I’ve come across many a natural who is scared to death of coming anywhere near a heat styling tool for fear of heat damage. Then there are those who don’t particularly care too much and say heat styling is just fine.
Who’s “right”?
Well, you can do with it whatever you like, really. It is, after all, YOUR hair! But there is a need for caution. Check out the short video clip below to see why…
The misconception about naturally curly/coily/kinky hair is that it can take a beating and still somehow maintain its health. Excessive heat, however, can cause dryness which leads to breakage and can also permanently straighten your hair. Some actually don’t mind this alteration as they may be trying to “heat train” their tresses (that’s a topic for another post, girls!). However, if you actually want to wear your curls again and you’re heat styling too often, you may notice them starting to loosen over time. Therein lies the problem.
There’s nothing wrong with a blow-out or a flat iron every now and then. I even blow my hair out about twice a month (but no more!) and always on medium heat. The key is what you do prior to applying the heat to protect your hair from potential damage.
- Never use heat on dirty hair
- Use a leave-in conditioner
- Apply a heat protectant
My favorite heat protectant is grapeseed oil. While it is a rather light oil, it has one of the highest smoke points next to avocado oil and is, therefore, super effective at creating that healthy barrier needed to ward off any damage that can occur. Most of all, it’s natural… doesn’t get any better than that!
Of course, you won’t have to worry about a thing if you don’t use heat at all. Makes sense, right? 😉 The choice is all yours.
Hope this was helpful!
Tell me… do YOU use heat? How often and what do you use to protect your hair? Share below!
xoxo
Toia B.
