Does anyone here use heat regularly?

[ImEffie]

Hello,

It has been a year and a half since I sworn off using heat on my hair, & I can't take it anymore :thud:. I've been keeping my hair up and its growing & in great condition, but I can't help but feel like I am not enjoying it. I wish I could straighten it or curl it & not worry about damage. So, does anyone here use heat?

Would it damage my hair to use heat (flat iron) once a week?
What are your tips and tricks to lessen the damage?

[spidermom]

For a terminal length goal, it is best to use no heat. Heat leads to damage which causes breakage.

Personally, I got tired of long hair (tailbone) that could only be styled in braids or buns and now wear mine shorter (layered V-cut from BSL at the sides to waist in the back). Now I blow-dry and/or use hot curlers to my heart's content. I don't particularly like the flat-ironed appearance anymore; looks flat and lifeless to me now (but used to love it).

[sumidha]

Short answer; yes, it does damage your hair every time you use excessive heat on it, no matter what products you use.

Long answer; it depends on your hair length goals. If your hair grows fast enough, and your goal length is short enough, you can probably pamper, trim off the damage as it grows out, and maintain a reasonably nice length. If your goal is classic and beyond... Probably not gonna happen, unless you've got some serious super-hair. :)

[alishaxmarie]

You can straighten or curl your hair without using heat. Cute Girls Hairstyles on youtube has lots of curling methods and I heard wrapping works to straighten it out but idt there are very many straightening methods in comparison to curling methods.

[TheWhiteRabbit]

Any heat is going to cause damage, that is a no brainer. However, if you want to do it and are willing to do the maintenance to maintain your hair health, why not. Nothing a trim cant fix. My friend uses heat daily and does a 1/2 inch trim every 5 weeks. Hers looks pretty good for how much heat she uses, though she loses all her growth.

[Ambystoma]

I think that once a week is quite a lot, especially if you're going for terminal. I think of myself as "someone who uses heat" and I only whip out the flatiron once every couple of months :laugh:. For curls and polished looking styles I find heat free curling methods give me much better results than I ever got with curling tongs (they actually stay in for days instead of needing a pile of hairspray to still have some life by the end of the night) - and you can replicate every single non stick-straight style you see on the red carpet/catwalk with the right roller set - even if going to bed in curlers makes you feel a little silly :)

For straightening, you could try adapting Dominican salon methods to be no heat. I doobie wrap my hair to get a nice mostly straight but with a little bounce type style, but since you're curlier than me, you could try setting it on jumbo rollers first to relax it, then wrapping to relax it more if it doesn't come out straight enough with just wrapping alone.

The way that I minimise heat damage from straightening is to wrap first so that it's "pre-straightened", then use a protectant spray, then go over each section with only one quick pass with the iron turned to the lowest heat setting, which realistically, is still going to cause a little damage so I think that the less you do it the better, but at the same time, you've got to enjoy your hair too!

[ImEffie]

My hair is 3a/3b, I can't get it to stay straight /have a defined curl pattern without heat.

I want the length, but I am having second thoughts because I don't seem to enjoy the process of growing it out. I'm trying to find a happy medium, so I'm planning to use heat once a week (a flat iron on the lowest setting). I used to straighten every 2-4 days but I never passed APL until I stopped using heat. I haven't trimmed in a year and a half (I mostly S&D), but I guess I'll have to trim the damage.

[ImEffie]

The rollers seem like a good idea. I think I'll try it first.Thank you for the suggestions

[HintOfMint]

I believe Luxepiggy posted an article about the heat threshold for damaging hair. Apparently, there's a temperature limit and below that limit, heat doesn't damage hair. I'm sure YMMV and all, but I'm not sure if flat irons at a low temperature work at straightening.

Beyond those considerations (which I haven't tested myself), regular heatstyling once a week isn't likely to be sustainable for very long hair. Flat irons in particular are quite damaging.

You should do what makes you happy but be reasonable about your goals. I'm lucky in that I can achieve the texture I like through damp bunning. By that same token, I'm the last person to say "embrace your natural texture!" as if it's the easiest thing in the world.

[tbonita]

Argh I just posted an it got erased. When you do heat style maybe try a protective spray? I do not heat style except for the occasional light blow dry maybe 1-2x per month, but a hair dresser friend recommended these.

[fairview]

Damage from hot tools comes not so much from the tool but how it is used - excessive heat, improper type of thermal protectant/thermal protectant not being used, and trusting the thermostat.

1. Start low and increase heat slowly until the desired results are obtained. On a regular basis start low again and work up to the lowest setting needed.
2. Not using a heat protectant is self explanatory but not many think of the type of protectant used. We would never think of using a flat/curling iron on wet or damp hair yet using a pumper type product does exactly that. Aerosol thermal go with dry hair and hot tools. Water based spritzer products go with wet hair, round brush and a blow dryer.
3. I keep a wad of toilet tissue at my work station with the plys separated. I don't care if the iron is still warm from the prior use, when the tool comes back to temp I will always insert a single ply of tissue between the jaws/clip and barrel for a few seconds. The T-stat in these tools is the cheapest component of anything. It is how a manufacturer makes the price point.

The second consideration is the type of hair you have. Do you have silk or denim. Most Europeans have what I call silk type hair. It doesn't take a lot of anything until porosity at the ends start showing up. Just using the wrong brush or comb can cause damage. On the polar opposite is denim. Think of women from India and the beautiful long hair they have. Their hair for the most part is nearly indestructible. It really has to be abused for some time to start showing damage.

It's not the tools themselves that cause the damage but how they are used/ not used correctly, if the correct thermal products are being used and the durability of the hair itself and if the proper post maintenance treatments are in the budget.

[Eliska]

All right, I'll piggyback into this thread - what sort of protectant would you recommend for blowdrying? I am a total amateur at blowdrying my hair (I don't even own one, as I love my curls the way they are!), but when I go swimming at the gym in the winter, I kinda feel like I have to dry it before I leave if I don't want my hair to freeze off on my way home.

[CurlyCap]

My hair is 3a/3b, I can't get it to stay straight /have a defined curl pattern without heat.

I want the length, but I am having second thoughts because I don't seem to enjoy the process of growing it out. I'm trying to find a happy medium, so I'm planning to use heat once a week (a flat iron on the lowest setting). I used to straighten every 2-4 days but I never passed APL until I stopped using heat. I haven't trimmed in a year and a half (I mostly S&D), but I guess I'll have to trim the damage.

You can totally get it straight(er) without heat. It just takes a lot of work and patience. I'd start with wet setting and move on from there. You might also want to read through this thread:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=85483

My vote is totally to try to go minimum heat and straighten heat free when you get "the itch". I have lots of friends who have similar hair types and have been growing as long as I have, but they lose all their progress to the trims needed from heat styling. Heat-free straightening works, lasts until the next co-wash, and is completely non-damaging. Win-win.

[MandyBeth]

I'm in the 1c/2a realm.

Yes, I use my flat iron on my vangs most days. Since I'm cutting them back every other week, damage is not an issue.

Rest of my hair - if it's below freezing, I will get more damage going out with wet hair than from my blow dryer on warm (can hold still over inside wrist for 30+ seconds comfortably - I'm holding it further away from my hair and moving it) but it isn't the no damage option either.

Heat free curls and smoothing take practice, but last better and look nicer frequently.

[tbonita]

All right, I'll piggyback into this thread - what sort of protectant would you recommend for blowdrying? I am a total amateur at blowdrying my hair (I don't even own one, as I love my curls the way they are!), but when I go swimming at the gym in the winter, I kinda feel like I have to dry it before I leave if I don't want my hair to freeze off on my way home.

There are tons at Sally's - just ask around and read labels - but a couple great natural heat protectors are grapeseed oil and argan oil :)

[Sillage]

I believe Luxepiggy posted an article about the heat threshold for damaging hair. Apparently, there's a temperature limit and below that limit, heat doesn't damage hair.

I'm so grateful to Luxepiggy for posting that study. I've been blowdrying my hair on low for the past year every time I wash and I have yet to see any damage.

[Arciela]

I have been heat free for years now. After the incident where I lost a TON of hair due to bleach, heat (daily) etc...I won't touch it ever again! My hair now when it dries naturally looks better then it ever did when I used heat so I am happy with that :flower:

[Avital88]

In my opinion once a week is too much if you want to keep your hair healthy and growing. I used to straighten my hair every 3 days too and then stopped cold turkey. My hair finally started growing from mbl to waist. But then I missed flatironing and started using it once a week, again damage.
Now every time I straighten I see damage so I limit myself to once a 6 months now. Heat is damage no matter what

[JessicaAnn]

I grew my hair out to waist in about 34 months using a flat iron on parts of it several times a week, blow drying it at least once a week, and when I cut off 12 inches here recently to donate we inspected the ponytails and only found three white dots and one split end. I hadn't had a trim, save for my bangs, in six months to that point and I know I was using a lot more heat on it recently to style it. I will be the first to admit that my hair is unusually resilient and tolerant of abuse, but unless your hair is super fragile I think you could baby your hair in other ways, use heat to get the style you want and still grow long hair. Now is it going to be just like completely heat free "virgin" hair? Probably not, but it could easily still be very nice, long, manageable hair.

I love having long hair, and one of the things I love about it is being able to wear it the ways I want to. That could mean air drying and letting the natural wave take over, straightening it for a sleek look, or putting hot rollers in it for some awesome big hair fun. Its your hair, have fun with it. Just keep an eye on it and see how it is reacting to the styling you are doing and back it off if you feel like you're doing a lot of damage.

[velorutionista]

I blow dry in the winter, maybe 1-2 times a week (I don't like going out in freezing cold with wet hair, so I dry up the roots so they're just damp, and let the length air dry from there). It may slow me down eventually in the length department, but it's worth not freezing my head off all winter! It probably depends on how resilient your hair is, and how much heat you're using...as others have said, you can always back off if it seems like your hair isn't doing well with it.

[ositarosita]

I use heat and I'm not ashamed .... I only use heat AFTER I clarify or chelate, followed by an intense deep condition, let my hair air dry THEN I apply my heat protectant. I use a 100% ceramic flat iron (one 'n only argan flat iron).. I keep my flat iron on a temperature that is hot enough to straighten each section in ONE pass, I will not go over my hair more than once.. I will not wash my within twenty four hours of straightening it, typically when I do use heat I leave it in that state for as long as possible... I will for go washes and get my hair to be as greasy as possible for as long as possible for one simple reason, for my sebum to travel down the length and do it's thing. That's my flat iron routine I hope it helps .. oh and before I forget as for splits etc CAUSED by heat.. I've had a total of about 3 splits (that I've seen) in the past year

[AmyBeth]

We won't have you arrested and thrown in the clinker for using heat:). Do what you want. My hair is super fine and fragile. The last time I let a hairdresser use a heated appliance on it, I noticed an uptick in the splits and white dots during S&D sessions for several months, so I won't do it anymore. I want the longest hair possible MORE than I want "styled" hair. You have to make your choice. Someone on this forum wrote that if you think you can spray something on hair to protect it from heat, try it with your hand. If I cut to BSL or shorter, I could use heat, trim often and have fun with styling. BSL is still long!

[bunnylake]

I just cut my hair into a short bob, and the ends on one side flip outward if I don't blowdry them under! D: I love the way it looks and feels though, and that's what matters for me right now. I'm actually new to this whole blow dry styling thing... I bought a good round brush from Sally's but I'd like to find some recommendations on heat protectants and maybe a light hold hair spray. :)

[snakes&stuff]

I quit using heat over a year ago, but before that I would blow dry & flat iron daily. I used fantasia heat protector straightening serum with good results. Heat is still damaging no matter what you do, but Fantasia works very well. Cheap & you an get it right at Walmart.