Is heat protectant really worth it?

[Cleopatra18]

I really dont think I can afford a heat protectant right now and I have some occasions coming up that might need me to straighten my hair.Is a heat protectant really as good and important as claimed?
I have seen the tresseme heat defence spray,some V05 volume/curl sprays with heat defence technology and the CHI silk infusion but they are all kind of expensive for me right now.I'm wondering which is the best kind and wether it's a must to use or not? TIA

[spidermom]

It's pretty important to use a protectant. Silicone is a poor conductor of heat, so it helps to keep the heat concentrated at the surface rather than penetrating your hair IF you move the flat iron very fast down the strands. Also it makes the surface nice and slick so the flat iron won't hang up anywhere.

[C_Bookworm]

I was under the impression that heat styling damages your hair from the inside out (basically the water in the inside is raised to a boil and damages your hair). I think a protectant can add a layer between your hair and the straightener, but I don't know how it would stop damage from the inside.

[Chestershire]

I've bought a hennaplus hair wonder heatcare protector spray a while ago. It was 8.5 euro (which is like, i dunno, 11 dollars?) I've bought it because I blowdry my hair twice a week now, since it is getting colder and I don't want to go outside with a wet heat because it's to cold outside now (plus my hair dries slower). I think it works fairly good. It has no cones or wathever, it makes my hair so much softer after I've used a hair dryer, and you don't get that dry crunchy feeling afterwards. It also makes my hair smell nice :) I've bought it in a kind of nature beauty and health store.

[KittyLost]

I don't think that a heat protectant really protects your hair as much as it claims, heat styling still does some damage but the damage will be less if you use a protectant. I would say stretch for it if you can, I love Tresemme's, it's the only one that I've come across that doesnt leave my hair feeling horrible and doesn't get greasy quickly and I only use it on my fringe.

However if you can't stretch for it then I say, let your hair dry naturally before using your straightners and do a deep conditioning/moisture treatment each time before and after using your heat stylers to make sure your hair isn't drying out.

[FrannyG]

Using heat protectant is better than no protection. I do have to say though, that I wish I had a photo handy of my hair when I originally joined LHC. I had been heat styling with protectant, but otherwise treating it well, and I had split ends all over the place (and my hair was only at APL).

I think heat, like everything, needs to be used in moderation.

Having said that, I do reiterate that it's better to have some protection than to have your bare hair exposed to heat.

If you can't afford heat protectant, maybe use a tiny layer of coney conditioner as a leave-in.

[Heidi_234]

I personally doubt it works. If it did, you could slather it on your skin and put an flat iron on it without getting burns. That doesn't make sense, and even if it was true, couldn't one just use the warm/cool setting on the blow drier with the effect? IMHO, heat "protectants" just contain plenty of silicones that smooth your hairs' surface and make it feel better than it is.

[katha]

I personally doubt it works. If it did, you could slather it on your skin and put an flat iron on it without getting burns. That doesn't make sense, and even if it was true, couldn't one just use the warm/cool setting on the blow drier with the effect? IMHO, heat "protectants" just contain plenty of silicones that smooth your hairs' surface and make it feel better than it is.

I agree with this.

Heat is heat. If it wouldn't be hot after "passing" the protection, it wouldn't give you the desired result on your hair.

[little_cherry]

I personally doubt it works. If it did, you could slather it on your skin and put an flat iron on it without getting burns. That doesn't make sense, and even if it was true, couldn't one just use the warm/cool setting on the blow drier with the effect? IMHO, heat "protectants" just contain plenty of silicones that smooth your hairs' surface and make it feel better than it is.
I also agree with this.

My hair was a mess even though I used a $30 protectant and taking care of my hair otherwise.

[hmmm]

I would assume that a coney leave in would work just as well. Make sure it has the good cones that don't evaporate, though. Maybe look at the ingredients on the heat protectors and compare with the leave ins? I don't know how different they are.

Also, I've read here that people notice less damage after using coconut oil -after- using the heat tools. Don't use it before, because some people have fried their hair that way.

[spidermom]

If you got a thick enough layer on your skin, it probably would slow down the burn rate. But I'm not going to try it.

I don't flat-iron my hair anymore, either. It trashed my ends, and I only did it once in awhile, but not always with heat protection. I might let my stylist do it once a year; she likes to see my hair straight.

[enfys]

I personally doubt it works. If it did, you could slather it on your skin and put an flat iron on it without getting burns. That doesn't make sense, and even if it was true, couldn't one just use the warm/cool setting on the blow drier with the effect? IMHO, heat "protectants" just contain plenty of silicones that smooth your hairs' surface and make it feel better than it is.

They offer a little protection, according to those in the know. Stylists compare them by spraying the back of one hand, letting it dry then holding a hairdryer over the area as long as they can stand, then do the same with the other hand. A good one will give you 50% longer before the pain gets too much.

That said, a hairdryer is not as hot as straigteners and getting decent coverage over all strands would be impossible.

You may as well use it if you possibly can, but think of it as SPF2 when you need SPF50; you could easily still burn.

[Heidi_234]

Enfys, that's interesting piece of info about the test.

You may as well use it if you possibly can, but think of it as SPF2 when you need SPF50; you could easily still burn.
I completely agree with this, though I think it's more of an illusion of protection than anything else. I used heat protection when I heat styled my bangs daily, and after two years they were pretty much trashed anyway. My point is, if somebody's tight on money, a heat protectant is not a hair-life saver anyway.

[Kathie]

Heat protectants protect the outside of your hair. If you don’t use it you’re more likely to damage the cuticles i.e., remove them. As spidermom said, they provide a slippery surface so that the flatiron can glide down the hair and not burn, stick and rip over the cuticles. The inside of your hair is another story.

[aenflex]

I always used one in my years of using the Chi iron. Some of them really worked for me, the biosilk mostly, or occasional variations thereof, were what I always used. My hair certainly was silkier and softer than it was when I didn't use anything. I don't think they can be called 'protectants', though. Bit of a stretch. More like 'distributors'. The faster you pass the iron over the section, the better, too. Go slower over the section and it will indeed burn regardless of what you have put on the hair. All this talk it making me miss my Chi but I digress.

[harpyangel]

The protection spray from Boots (uk) is lovely and is only like £1.99. Now my hair is quite long I don't really need to straighten it as it's so heavy it hangs straight anyway. But if I want to make a special effort - or if I want to blowdry or curl my hair I always use protection spray.

[ktani]

I have friends who iron their hair. Protectants do help reduce damage, at least for them.

[angelfell]

I would say yes. My hair is not in great condition, and I style frequently (or did until I joined the community), but I have noticed that since I have been using heat protectant, the damage in my hair hasn't gotten worse. Hasn't gotten better either, but I believe the spray is helping to keep it from getting much worse.

If your hair is in excellent condition, once may not make a VISIBLE difference.. but I do believe that any heat application like that will do damage whether visible or not. If your straightener has adjustable heat, I'd put it on as low as you can with it still actually working.

[xoxophelia]

I agree that the only way it protects your hair is by reducing snags. And more than likely if it protects at all against heat you would probably have to spray an amount that would make your hair lank and greasy looking. If you wanted to reduce damage, you could do so by looking for ways to reduce the amount of heat you have to use to get the same look. For example, you could blow dry on a low heat after letting your hair air dry most of the way, place it in large rollers to set it, and then touch it up with a straightener as little as possible.