Occasional heat?

[kganihanova]

If I find a really good quality flat iron, would it be horrid for my hair if I did it for special occasions every once in a while (not more than once every 3 months)? I miss the sleek straightness...I got it done recently and I loved how it looked. I know its not doable everyday but I want to do it every so often because I enjoy it. I believe the stylist used a GHD 2 inch flat iron. I attached a pic of the flat ironed look. Failing that, is there a way I can get the same look naturally?

http://i836.photobucket.com/albums/zz285/kittykatcontradictions/DB108EB6-B51B-42BC-8A90-A5330AAE6228_zpsn53b86dq.jpg (http://s836.photobucket.com/user/kittykatcontradictions/media/DB108EB6-B51B-42BC-8A90-A5330AAE6228_zpsn53b86dq.jpg.html)

[JustPam]

I've gone back to straightening my hair occasionally, when I wear my hair totally down, it prevents my ends matting. I, like you, am somewhere in the 1s (it seems to change with the seasons) so I only really need to go over it lightly. I'm not that precious about damaging my ends since they are bleached and mechanically damaged already and are pretty much just a buffer for my virgin hair at the moment haha. I think if I feel the need to continue straightening my virgin hair once the damage is out then I will be a bit more careful, use the lowest heat and make sure I condition it well.

I also sometimes use a straightening brush with a hairdryer, it doesn't get my hair poker straight like the straightener does but it is much sleeker, especially if I add cones, I use my hairdryer at medium heat (about 60*C) for that, which is half the heat of the lowest setting on my straightener. The best heat free way of sleekifying my hair I've found is just a conventional keratin treatment from the supermarket, or plain old gelatin.

[Nique1202]

Here's the thing: it's OK, if you're willing to deal with the inevitable damage. No amount of heat protectant will save you because most of that stuff adds water as well as the "protective" silicones, and water in the hair shaft causes more problems anyway, you're usually better off starting with plain but fully dry hair. Spending $400 instead of $50 on a straightener won't necessarily save you, because the heat is what causes the protein in your hair to denature and break down over time, no matter if it's metal or ceramic or some snake oil ion coating on the ironing surface.

Some people can use flat irons after every wash and reach their goal lengths with no significant visible damage. Not everyone is so lucky. You won't know unless you try it. But if straightening your hair makes you happier with it, then do what makes you happy. If you start getting so many split ends and white dots that you're unhappy with your hemline before you're happy with the length, then you'll have to make the call as to whether it's worth it to keep your hair above that length and straight or grow longer and not have it straight as much. If you end up happy with your length before your hair shows the damage, then more power to you, but there is no way to tell until you try it, and the pros and cons are always yours to weigh.

[sarahthegemini]

If it makes you happy, straighten it if you like. Who are we to tell you that's not allowed? What I will say though is an expensive (under the guise of 'good quality ') flat iron will not damage your hair any less than a £30 flat iron. Most of that gibberish is all marketing gimmicks.

[Deborah]

Yep, that heat will damage your hair. As long as you understand that ahead of time, then if your hair ends up looking bad due to the damage, at least you made your choice knowing the facts. Folks do lots of things that damage their hair. Sometimes the damage shows up in an awful way. Sometimes a person's hair will not show the damage much, so doing what they want to it may make it worth it. People use bleach and harsh dyes. They henna, then try to remove it in various ways. They back-comb to achieve height, etc.

It's all up to you to decide how much risk you are willing to take to get a look that you want.

[lapushka]

Yes you will inevitably get white dots throughout the lengths of the hair, sooner or later. Just be on the lookout for those and re-assess after your first few sessions.

[Nadine <3]

It probably will damage your hair, but if it makes you happy go for it. life is way too short to always be somewhat unhappy with you hair. Just don't use the highest settings and condition well.

Every once in awhile I like to use a blow dryer while hanging my head upside down and brushing it. Then I *GASP* use hair spray to get a lot of volume in my roots. Does this damage my hair? Probably, but it makes me look hella fierce. I just baby it after I'm done being glamorous.

[ashyash]

It looks beautiful! However, I agree that with continued straightening, your hair will be increasingly damaged. If you like it, I don't see the harm in occasional straightening though--it's your hair to enjoy! :-)

[Aingeal]

I straighten my hair once a month usually. It helps me to see where I'm at, and I just like to do it. I also take very good care of my hair (my stylist hasn't wanted to trim it in six months, and that says a lot). I say do it if you want! You may not be able to go a year without trims, but I'd rather have fun with it and be happy. I spent an entire year (2013-2014) doing nothing to my hair but putting it up in buns and oiling it. I got bored. Enjoy your hair. :)

[meteor]

Heat is, no doubt, damaging (*) , but of course the choice is yours. :) Not everyone will use heat the same way, at the same temperature and with the same frequency, number of passes, and there will be other factors (hair's condition, hair strand diameter, heat protectants, etc) that will influence the degree of damage one can accumulate from heat.

About the different kinds of heat protectants: according to this study, "dry" (not containing water) heat protectants might be more effective:
The effects of water on heat-styling damage. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21443842

Light microscopy studies showed greater structural damage to hair treated with water and the "wet" spray. Tensile tests confirmed that there was greater damage to hair treated with the "wet" spray. [...] In dry hair, thermal treatments cause chemical damage and some structural damage. However, in wet hair, thermal treatments cause the same chemical damage, but considerably more structural damage, which causes significant changes in the physical properties of the hair. It is likely that the rapid evaporation of water from the hair is the main causal factor.
The study was done with ethanol-based heat protectants as "dry" protection, but there are many anhydrous heat protectants based on silicones (usually with some volatile silicones), without alcohol, as well.
Also, heat styling wet or damp hair increases the risk of so-called "bubble hair" (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GkQ08Dsvo30/TPOAWpOvOgI/AAAAAAAAAvE/ysWOYlUeqYA/s1600/bubble+hair.png) (bubble-like areas in the hair shaft with gas-containing cavitations in the hair shaft, which can be seen with light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8277032, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22223976, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7857849, so please wait for the hair to dry completely first. These are also the areas where "white dots" can occur - nodes of weakened structure along the strand that can later break off.


About the different kinds of flat irons... say, ceramic vs. tourmaline vs. titanium... frankly, I don't know about major differences, except that some of them can heat up to a higher degree than others and some of them are made of material that heat up faster or hold heat longer or make heat "transfer" more uniformly (presumably, that's also what heat protectants help with), but I don't see how any of them can be really better. But I haven't really researched this matter, since I avoid heat altogether.

As alternative ways of straightening hair, I'd recommend looking into:
- combing out hair as you are air-drying it or blow-drying it on cool/warm setting with the nozzle pointed down, to help "flatten" the cuticle;
- experimenting with damp setting in hair wraps ("doobie" wraps) and the "kardoune" method (wrapping the length of the ponytail tightly in a tight ribbon);
- using serums and conditioners with lots of silicones, some hydrolyzed proteins (esp. keratin and silk), oils, DIY gelatin mask... many conditioners that will be useful for this will be marketed as "anti-frizz", "smoothing", "straightening", etc;
- wrapping hair with silk/satin scarf/bonnet when sleeping and when drying hair in your cold-set.

And if you must use heat, go with the lowest heat setting and no more than one quick pass for each section on dry hair with heat "protectant" on it. Ideally, heat-style only after washing to set it in style only once (until next wash) and then preserve that style, so you don't have to touch up with heat again (preserve the style by sleeping on silk/satin, bunning carefully and covering hair with a silk scarf overnight, oiling and using other occlusives in humidity, etc). HTH! :flower:


(* If anybody is interested, here is some research on heat damage under different conditions:

Thermal degradation of hair. I. Effect of curling ironing: http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc1998/cc049n04/p00223-p00244.pdf

Effect of thermal treatments with a curling iron on hair fiber: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15037918; http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2004/cc055n01/p00013-p00027.pdf

The effect of various cosmetic pretreatments on protecting hair from thermal damage by hot flat ironing: http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2011/cc062n02/p00265-p00282.pdf

Thermal degradation of hair. II. Effect of selected polymers and surfactants: http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc1998/cc049n04/p00245-p00256.pdf

More info can be found here: http://www.dermnetnz.org/hair-nails-sweat/hair-shaft-defects.html)

[Kwantslonghair]

It will do some damage. Blow drying and curling iron is too but I do it once a week anyway. I generally take good care of my hair and I don't fret over styling it

[Lauraes]

I used to heat style my hair 5 days a week for years and it didn't destroy my hair. I've definitely gotten some irreversible damage from it that will be there until it's cut out, but a lot of the damage is from permanent dyes I used to use +4 times a year and just bad hair care in general. :shrug:

I think that if you take good care of your hair otherwise, and it's resilient enough, heat styling a couple of times a year shouldn't be something you have to refrain from. :) Do what makes you happy!

[kganihanova]

:D shopping time!

[kganihanova]

I straighten my hair once a month usually. It helps me to see where I'm at, and I just like to do it. I also take very good care of my hair (my stylist hasn't wanted to trim it in six months, and that says a lot). I say do it if you want! You may not be able to go a year without trims, but I'd rather have fun with it and be happy. I spent an entire year (2013-2014) doing nothing to my hair but putting it up in buns and oiling it. I got bored. Enjoy your hair. :)

What iron do you use?

[AJNinami]

I think it all depends on how strong and well-cared for your hair is. My mane doesn't do well at all with chemical dyes, brushing, or heat styling. I only heat styled maybe once a year and the results definitely showed on my hair. But then again, I wasn't taking very good care of it. Like Lauraes said, you will have to take very good care of your hair and know your hair's limits.

[kganihanova]

I think it all depends on how strong and well-cared for your hair is. My mane doesn't do well at all with chemical dyes, brushing, or heat styling. I only heat styled maybe once a year and the results definitely showed on my hair. But then again, I wasn't taking very good care of it. Like Lauraes said, you will have to take very good care of your hair and know your hair's limits.

I actually don't know how my hair reacts. I've had done twice in three years- all at salon trims. I like how it looks, I've just never done it myself.

[yahirwaO.o]

I say its totally ok to use straightners once in awhile!!!! :D I flat iron my hair about once or twice every month and my hair looks and feels nice. Just make sure to deep condition, baby treat like delicate thing afterwards and damp bun it or braid it to retain moisture. My hair is naturally smooth and borderline straight, but flat iron sleekness and polished look is different and all worthy for me! Sectioning, thermal protecting and one or two passes is enough for me.

Like other said, I lived for years in oiled braids and buns, my life just felt miserable and boring! :knuckle: I like being happy with my hair and not living to please it! Still I have my own perfect balance between hot styling and respecting its own great nature.

[cathair]

I think it just depends how long you want your hair to be. I think one of the reasons my ends are so thin is they are from the time when I did straighten my hair. If you want waist length hair, then it probably won't make much difference. If you want knee length hair it will probably hold you back.