Is "straightener" considered a bad word? Heat stylers, unite!

[alexis917]

Hey everybody!
I've gone a year without heat-styling regularly, or really at all,
my last heat session was the day I got my braces off (as a celebratory thing).

My hair has passed BSL at last, and trust me, I know how bad straighteners are for your hair.
But I like to see the length, and I don't plan on doing it regularly.

That said, it seems like heat styling is frowned upon here for obvious reasons (damage).

Does anyone out there still use heat on their hair?
This can be our support group!

[spidermom]

Sure do, maybe once per year. I also blow dry on warm and cool whenever I feel like devoting an hour of my time (not often).

[HairFaerie]

I blow dry on warm heat every day. I live in a cold climate and there is just no way I am going to air dry in the dead of winter! I have a blow dryer that has three heat settings: cool, warm and hot. I use warm.
In the summer, I don't mind air drying at all but in the fall/winter, you bet your bottom I blow dry! :)
I am OK with it though and nobody will ever change my about doing it. I don't like being cold!
As far as straightening, I don't own a straightener simply because I personally don't care for that look. I do, however, own and use different curling irons every now and again.

[lapushka]

I don't consider blow drying heat styling, sorry. As long as you blow dry on cool or warm, what's the harm? Haven't thrown away my blow dryer yet. It gets used here regularly. My hair's halfway between hip & TBL and I have zero damage. My blow dryer is used on warm.

[Ligeia_13]

Well, I use heat on my fringe. I kind of have to, if I let it dry by itself, all the ends flick outwards.

[DancingQueen]

I used to love my flat iron, but I found out the style doesn't really suit my face shape. It looks odd and square, and I almost look bald because it is so thin. That said, I am not completely opposed to heat, and I still do it occasionally when I feel like it. As long as you protect it, I think it should be fine. :)

[HintOfMint]

I use heat on my bangs to style them, but I'm not concerned about damage there, to be honest.

I do fantasize about the odd times I get my hair blown out though. But I like going to the salon and getting pampered and the glassy silky feeling I get from blown out hair. But it's not something I indulge in too often.

[spidermom]

Oh; that's right. I use a flat-iron on my bangs 2 or 3 times per week.

[Allychan]

I have banished my flat iron to the bottom of the bathroom cupboard, but I am still on speaking terms with the hair dryer so long as it stays 'cool'.
It helps that I have accepted my hair is wavy not straight!

[spirals]

I have't used a blowdryer in over a year, but when I did use it with a diffusor on warm, my hair was frizzy, but not any more damaged than now. The chemical coloring is what killed it.

[hairhair]

I tried to curl my hair a while ago, but there's no point anyway: it's fickle and won't hold any shape. Except for one that has been dried in (ie. left to dry in that position).

I do occasionally blow dry on warm/cool.

[LadyCelestina]

I'll keep an eye on this thread,because it gives me the courage to straighten my hair sometimes and see how it looks ! :)

That's just what I wanted to say,I don't use heat,only - when I'm in a hurry,I blow dry the roots...

[EtherealDoll]

I use flat iron on my fringe every other day. As for the rest of my hair, I might blow dry it several times a year(usually in January, when I'm in a hurry).

[sakuraemily]

I do blowdry sometimes. Is it a bad word? I think it depends on your technique.
When the dresser dries up my hair after a cut I feel like screaming because I can feel the skin on my ears burning!
But at home, I sort of distribute the dryer through my hair as I'm drying, so it never stays in the same place for more than a second(round n round n up n down).

[Sillage]

I blow dry :)

Since I only wash my hair 2x a week, I figure I'm not doing that much damage. Mostly I blow dry because I can't stand having wet hair which seems to take forever to dry. I'd rather just get out the blow dryer and get it over with. I do use L'oreal EverStyle Smooth and Shine Creme which is supposed to help with heat protection. Seems to be working so far.

[goldloli]

Yeah blow drying here is rarely the same as what people outside lhc do. i mean brush and hold the hair taught while blasting with hairdryer on max just a cm away from the strands. unless you're using heat or doing that, it's not really heat styling, so blow drying gently on cool or warm def doesn't count.

I use flat irons and curling tongs say maybe 1x a week or fortnight. I iron my bangs about 4x per week.

I always use the lowest setting on them to try to minimize damage, dryness or the internal structure changing. This is only a development since coming to lhc. Sure it contributes to split ends and stuff, but i'm young and hang in image obsessed circles (designers, musicians, dancers, fitness people), so buns or braidwaves don't really fly, if say im going to a club. i alternate bun curls, heat styling and the occasional braided style, to gain length and health instead of ironing every day like i used to.

it's working so far, my hair is 2 inches from hip and very healthy. i did actually gain length (from bsl to waist) while flat ironing every day on high heat, but it was dryer, more splits and thinning from breakage. the bottom of my hair lost it's curl somewhat which makes it impossible to wear my natural curls in public, these limp curls is what made me switch to the low heat setting.

[irishlady]

I straighten often, and did when my hair was BSL too. It didn't damage my hair really, and I use heat protectant.

[goldloli]

I straighten often, and did when my hair was BSL too. It didn't damage my hair really, and I use heat protectant.
heat protectant doesn't really protect all that much. it's better than nothing though.

i find that heat damage was never really a problem until hair got longer. even thoug hair didnt seem damaged from straightening, 2 years later, those straightened lengths are now the bottom god knows how many inches that keep splitting and drying out no matter how much you baby. when you compare the new growth quality, suddenly you have 10 inches of heat damaged ends to microtrim out :(

[SwordWomanRiona]

I've never used a curling iron or a straightener, and I really don't wish to, I cringe before the damage - I prefer to do bandanna waves/pin curls/non-heat curling techniques. Iron curls don't last that much, anyway, or so I've heard, and I don't think heat protectant protects that much. Everyone is entitled to do with their hair what they want, though ;)!

I do blow-dry my hair with warm air, though. The roots and my hair up to shoulder-length, never the rest of the length or the ends. Not that I consider blow-drying as heat-styling, unless you use the diffuser and keep the blow-dryer very close to your hair. I always get a sore throat of I don't dry all my roots. I haven't noticed any damage from it. I keep the dryer reasonably far from the hair and move it a lot.

[T.J]

Hey everyone, sorry if this isn't relevant to the topic, but I was just wondering, when blow drying your hair, do you use some sort of brush? I have a horrible, cheap round brush, I can almost feel it snapping hairs whenever I use it, but I'm not sure what else to use. Should I just look at getting a good quality round brush (in which case, any recommendations?) or should I use something else? I need something to help actually style the hair, as just blow drying it still leaves it looking like a frizzball

[gizmocrystal]

Yes, about once or twice a year i go for a trim, blowdry and iron. and i love it!!

[cobden 28]

I don't think blow-drying does your hair any harm, it's the heated hair straighteners that damage your hair - especially if you're constantly colouring your hair as is my Uni-student daughter. Her hair looks OK from a distance but close-up it;s the consistency of straw.

Personally I never blow-dry my hair at home; I don't need to use heated straighteners because my hair is naturally straight anyway. The only time i use a blow-dryer on my hair is twice a year at the hairdresser when I have my split ends trimmed.

[blaketob]

i straighten my hair every 2 months id say. I never really think of it as something bad that I do because I used to straighten my hair almost everyday

[DarkSky]

Ha haaa I just responded on another thread about this. I'm an avid heat styler lol. These days I've been diffusing around 2x per week and I'll flat iron my hair (air dried ) once or twice a month depending on the weather and my mood. I enjoy giving my hair different looks and textures. If my hsir is getting damaged I seriously cant tell and my length is almost at hip now. I guess hair resilience varies from person to person.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I don't use a brush or comb when blowdrying my hair. I just lift up strands of hair with my fingers, and use my fingers like a comb. ( I only blowdry occasionally during the winter).

[Carolyn]

I use a blow dryer and a hot air round brush about once a week. Maybe once a month I use my flat iron. I decided a little damage was worth the fun of enjoying my hair. I'm sure everyone here is aware of the damage flat irons do and we can all make informed decisions on if or when to use them. When I wear my hair down I like it straight.

[silkreel]

I have a CHI straightener and I love mine. I don't do it everyday, maybe 1-2 a month if I'm going somewhere special (or feel extra special!) and want to go over my hair for that special, super sleek and shiny look. It just polishes it up and make my hair a literal black, straight curtain like Pocahontas! :D Everything in moderation is fine. As Carolyn said above - you can make your own, informed decisions and take your own risks - it's your hair.

[melusine963]

I blow dry my hair about 2-3 times a year, on the rare occasions I need it to be dry quickly. I gave away my straightening iron around the time I joined the LHC.