Doesn’t everyone want amazing-looking hair every day? Most of us aren’t blessed with hair that doesn’t require blow dryers, magic wands, or straightening irons to transform our hair from a mess to miraculous. If you find yourself saying, “Mirror mirror on the wall, why do my curls go frizzy and fall.” Chances are you’ve got heat damaged hair (GASP).
So, how can we avoid heat damaged hair and still have locks that we love? We’ve got you covered with our 6 Pro Tips to defend against heat damaged hair.
#1 Pro Tip: Invest in the Best
We know that hair care tools can get expensive. But if you want to avoid the trap of excessive heat, investing in quality brushes, irons, and blowdryers is well worth the money. Make sure your irons have a temperature setting so you can adjust the heat that’s right for your hair.
It’s important to know that various types of hair require different heat to achieve the look you want for your locks. For example, fine hair flattens with a lower setting, and coarse hair requires a little more help from the heat. Experiment with various temperature settings and use the least amount of heat possible to avoid heat damaged hair.
Ceramic and tourmaline plates on flat irons distribute heat more evenly, therefore guarding against exposing hair to “hot spots.”
#2 Pro Tip: Heat Protectants
There are hundreds of heat protectants for hair care. So what’s the right one for you?
We’ve taken the work out of surfing the web for the best heat protectant and found what we believe to be the best options for various hair types. They are bonus buys that deliver multi-functional benefits to avert heat damaged hair.
Kinessence Antiox Leave-in Conditioner is an antioxidant-rich formulation with 14 extraordinary benefits for maintaining lavish locks.
Kinessence Antiox Smoothie is a little lighter than its sister product for finer hair but still packs a powerful punch to protect it from heat damage.
KINACTIF™ N°1 Nutrition Moisturizing Conditioning Spray is our newest addition to our heat protectants lineup; don’t think this bottle of bliss is just for dry hair. Anyone can use it daily to protect and defend against dry, frizzy, and heat damaged hair.
Of course, we invite you to research heat protectants, but these 3 strand savers get our vote for best heat protectants.
#3 Pro Tip: Don’t Stress Your Strands
The magic of heat requires a post-heat cooling phase to take the stress off.
A shift in temperature can dramatically affect the hair, causing more damage than you know. Once your heat styling tools have worked their magic, allow the hair to cool before further styling or applying additional hair products.
After the hair has had sufficient time to cool down, gently work the hair into place before applying an extra dose of heat, and please don’t use oils before heat styling. Oils act as heat conductors, causing hair to overheat and burn.
This practice will get you better results and prevent the need to apply more heat or swift temperature change, sparing hair from undoing your new do.
#4 Pro Tip: Go Deep With Your Conditioning
All hair types, and yes, you fine-hair ladies need to get a little deep with a mask to soothe and relieve hair, protecting it from getting overly dry and damaged. Some may think it’s an indulgence, but we think masks and deep conditioning treatments are necessary to restore moisture, protecting the deeper layers of the hair.
Kinactif’s new 2-in-1 are great, minimizing the cost because they have dual use. You can use them as a conditioner by applying a small amount for 1-2 minutes, or a mask by applying a touch more product and leaving it on for 10-15 minutes. They offer the best of both worlds, and there are 3 formulations for normal to dry hair, fine limp hair, and damaged hair. Check them out in our online store!
If you notice fly-away, dull, lifeless hair, chances are you need to get a little deep with your conditioning.
#5 Pro Tip: Snip Snip
For those long-hair lovers out there, your hair needs regular trims to minimize dry split ends. The twice-a-year trims aren’t enough to avoid a big chop chop. Getting a little trim every 10-12 weeks will keep your long hair healthy, especially if you use any heat styling or are an outdoorsy sun lover.
If your hair has severe damage, discuss a new do with your hairstylist that can keep some length and can even accelerate growth because dry damaged hair with severe heat damage breaks off. Your hairstylist can wield their magical shears, giving you a hot new style.
A good hairstylist will even give you their own pro tips to style your new do without the sizzle!
#6 Pro Tip: Give It A Rest
If you find you need to do more to make your hair look good, it’s time to give it a rest.
There are some super cute do’s that don’t need heat. Try lightly blowdrying hair, then wrap it up in some Velcro rollers. Braids are great too for longer hair, and on weekends, give your mind, body, and hair a rest from stress. And quite frankly, hats are super cute fashion accessories that hide hair that might not be clean and fresh.
The Ugly Truth About Heat Damaged Hair
Let’s be honest: dry damaged hair that lacks shine and luster isn’t a sizzling hot look. You have to listen to what your hair is trying to tell you. There’s no quick easy fix to the frayed frenzy of damaged hair, but following these simple tips will keep you out of a heated struggle with your tresses.