Questions for people who (used to) heat style often

[LadyCelestina]

Here it comes - How often did you/do you heatstyle?
Did you have any visible damage?
If yes,how long did it take for it to show up (cca)?
Does using a heat protectant make any difference?
What should I expect if I plan to use flat /crimping/curling iron on virgin bangs from time to time? More trims,less manageability,breakage?


I cut in bangs earlier this year,but the only styling I did on it was an occasional blow drying.I have an old flat iron which I never really used and would like to play with it a little,but don't want to burn my bangs off or something.I'm not planning on growing them out any longer than chin,ever.Or at least not in the near future.So I figure that means trims frequent enough to trim away any splits.But I sort of think that heat damage doesn't show up on the ends only,because well you are using it on more than just the ends,no?So something has to happen with the rest of the hair,too.

I'm willing to step back if damage from heat styling makes the hair less manageable...I don't want to HAVE to use heat on my bangs,I just want to have fun for a while.

[Nev]

I used to heat style all of my hair almost daily before LHC (hairdryer, straightener/curler), and the damage was noticeable quickly. I haven't tried too many heat protectants but they do help the final result look better, I don't know how much they've actually helped with protecting.
I still do heat style (blowdry and flat iron) my side bangs almost everyday. I haven't noticed any damage because I trim my bangs every 3 weeks about.
btw I would not recommend ever using a crimper, super damaging.

[DarkCurls]

How often did you/do you heatstyle?
I used to (pretty heavily) flatiron my hair after a shower (... not always waiting until it was completely dry), and then I'd do a couple more light passes the next morning. So pretty much one heavy session to get it straight, then "refreshing" the look quickly every morning until I washed my hair again (usually every 2-3 days back then).

Did you have any visible damage?
Not visible, exactly. More like feelable (that's not a word, is it?). It may have been a little frizzy, but it always is. It was shinier than it is now, too (straighter hair seems to reflect light better, in my experience anyway). You couldn't really see it.
It felt different than it feels now, though. Less soft, and much dryer. I had (tons of) splits. Feeling my hair now, I really sense the difference, but at the time it didn't bother me.

If yes,how long did it take for it to show up?
Can't help, I can't remember when I started using heat. It depends on how often you heat style?

Does using a heat protectant make any difference?
I always used heat protectant, but straightening every day was never going to be damage-free even with the best heat protectant out there.

What should I expect if I plan to use flat /crimping/curling iron on virgin bangs from time to time? More trims,less manageability,breakage?
If it's only your bangs, I think a curling iron or a flatiron (I can't say anything about a crimping iron, I've never tried) would be all right, actually. Because bangs are usually trimmed quite frequently, and since they're short, when they grow out the hair is "replaced" more quickly. I honestly wouldn't worry.

[Firefox7275]

The thing with blow frying is that it's not just the heat that can damage, it's overdrying and repeatedly brushing your hair when in the wet vulnerable state. These are nice little gadgets, they 'grip' the hair well yet slip out easily without disturbing hair or bristles dislodging the protective cuticles.
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2011/08/blow-drying-reduces-moisture-in-hair.html
http://www.sallybeauty.com/curl-brush/NEWAVE1,default,pd.html

The ends are older so will be more damaged because they are heat styled more often than the roots and have been subjected to more 'weathering'. Even one session can cause irreparable damage depending on the temperature you use. Direct heat on even slightly damp hair can cause 'bubble hair' so ideally only curling iron or flat iron hair that was washed and dried the previous day. Silicone based heat protectant is proven effective to an extent, it can reduce heat damage and reduce friction damage.
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2009/05/straightening-factshow-hot-is-too-hot.html
http://pgbeautyscience.com/bubble-hair.php

[Vampyria]

Here it comes - How often did you/do you heatstyle?
I flat ironed my hair every week, sometimes more often.

Did you have any visible damage?
Yes breakage, split ends, frizzy, stiff hair.

If yes, how long did it take for it to show up (cca)?
I don'r remember, since my hair was extremely dry and damage prone, and I treated it horrible in more ways than one.

Does using a heat protectant make any difference?
For me it didn't really.

What should I expect if I plan to use flat /crimping/curling iron on virgin bangs from time to time? More trims,less manageability,breakage?
Depends on how your hair deals with heat, but in general I agree with DarkCurls.

[Oksana]

How often did you/do you heatstyle?
I straightened my hair everyday, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day :rolleyes:

Did you have any visible damage?
My hair didn't grow past my shoulders, terrible frizz, split, dry and thin ends.

If yes, how long did it take for it to show up?
I didn't really realise how bad my hair was until I became heat free and chopped off all the damage.

Does using a heat protectant make any difference?
No noticeable difference.

What should I expect if I plan to use flat /crimping/curling iron on virgin bangs from time to time? More trims,less manageability,breakage?
In the last 3 years I have straightened my hair a few times. I made sure that I used the heat tool on the lowest heat and for the shortest time possible for the style. I then gave my hair lost of TLC for weeks afterwards. I still noticed some dryness despite this but my hair is baby fine.

[shutterpillar]

How often did you/do you heatstyle?
I have been heat free on my length for over a year now, but before that, I used to heat style my hair with a flat iron at least two times a week. Often times it was more frequently in the winter because I was cold with letting my hair air dry, so I would blast it with a blow dryer on high, then crank up the flat iron and try to get rid of the frizz that resulted from blow drying. :rolleyes:

Did you have any visible damage?
Most of my visible damage is from the heat styling. Box dye does not do much harm to my hair (except for when I dyed it red... that hurt it a lot. I'm not sure if it was the brand of dye or what...) but my hair reacts in a very bad way to heat styling. I used to have so many white dots and broken hairs because of it. Thankfully, my taking proper care of my hair and giving up the heat has helped it exponentially, though I am still waiting for the remainder of the heat damage to grow out.

If yes,how long did it take for it to show up (cca)?
I have used heat since I was a teenager, and I thought the horrible texture was just how my hair was - possibly change due to the hormones in my body changing. Now that I am heat free, I know that is not the case. So for me, the damage from the heat showed up immediately.

Does using a heat protectant make any difference?
I never really used one, so I cannot accurately answer this question.

What should I expect if I plan to use flat /crimping/curling iron on virgin bangs from time to time? More trims,less manageability,breakage?
I used to blow dry my bangs on low last summer and on through the winter, but never used a flat iron on them. I have not noticed any damage now that they are growing out. That could be different if you are using a flat iron on them... I have no idea. :shrug: If it is just from time to time and on low heat, then I think they will be ok. Especially if you plan to keep trimming them. What worries me is using a curler or straightener on them a few times a week. That's why I only used a blow dryer set to low.

[dulce]

Years ago,I used to have a shoulder length bob,I have wavy hair,I washed and conditioned daily,blew dry then added a heat protectant then flat ironed,6 months later my hair was a frizzy mess,even flat ironing couldn't hide the short broken hairs all over.I stopped all of that.I got a lot of damage over time and the heat protectant didn't stop that.I never use my flat iron or blowdryer anymore.

[chen bao jun]

I used to use a flat iron one to three times a week some years ago, quit and grew it out and thenI had my hair flatironed again about 2x a month from January to May 2012, just before I joined this forum, professionally done.
I used heat protectant and so did my hairdresser.
My hair did not appear to be damaged. However, it also never 'grew' past my shoulders, though I had had bra strap length hair in the past. I now realize I had serious breakage but did not know it as my hair is very thick and looked full and healthy, and I don't easily get split ends.
Actually, the hairdresser pointing out that I had a lot of split ends and needed a trim in May was what stopped me flatironing and had me running to the internet where I found this forum. I not only knew I never usually had split ends, but she had also said to me when I went 'back' to her in January 2012 that I had the healthiest hair she had ever seen, no split ends, no issues (after 12 years of virgin hair. though to tell the truth, it was not half as nice as it is now after 1 year of LHC). So I knew that the flat ironing was destroying my hair. It was the only thing that had changed. She 'had' to cut a good two inches of split ends off in May 2012.
You might get away with heat styling just your bangs if you keep cutting the damage off, but I don't believe anyone can heat style their hair regularly without damage. I think people just don't realize their hair is damaged because it can still be 'long' by current standards, which is not really that long. I have coarse, strong and resilient hair. I can chemically perm it and blow dry and flat iron it once a week (I've done that before) and still have hair that looks immensely thick and is between APL and bra strap that people call 'long' and even dressers call 'healthy' but it would never grow past bra strap and I would need it cut all the time for it to look nice. so it depends on what you want, I think.