizzy, you know your hair has been damaged. Damaged hair can also feel rough and brittle.
If any of these attributes describe your hair, you may wonder if this can be reversed. While thermal damage cannot be physically reversed, there are certainly ways to significantly reverse its effects and intensify and prevent further damage. Heat damage can alter the structure of the hair. It damages the stratum corneum, strips the hair of its protective oils, makes the strands more porous, and changes the structure of the keratin inside the hair. This means that while you may be able to make your hair look better and feel better, you can’t completely undo what you’ve done.
Let’s take a look at how to prevent heat damage and improve hair if heat damage has already occurred.
How to Prevent and Treat Heat Injury？
Use a Heat Protectant
Applying a heat protectant before exposing your hair to high temperatures is the easiest way to prevent heat damage. Heat and UV protectant are the best way to help prevent damage and protect already damaged hair. Heat protectant both moisturizes and protects the hair strands. The ingredients that protect it do this by forming a barrier like a heat shield.
Use a Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner
Even before styling, you can prevent heat damage by properly moisturizing your hair during your daily shampoo. Heat protection starts in the shower. Seaweed Bath Co’s Hot Shampoo and Thermal Conditioner can be used as they are clean, gentle formulas that help retain moisture and provide an anti-heat barrier. Or apply the latter to the bottom half or third of your hair using a shampoo that is suitable for your natural hair type and a conditioner specially formulated to moisturize and repair damaged hair.
Wash Less Often
The more often you wash your hair, the less time your scalp has to replenish its natural oils. Washing your hair less often allows natural oils to form a moisture barrier, which helps your hair heal. In addition to reducing the frequency of washing, you may also want to do a moisturizing pre-wash while washing. Some people may want to use oil or even conditioner on dry hair before shampooing.
While it’s important to give your scalp enough time to replenish its oil, you also want to avoid washing too little: this can lead to product build-up and too much oil and dirt. When deciding how often to wash your hair, you need to consider factors such as oily vs. dry scalp, curly vs. dry hair, thickness and texture of your hair, and more.
Avoid Harsh Chemicals
Easier said than done, but avoiding bleach and permanent dyes can make your hair less susceptible to heat damage. Permanent hair dyes and bleach can cause serious damage to the hair, especially when combined with daily heat styling. To avoid this, it’s recommended to invest in an all-star home care regimen to help maintain overall hair health, which includes color protection, moisturizing, bond-strengthening shampoos and conditioners, heat protectants, and conditioners. In addition, the chemicals in harsh dyes and bleachs can strip the hair of moisture, causing it to become brittle.
Hair Masks
Once only used for special occasions, hair masks are now considered a great addition to regular hair treatments. In fact, it’s a must: whether you have any injuries or not, it is highly recommended to cover up at least once a week. If your hair lacks vibrancy and shine, SpoiledChild’s A29 Shine Activator is the perfect pick-me-up for adding shine and controlling frizz.
You can replenish lost moisture and seal it in with a mask and leave-in conditioner. There are many different hair masks with different ingredients that can help you improve your hair condition.
Choose a Safer Tool
Not all popular tools are created equal, and you’ll usually be rewarded accordingly in terms of quality. Your heating tools can be made of ceramic. The ceramic plate/rad helps to distribute the heat evenly and makes the hair shinier. To use them best, remember to keep the temperature low and try not to make too many passes in the same area.
If you want to avoid irons altogether, opt for a hair dryer. If your hair can’t withstand a hot iron, another good option is to use a hair dryer with a round brush attachment. This is because they don’t get too hot, and with the right products, they can help keep the hair looking its best and prevent further damage.
