Hot tools, blow dryers, and hair straighteners can be helpful quick-fixes to achieving your desired style. But without the proper care, your locks could suffer permanent damage. Keep your mane healthy and beautiful with this guide on how to heat style safely.
1. Heat Styling: Unlocking the Secrets of Healthy Hair
Heat styling tools can be a great way to give yourself the perfect look—but too much heat can lead to damaged, brittle hair. To get the style you want without harming your hair, here are the key ingredients for success:
- The right temperature: the heat you use should be no higher than the lowest setting on your styling tool. This ensures your hair won’t burn and dry out.
- The right protectant: Use a heat protectant spray before applying heat. This will reduce the damage to your hair from excess heat and lock in moisture.
- The right styling product: choose a product that helps lock in the style and minimize frizz & flyaways.
By following these tips, you can make sure that your style stays in place and your hair remains healthy. It’s important to remember, however, that heat styling should never be done too often. Heat styling can weaken the bonds in the hair, so frequent styling of the same area could cause breakage. Leave a few days between styling sessions to give your hair time to recover.
Additionally, when heat styling, it’s important to select the right tool for the job. For instance, if you wish to straighten your hair, use a flat iron instead of a curling iron. And always use a brush to move the hair along the tool for even heat distribution. Taking care to use the right tool and technique can make all the difference in protecting your hair.
With the right technique and products, your heat-styled look can be glamorous and damage free.
2. Knowing Your Heat Styling Weapons: Setting Temperatures Appropriately
In order to reap the benefits of heat styling without the risk of hair damage, you need to familiarize yourself with the various tools available and learn to properly use and set them.
When it comes to the right temperature, it depends on hair type, texture, and length. Thinner hair is more fragile and should be styled at a lower temperature setting. Thin hair will typically range between 150 and 170°F. Thicker hair can handle a higher temperature, somewhere around 200 – 400°F. But, certain temperatures are best suited for certain styling tools.
- Straighteners are best used between 250 – 380°F.
- Crimpers should never exceed 200°F, while automatic curling irons can go up to 380-400°F.
- Hair Dryers should remain at the cool setting whenever possible. Whenever using a hair dryer with heat, stick to the low setting. The highest setting should only be used when styling coarse, thick hair.
Keep in mind that styling tools heat up quickly and remain hot for a long time. Therefore, you should always start off with lower settings and increase gradually. By taking the time to learn the best temperatures for your hair type, you will be able to create beautiful styles without compromising the health of your hair.
No matter what kind of tools you use, keep your hair in the best possible condition by using a heat protectant product and always remember to turn off any styling tool when you’re done.
3. Dressing the Part: Heat Protectants to Shield Hair From Harm
We all get a kick out of trying new hairstyles, but if we don’t properly protect our hair, the heat and styling tools we employ can be our undoing.
Heat protectants can save the day by coating your hair in a protective layer from roots to tips. Keep heat damage at bay and maintain your coif with the below 5 must-haves.
- Heat Defense Hair protectant: This product is ideal for prolonging the life of your favorite hairdo. The light mist coats your hair in a protective shield, making sure those hot tools won’t cause irreparable damage.
- Leave-in Conditioner: To keep breakage to a minimum, reach for a good leave-in conditioner. This product can fix dryness while also shoring up your hair’s defenses against heat.
- Heat Protective Balm: To ensure hair health, investing in a formula manufactured for heat protection is a must. Heat protective balms work especially great with steamy styling tools, delivering lasting hold without sacrificing your mane.
- Nourishing Styling Cream: To achieve true greatness, your beauty routine should always include quality styling products. Look for nourishing creams packed with natural oils to hydrate your hair while also offering protection from heated styling tools.
- Spray on Oil: If you’re in the habit of employing super hot straighteners and curling irons, reach for a spray on oil. This product forms a powerful, heat-resistant barrier while also adding a touch of shine.
Eliminating heat damage can be as easy as adding the above precautions to your daily routine.
4. The Heat is On: Maneuvering Through Safe Styling Practices
There’s no shame in wanting to look nice, especially during the summer months. As the heat rises and humidity levels skyrocket, it’s important for people to protect their tresses and keep them healthy. Taking the right precautions and strategizing your styling routine can make all the difference in the long run.
- Avoid tight hairdos and accessories that pull. If you must pull your hair back, use scrunchies or headbands that are made with cushioned materials like fabric. This limits the amount of strain on the hair.
- Avoid dyeing your hair too often. Coloring your hair damages its structural integrity, making it more susceptible to breakage
- Keep heat styling to a minimum . If you must use a flat iron or curling iron, keep the heat setting on low and avoid style that require holding the heat in place for a long time. Check to make sure your tools are designed to disperse heat evenly throughout the hair.
Alternative styling techniques can be just as effective, and provide multiple benefits. Braids and twists look stunning and keep the hair out of the way, two French braids is an ideal summer style. Locs are long-term and provide a way for people to minimize their styling routine and protect their hair cuts from damages.
If opting for a protective style, be sure to keep your scalp and hair moist. This is especially important in summer and for kinky hair types. Before butting or applying hair ties around locs or extensions, tug slightly to create some slack and help reduce the strain on the individual strands.
It is important to go into any heat-styling session with an understanding of what will be safe for your locks. With the right precautions in place, you can still look glamorous while ensuring that your hair remains healthy and damage-free!
