HELP: Curling iron just ruined my hair

[sylviekstn]

Hello everyone,

I have extremely fine hair that is prone to breakage. My temples never grow longer than 5 inches and my hair is overall very thin. I cut it short two years ago (ear-level) and decided to quit dyeing, sulphates, silicones etc. I use a silk pillowcase & hair ties and never brush my hair wet. I get trims every 3 months. My hair is now 4 inches below shoulders and three weeks ago it was in beautiful condition - at least on my standards.


Then on Valentine's day, I decided to curl my hair with a curling iron. I washed the hair, let it dry completely, applied a heat protectant (that did not include silicones though) and used the heat of 140-160 Celsius. I kept the curling iron on each section for max 5 seconds. I even washed the curls off the same night to protect my hair from friction during the night.


After a couple of days, I noticed that my hair had broken EVERYWHERE - especially on the line where I keep a ponytail. The breakage is very uneven and visible due to my thin hair. I've used conditioning masks, oils, and Olaplex almost every day but nothing seem to help. I would not like to cut it short again because I enjoyed my long hair so dearly.


I would like to hear your opinions on how is this possible? I haven't used heat on my hair in over 10 years to protect it and then after ONE time, it is completely ruined. Apart from the breakage, the texture changed from silky straight to frizzy curly.


I have consulted my hairdresser but even he did not know what has happened. If you have any suggestions to help me I would be so glad to hear them. This has been very saddening for me and I feel hopeless.

Thank you for your help.

https://i.imgur.com/t3emMP0l.jpg

[sumidha]

Is it an old curling iron? It's possible that the mechanism that controls the temperature malfunctioned. Also, some hair just can't take any heat. :(

So sorry your hair is messed up, it might come back with more babying... And for what it's worth, it doesn't look completely ruined to me.

[frostedeyes]

I’m so sorry. I know how tough it is seeing breakage. But honestly, it doesn’t look too bad to me.

[sylviekstn]

Thank you for your kind words!

Actually, the curling iron was brand new and it is even ceramic coated. The temperature almost didn't curl my hair as I used it so low so I think it is not the iron's fault. The heat protectant didn't include silicones and that is my main suspect. Though it is well reviewed.

I cannot believe how I can mess my healthy hair by using heat only once! I don't even blow dry my hair. So frustrating.

[spitfire511]

Hi sylviekstn and welcome.

As sumidha said - 1 - so sorry this happened. 2 - some hair just can't take any heat. Mine does not tolerate heat very well or harsh styling products (like hair spray) - and it's really counter-productive when you're trying to grow regardless.

So once damage shows, nothing is going to 'fix' it. (though a coney serum can make it look and feel better - cones aren't the devil around here - I use them all the time, I just clarify accordingly.) That doesn't mean you have to go chop either, in fact most everyone here would encourage you to grow through it if you can! (and I agree with sumidha here too - from what you've shown, it doesn't look that bad...)

If you look around here much, ponytails are generally discouraged because they do cause mechanical damage - especially if they are in the same place every time. So the hair already being weak from where routine pony's are - combined with heat could cause breakage. At least that's what I'd suspect if it's showing up as you say where your ponytail usually resides.

It's also possible that if you used another styling product (hairspray or similar?) you need to clarify (even people who don't use cones needs to clarify sometimes depending on their hair.

In your shoes (and MANY of us have been there!) I'd start looking into protective styles that don't require a pony, possibly clarify and troubleshoot (do a strand test to see if you might need protein or more moisture). And then go for some benign neglect. Let it rest. Don't try to do a whole bunch of things to it to fix it. Put it up in a bun or other updo (I personally wouldn't do braids if it's feeling very fragile, but that's just me) and let it go. Make sure you're stretching your washes, and caring for it and let it grow!

[lapushka]

If there are white dots up the strands, those are heat damage. Might be from previous years (I don't know how you treated your hair then) that has yet to grow out. And yes, one time can be one time too many.

If you have those white dots (they will cause the hair to hang at a 90° angle) and you manipulate the hair say into a ponytail that can cause faster breakage, otherwise, if you leave your hair out, they can hang on for quite some time.

Welcome to the forum, BTW. :)

[*Wednesday*]

I stopped using the curling iron 2+ years. My hair is fine as well. If you want safer heat curls, perhaps hot rollers. Also sponge/wet sets are good too. Not instant but worth it.

[sylviekstn]

Thank you so much for your kind help everyone! My dream is to grow long healthy hair and I’m so sad that this happened. Why did I had to curl my hair anyway?

Spitfire511: Thank you so much for your input - I really appreciate it! I use clarifying shampoo (should be gentle that is based on sea salt) every two weeks even though I don’t use that much styling products on my hair. My only concert is that is it possible to grow hair that has broken?

lapushka: Some ends has white dots, some just looking weak and thin. I actually had an awful hair thinning a few years back and it has finally ended.

[sylviekstn]

Also, what I forgot to mention: it is the weirdest thing that the hair is suddenly wavy and now. There are strands that are still trying to curl. I guess there has been some damage in the bonds - probably hydrogen? Is this texture damage just temporary and can I fix it with moisture (or protein)? I did the strand test and it snapped rather quickly.

[spitfire511]

Spitfire511: Thank you so much for your input - I really appreciate it! I use clarifying shampoo (should be gentle that is based on sea salt) every two weeks even though I don’t use that much styling products on my hair. My only concert is that is it possible to grow hair that has broken?


YES! You can't see it but I have damage right now! All the pieces of mine that look blondish have sun damage and I have to really baby! I refer people to this article (http://web.archive.org/web/20120122064345/http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79)all the time by nightshade because I feel it's very hopeful, and she has one of the most gorgeous heads of hair around IMHO.

So when I clarify - I use a cheap drugstore clarifying sulfate shampoo (like suave) - I use it probably ever 4-5 washes because I use cones - but against logic - sometimes we need to strip the hair down, even if we're only using oils and etc (which can still build up) so that it can absorb the good stuff we are giving it. Don't underestimate deep conditions treatments regularly either... however I seriously recommend a strand test - I was having HUGE problems recently and turned out I needed protein and had no idea.

Don't know what might 'help' (clarifying, protein moisture etc) but it's worth a little very careful experimenting!

[sylviekstn]

spitfire 511: Thanks a million for that link! I studied it carefully and got so much new information. Still really not sure what my hair actually needs - moisture or protein. I have this Nexxus protein reconstructor but I haven't used it as I'm afraid that if my hair won't need it, it will just cut more off. Maybe I will test it out on a smaller section first :-)

[spitfire511]

Hey Sylviekstn - so take a couple of shed hairs and wet them. Then wrap around your fingers and pull gently but firmly. If they snap right off, it’s just moisture you need. If they stretch a little but will return to basically as before you have a good balance right now and should keep doing what you’re doing. If they stretch a lot then break, then you need protein. Just make sure you’ve really clarified before any protein treatments! You want to start on hair that is clean with no oils etc!

[sylviekstn]

Hi spitfire511, thank you for your message! I did the strand test and in snapped rather immediately. Also as you can see in the photo, the broken part also split. My hair is dull, frizzy, suddenly curly and feels very, very light. I think the heat damaged the cuticle and all the moisture escaped from the cortex? I wish I could just repair the moisture balance to prevent further damage.

https://i.imgur.com/b3awZWB.jpg

[sylviekstn]

Whoops, sorry for the huge photo!

[Ylva]

The photo isn't particularly huge at all, not problematically so. :)

Maybe you'll want to give SMT a shot? https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128

[spitfire511]

The photo isn't particularly huge at all, not problematically so. :)

Maybe you'll want to give SMT a shot? https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128

Yes! This! SMT is amazing. It’s in the stickies at the top of the forum I believe? (I’m on mobile right now or would link it for you. SnowyMoons Treatment. You can restore moisture. Might take a couple of treatments and some patience but you can :)

[sylviekstn]

Hi Ylva and spitfire511, thank you, I will definitely give it a go! I think I have all the ingredients, but I'm just wondering if the Aloe gel is right for this purpose (Benton, Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel):

"Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (80%), PropolisiExtract (10%), Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Arginine, Allantoin, Betaine, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Chamomilla Recutital (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl AcrylateiCross Polymer, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon), Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract."

Any alarming ingredients?

[Ylva]

Hi Ylva and spitfire511, thank you, I will definitely give it a go! I think I have all the ingredients, but I'm just wondering if the Aloe gel is right for this purpose (Benton, Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel):

"Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (80%), PropolisiExtract (10%), Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Arginine, Allantoin, Betaine, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Chamomilla Recutital (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl AcrylateiCross Polymer, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon), Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract."

Any alarming ingredients?

Even though it's not pure aloe gel, it looks very nice! :) It has a lot of other things your hair should like, too. Nothing alarming in there!

[cjk]

Actually, the curling iron was brand new and it is even ceramic coated.

Brand new doesn't mean it was functioning properly. It's unlikely, but stranger things have happened.


The temperature almost didn't curl my hair as I used it so low so I think it is not the iron's fault. The heat protectant didn't include silicones and that is my main suspect. Though it is well reviewed.

I mention compatibility often. It not only has to work, it has to work for you. Too many variables.

So sorry to hear what happened. As others have said, white spots are heat damage, so it's definite.

Have you considered contacting the companies that made the iron and the protectant? Something failed, somewhere, and if nothing else they might offer some form of recompense.

[Lizabeth94]

Hang in there! Don't feel like you have to cut it due to damage if you don't want to. There's nothing wrong with having long AND damaged hair. If I ever do succeed in growing my own hair out despite my migraines, I guarantee my hair will have tons of chemical damage by the time it reaches my goal length of waist (I'm a swim instructor). Maybe just put it in a braid with a hair friendly tie at the ends? I would throw out that curling iron, something may be wrong with it, or perhaps your hair just can't take any heat. There are plenty of overnight heatless curl methods out there! Large rollers worked great for me in the past, but kinda hard to sleep in so I only used those on special occasions. :rolleyes:

[enting]

Welcome! A tiny bit of oil or serum or gel smoothed over the hair might help tame the frizzies. If your hair is snapping really easily, is it possible that simply the act of bending the hair in the curling iron even if it were off could have broken hairs? Is that a crazy idea? If you're still using Olaplex I might lay off for a little bit and focus on moisture for a bit.

I agree with trying to use something other than a ponytail to hold back your hair. My hairs are more resilient than yours but I've nearly completely stopped using anything elastic in my hair because they cause breakage on my hair. (I'll use the tiny silicon elastics for braid ends, but I do that fully knowing that it will damage my ends over time. I won't use elastics any higher up though, I'm not willing to have that damage higher up.)

I don't think it looks bad at all, but then I don't have a picture of your hair before the damage to compare to. My hair gets pretty fuzzy, so some amount of it seems normal to me on other people too simply because it's what I'm used to on me.

I'd probably just work on moisture and emollients and wait it out. The broken hairs will still grow. You may want to do a bit of S&D to trim off noticeably damaged and split ends on individual hairs at some point, but the hairs themselves will continue to grow, no worries about that. This is just a temporary setback, you can still keep growing your hair and having it get healthier as you learn more about what it needs.

[lapushka]

Yes try a peacock twist with a nice claw clip, instead of a ponytail; anything that can avoid tugging at strands, you want, so a claw clip and a nice twist in the hair would be perfect while you grow this out.

Slowly but steady wins the race.

A lot of us have been there, with (lots of) damage. I sure have!

[sylviekstn]

cjk, Lizabeth84, enting, lapushka: Thank you all for your support - I’m so taken by your kind words!


I have learned so much about hair and it’s structure over these few weeks. Now I feel that I actually knew nothing about what the hair really needs (other than to quit sulfates, no blow-dry, no friction…). My hair is definitely fine and porous and therefore, it needs extra care.

For example, there hasn’t been any really good humectants in my haircare products, exept glycerine. I will do a big product swap and make sure that new products will be loaded with plant gels. Also, I have bought Jojoba oil and Shea butter and I apply them religiously.

Now I’m more than committed to vitalise this poor damaged hair and grow it strong and healthy!

[Ylva]

What's your reason for quitting sulfates? Just wondering since you write that it was needed. I wouldn't want you to make such a decision thinking it was necessary and noticing later that it turned out to be very bad for your scalp.

[enting]

Check and see first if your hair *likes* humectants :). Changing a lot of things may end up being needed, and I know it can be tempting to switch all the things, all at once, but I'd recommend switching up one thing at a time and giving your hair a chance to let you know if it likes it or not. The experimenting phase is very important, and hair may need another experimenting phase at different lengths or different times in your life, but if you change all the things all at once you won't know which things mattered more. And if you don't like the results, you won't know what the culprit is. Not, of course, that I always follow this advice myself.... :blossom:

[sylviekstn]

Ylva, I feel that the sulfates are too stripping for my fine hair. I use a shampoo that contains sulfates every 1,5 week to clarify but I think my hair has felt much better since I eliminated them from my "normal" shampoo.

enting, very good point! I think I will begin with adding aloe vera and honey and see how my hair reacts. Also, I think I could try some protein treatment (starting with cautin) and see if it helps to reinforce my follicles?

[Ylva]

Ylva, I feel that the sulfates are too stripping for my fine hair. I use a shampoo that contains sulfates every 1,5 week to clarify but I think my hair has felt much better since I eliminated them from my "normal" shampoo.

enting, very good point! I think I will begin with adding aloe vera and honey and see how my hair reacts. Also, I think I could try some protein treatment (starting with cautin) and see if it helps to reinforce my follicles?

Alright, hope it goes well that way, then! Just keep an eye on your scalp in case it starts to feel itchy. :)

Protein won't do anything about your follicles (the things inside your scalp where the hair grows from). If your hair didn't stretch near-endlessly when wet, I don't think you need protein, so be careful!

[sylviekstn]

Hi Ylva, thank you! Oh yes, you are right. I just used a wrong term, not follicles but the hair shaft altogether :-) I don't know what has happened but my individual hairs just feel about 50% finer than they were before this accident. They are very light and flowy. That is why I was thinking that maybe protein could give them a little more structure?

[akurah]

Hi Ylva, thank you! Oh yes, you are right. I just used a wrong term, not follicles but the hair shaft altogether :-) I don't know what has happened but my individual hairs just feel about 50% finer than they were before this accident. They are very light and flowy. That is why I was thinking that maybe protein could give them a little more structure?

If your hair doesn't need protein, it can make your hair misbehave quite a bit, even potentially too the point of snapping worse. A sign of needing protein is the hair is mushy. A sign of needing moisture is that the hair is snapping. I've only skimmed this thread but based on what I've read, it seems unlikely you need protein

[sylviekstn]

Hi akurah, thank you for your insight!

Here is another result of my strand tests. The hair breaks quite easily and either split or waves as in the photo below - do you think these are signs of lack of moisture?

https://i.imgur.com/354t8NT.jpg

[lapushka]

Your strands coiling like that is perfectly normal. We all have those kinds of hairs; so don't worry about it.

Also, we can't really make much judgements on a single strand of hair. :flower:

I would take it *slowly* and one day at a time. Don't uproot your entire routine just like that. Change it one product at a time, and see how you fare. With that amount of damage, I can assure you, something with silicones in is NO luxury!

Good luck!

[sylviekstn]

Hi lapushka, thank you for your message! I will take in your advice :-)

[Ylva]

If it breaks easily, it sounds like moisture would be the way to go rather than protein.

[spitfire511]

Agreed wholeheartedly with lapushka and yvla ! Take it slow and be careful based on what you’ve said from both strand tests, I wouldn’t try to do anything with the protein just now. The SMT you guys were talking about before would be a great idea and then let your hair rest! Like they mentioned , go for a peacock twist or other protective updo and ignore it for a little bit just taking good care. Too many changes and too much experimenting can be bad if you’re not careful! :) (most of us have learned this the hard way! The more you do and don’t see a miracle - the more discouraged you will be!) Just moisturize and keep going. And yes - remember too we all have splits and weird hairs here and there!!

[sylviekstn]

Hi Ylva, I think so too. Maybe I'll just cut back on that protein treatment at least for now...
Hi spitfire 511, thank you for your encouraging words! I will do the SMT tomorrow before I wash my hair.

I will keep you posted! :-)

[sylviekstn]

Hi everyone, I promised to make an update so here it is.

Yesterday, I did the Joico K-pack reconstructor protein treatment and my hair loved it. It felt stronger and the frizz was almost gone. It also behaved well when it was wet - it did not curl too much. Of course, that is just temporary but I loved every second of that feeling.

Today, I tried the SMT and my gosh, my hair went crazy! Now it's curlier than ever. When I apply only aloe vera to my (dry) hair it works great though.

Obviously, I have done many, many treatments for my hair these past few weeks and maybe I should just back off for a little while and let the hair be. It's difficult though, as I'm constantly thinking of how it has never been in this bad condition :- (

[blackgothicdoll]

^ Hmm, that is how my hair behaves with honey as well. Not everyone's hair likes honey. It may be the moisture that made your hair curl - some note moisture makes their hair curl, which is also how mine reacts, sometimes normally and sometimes too much (frizz). So as hard as it is when you want to rest, try to go back to low maintenance.

If your hair liked the protein, revisit that (but only once every two weeks? maybe someone can chime in on that, I think it depends on your hair but it seemed to like it, but you can still risk protein overload too).

[sylviekstn]

Hello everyone, it has now been a few weeks since my last post so I thought I should make a little update.

So far, not much progress. I have restored some moisture back to the hair, but it still looks awful. Also, I'm shedding a lot of hair again - not good for my already fine locks. Before the curling iron incident, I had super straight and manageable hair and now it just keeps curling (as you can see in the photo).

Oh why, WHY did I ever tried to curl my hair with heat :- (

https://i.imgur.com/Z4MEzOy.jpg

[MusicalSpoons]

Curling irons are damaging, you know that now, and what I'm about to say doesn't mean I don't think they are. They really are.

But.

Your frizz looks like mine! https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=149323&page=4&p=3662124&viewfull=1#post3662124 and my hair has *never* had any heat styling. (The frizz is actually worse since using more moisturising conditioners, strangely enough, and I now just think of it as my hairs having ideas above their station, trying to be wavy or curly, when my hair actually is mostly straight overall :shrug:) For you it might be that the damage caused higher porosity and therefore more reaction to moisture, I don't know. But, keep babying it, keep moisturising it (and probably some protein, but not too much) and I'm sure in time you'll be able to get used to it as the damage grows out :flower:

[lapushka]

I somehow doubt that what I'm seeing is damage.

Damage from a curling iron or straightener manifests itself in a changed texture (like flat when it was curly before, that kind of change), or in white dots up the hair shaft (with sharp angles).

What I am seeing is frizz; this is the exact frizz I get too, and my hair is all virgin.

So... I would not panic from one use of a curling iron. Honestly. Nope.

[milosmomma]

Is your hair freshly washed and dried in the photo above? I have a LOT of strange curly strands that look just like that right after washing but calm down in the days afterwards. Could just be some frizzies and not damage :)

[sylviekstn]

Thank you all for your messages!

MusicalSpoons, I checked your post and you are right - we seem to have similar texture!

lapushka, actually some strands do have some ”lighter” parts in the middle but I’m not sure if I can say that they are really white... But some has sharp angles in the middle or close to ends.

milosmomma, yes it is indeed. The frizz calm down a little bit during the day but it is just so weird because I didn’t have such texture before that one-time curling.

[lapushka]

lapushka, actually some strands do have some ”lighter” parts in the middle but I’m not sure if I can say that they are really white... But some has sharp angles in the middle or close to ends.

If that's all the damage you have, you can count yourself lucky; after all the iron was all over your head, right? If it's just a few strands, well, thank goodness! :) I'm sure you'll be fine. :flower:

Just pamper your hair from now on. Lots of deep treatments / masks, and some time devoted to its care. It should work out well!