How awful do you think heat styling once per week is??

[jenjen10]

My hair looks 1000x better and is so much more cooperative if I use a triple barrel curling iron on it. I have found that I can use it (with something to protect from the heat of course!) and the effects will last all week (since my hair only needs to be washed about once per week... note that I do shower daily! hehe).

I know no heat styling at all is best but how damaging do you think once per week is? I baby my hair in pretty much every other way (no blow-frying, no chemical dyes, I do the oil washes, etc)

[Lianna]

I don't think once a week is that bad, I know LHC makes us feel bad for doing some things. You have to find what works for your hair, I used to heat style everyday in high school, some years ago, from that I could see damage. I don't heat style now but I wash it everyday and I dye it, so I know how you feel. For how long have you been heat styling? I think one or another "bad thing" is okay.

[katha]

I know LHC makes us feel bad for doing some things.


I never noticed LHC making anyone feeling bad about things people do with their hair. In fact, I never saw a place more accepting of different views than LHC.

Anyways, on topic, no heat is definitely better than once a week, but then again once a week is better than every day! It's all about you feeling good about yourself, and if this helps I say go for it. :)

[kwaniesiam]

Use a good heat protective product and deep condition to make up for it and you'll be fine.

[MoonlightShadow]

:o it kinda damaged my hair doing it once a week, but them again, my hair was already damaged to begin with and i think i was using the wrong heat protectant >.< (grease o.o). It made a crackle, pop, frying sound when i used it. There are alot of people who use heat their hair once a week with no problem and they also deep conditioned once a week too.

[Lianna]

Katha - Maybe you haven't seen it but it happens, specially with who dye, highlight, heat style, wash often, wash with sls, use cones, damp brush, doesn't oil, doesn't SMT, etc.

I'm not saying members talk openly about it, well, not to all of those things, not that I have seen.

But even for just having short hair, I have felt bad about it. I agree is an understanding place though, just not perfect. :)

[UltraBella]

I used to curl my hair three rimes a week at least, and my hair has always been nice and healthy. I think it depends on your hair, some would see damage after just one time while others like me could do it daily. Keep an eye on your ends and if they feel dry, brittle or start to split - reconsider.
I can also get the same smoothness and large curls with a Caruso hairsetter and it is non-damaging. The curls keep for days in my hair.
I also twist my hair into a bun nightly and if I slightly mist it first I have the same silky smooth hair and large bouncy curls in the morning. So, there are some alternative ways to achieve that gorgeous shiny smoothness if you do experience damage.

[Fractalsofhair]

How long do you want your hair to be? It might be hard if you want your hair to be longer than knee(or even hip!) or something quite long. It also depends on your hair. My hair breaks off very easily from heat styling, to a degree that even highlights and bleach don't do!(though it certainly does break off from that.) My hair isn't easily damaged by rough handling though. I wouldn't be able to get long hair if I used a blowdrier once per week(long meaning longer than shoulder length.). However, if your hair doesn't seem too split or damaged from it, then it's good to continue.

I don't think LHC is non accepting of traditional methods, I think it's more many of those are damaging, and if you're asking for advice about damage, but still want to bleach, heat style, etc and not use oils etc, it might not be so possible depending on your hair type. It might be though! But... people have different hair types, and what might work for one person might not work for another. However, there was a member here with LOVELY rainbow colored hair that was quite long, and another member with knee length blond hair that she blow dries. (I forget their user names)

[Amraann]

Katha - Maybe you haven't seen it but it happens, specially with who dye, highlight, heat style, wash often, wash with sls, use cones, damp brush, doesn't oil, doesn't SMT, etc.

I'm not saying members talk openly about it, well, not to all of those things, not that I have seen.

But even for just having short hair, I have felt bad about it. I agree is an understanding place though, just not perfect. :)

I disagree. Giving advice about what does and does not potentially damage hair does not equate to making someone feel bad for whatever choice they make with their own hair.

[UltraBella]

I dye my hair, I sometimes curl my hair, I bleach highlights into my hair and I love layers.

I have definitely had some not so nice comments from members here about my willingness to bleach highlights and I have had several comments about my hair not being "natural" and telling me it would be more beautiful if I grew out my natural color and quit doing anything to my hair.
I also had a member tell me that "I don't belong here" because I own two salons and that LHC was not a place I would fit in because of it. What ?!?! Rediculous ! So, while LHC is a fantastic forum, not all members are excepting and kind. Thankfully the majority are. For every negative comment I have received, I have had twenty positive ones.

[spidermom]

Flat-ironing once in awhile with protective spray damaged my hair big time. But that's MY hair. I have no idea how your hair will do. Good luck!

[lapushka]

I think you should be fine. As UltraBella said, watch those ends for signs of damage.

Those triple barrel irons are *awesome* (*so* putting that on my wish list). :D

I used to crimp my hair a lot when I was 15/16. Oh boy, steam came out of my crimper all the time, it was so hot! I used to use it twice a week. Never saw any damage in my hair.

[Lianna]

LHC was a place I use to come happily to read, hours a day, even though I don't post much. People are more understanding of the non conventional practices in here, they show more support to someone who does WO, than someone that washes everyday with SLS.

If someone is here for a while, they know SLS is potencial damage, and if they still choose to do it, they're probaly fine, just an example, same goes for dye, heat or whatever. But they read over and over how bad it is for hair in general, and that makes them feel bad, even though they're fine.

Sometimes some weird threads go on too, where I see most of the ladies kinda make fun of short hair, how is unfeminine (by often saying how feminine long hair is), how much older (in general) makes women look. This kind of thread often starts with women over 30/40 and long hair.

I try to stay within the K.N.I.T., so please don't think I'm not following this rule, because I think some people in LHC needs to start thinking there's ALL kinds of people here, and some are being hurt by their words. I just wan't LHC to be a better place, and never again feel like I wanna quit this place, like it has happen a few times before. I have and still learn so much in here.

I don't often say this but english isn't my first language, and I usually don't have problems with that but some things I've said might come off wrong or rude (which I don't mean), so please take this into consideration. I was just trying to make an informative post and support the OP with her conventional choice, my reasons I already posted.

[Fractalsofhair]

Lianna, I totally get what you mean about the long hair being more feminine! Excuse me, but I have many guy friends with long hair, and they look VERY manly! I grow my hair long because it looks best on me, and I honestly get mistaken for a dude more often with long hair than with a pixie, as with a pixie, people generally look twice to be sure, but with long hair, if I'm wearing a baggy teeshirt and no makeup, they presume. xD

But, I think a lot of women might need to vent after feeling the societal pressure to cut their hair short after a certain age, and might be a little stressed. I know I find it helpful to vent occasionally here when people are pressuring me to flat iron my hair, since there are people here who think flat ironing isn't needed to look nice, and isn't the best thing for my hair.

[alwayssmiling]

Well if we did everything perfectly then we would never heat our hair, dye it, manipulate it, or even touch it. But life isn't like that for many of us. I dropped the heat for a good few months (and yes my hair felt much, much healthier for it) but my hair was badly damaged and needed a break. I'm now missing having styled hair so I'm restricting myself to heat straightening for nights out or special occassions. Sometimes that can be once a week. I use treseme heat protector and deep condition it first - then when I next wash I use some oil to give it a treat. I haven't noticed any new damage at all from this but I guess time will tell. Its growing pretty good at the moment and I haven't had any signs of breakage (like white dots or bits on my top). I don't ever use a hairdryer because it makes my hair wild and frizzy and I CO wash with occassional sls free shampoo, and sometimes a sls clarifying shampoo, I also henna instead of dying. So I'm not doing lots and lots of damaging things, which I think is why I can now heat style in moderation.

OP - what you are doing sounds fine to me considering you only wash your hair once a week. Keep an eye out for white dots, frizzy ends, splits and bent ends and you should be fine. Keep checking your hair in good sunlight for damage - you'll soon know how fragile/strong your hair is. Good luck

[Mutinous]

On my hair? It's fine but I have thick hair, both in quantity and quality so it's more resistant to damage. Experiment, try once a week for two months, and monitor the damage, if there is no significant damage it should be okay. Try to use a heat protector on your hair as well.

Plus, if you stretch out your washes the effects of flat ironing should last. I wash mine about once every five days and if I straighten a day after I wash it stays mostly straight until my next wash.

My only other advice would be to not straighten your hair on the same day you washed. Even if you think it is dry their may be extra moisture lingering around, and straighteners on even slightly damp hair is damaging in my experience.

[jenjen10]

My only other advice would be to not straighten your hair on the same day you washed. Even if you think it is dry their may be extra moisture lingering around, and straighteners on even slightly damp hair is damaging in my experience.

I never thought of this... and have to admit I usually wash the day I use heat. What you say makes sense though and I will pay more attention to my timing in the future. Thanks for the input!

[Sunsailing]

There are things to minimize potential damage, like by not using the highest heat setting. I began using a large curling iron to make my ends look good back when I first began growing. And it's something that I've just continued to do.

Not all heat appliances are created equal regarding potential damage. A curling iron is not touching all of the hair equally. But a straightening iron is getting the hair from two sides.
Always make sure your hair is dry (including any products you put on it) before using heat.

Just keep a look out for damage, and adjust accordingly. Every person's hair is different, thus reacts to heat differently.

[cybernetica]

I personally think it should be okay in moderation!

[Dragon]

I think it depends on your help type. All I can suggest if you want to do this is use a good heat procter and keep an eye out for damage.

[Toadstool]

Sometimes some weird threads go on too, where I see most of the ladies kinda make fun of short hair, how is unfeminine (by often saying how feminine long hair is), how much older (in general) makes women look. This kind of thread often starts with women over 30/40 and long hair.


Yes, these annoy me hugely.:mad:


=Ultrabella I also had a member tell me that "I don't belong here" because I own two salons and that LHC was not a place I would fit in because of it. What ?!?!
That's astounding and untrue.

Having said that, LHC can also be an extremely supportive place. :DSo it just depends on which members you are speaking to.

To the OP, I don't think heat styling once a week is "bad" at all, and I wouldn't imagine it would damage your hair. Mine is very resilient, and so is a lot of people's. If, like you say, you use a heat protectant spray and you do nothing else potentially damaging, I would expect your hair to be more than fine.
Enjoy!:)

[Flossy]

I agree with what everyone has said about protecting your hair and just seeing how it goes. I will add that when I gave up the GHD's (still get a tear in my eye when I think about them, I miss them!) it took a few weeks before my hair settled down and looked decent without heat. Now it usually has some bun waves or something and looks fine. I still have to blowfry the front of my hair the morning after a wash, otherwise I wouldn't be able to face the world with my cowlicks in all their natural glory.

Enjoy your hair! That's my motto now.

[Katze]

It depends on hair type as well as on what else you do (as others have said).

I blowDAMP my hair twice a week, finger styling as I go, because I swim twice a week (very important for my health and mental well being) and it is COLD where I live. If I wash without swimming, I sleep in a towel. When I am done blowDAMPing my hair (I emphasize that I towel dry first and focus on ears and scalp, avoiding turning the blowdryer on the length) I put it into my hat or scarf, bike home from the pool, then style it using my fingers, a comb, and some extra hold hair gel. I also wash with 'cones, but do regular non-coney SMTs.

My hair is fine, and in the decades I bleached it, was even more fragile than it is naturally. I bleached, used a curling iron to straighten or curl, blowdried (on hot, for long periods of time). My fine wavy hair would never grow long. So for me, LHC has been a godsend.

It does sometimes seem like we LHCers need to feel guilty if we don't have perfect, long, healthy, smooth, shiny, 'all-natural' hair that stays up in perfectly complicated updos. I know it took me a while to admit on here that I regularly use gel and mousse to tame my horrendous regrowing frizzy multi-layered messy hair!

However, that said, if it weren't for LHC I would be bleaching again. This is the only place where I have ever heard that my natural color looks good, and the only place where the societal pressure to bleach blonde is NOT in the majority! Instead, I look around at all the women with my color hair in real life who do bleach, and smile to myself, even if MY hair does not LOOK as pretty as theirs. It is still in better condition.

[FrannyG]

If your hair is handling it well, then enjoy your curling iron once a week. My hair can't handle any really hot hair appliances, but my hair is very fine and I dye it.

If possible, make sure that your hair is completely dry when you use your iron, so that you don't boil the water inside damp hair shafts. That's the most damaging thing that people tend to do with hot irons.

Once a week is a lot better than once or twice a day. Just keep your eye out for splits and trim them out if you see them.

Best of luck with it! :blossom:

[Vermelha]

Meh, once a week is safe. I mean, given you aren't using a ridiculous amount of heat to make up for not doing it every day.

[Dyefree]

Depends on your hair, my hair is fine and damaged from previous heat styling and dye, I know that styling once a week would be enough to fry what little moisture and condition i have left right out of my hair.

Some hair can 'tolerate' heat styling once a week, you would be causing some damage, but the question would be, is to what extent?

[aenflex]

Your choice of course, what you do with your hair that is.
For me, heat styling once a week is bad. Partly because my weapon of choice is my beloved CHI iron. It's too hot and my hair cannot tolerate it. During my 'chi days', which were actually years, I used it about once, twice per week at the most. My hair was super dry, broken, frazzled. And I used many of the top of line heat gels, sprays and serums. Quite frankly nothing by way of products is going to prevent a 400+ degree iron from burning your hair.

Now if you are talking blow dryers rather than irons, I think these can be used on a regular basis with much less damage to the hair. You can control the temp to a certain degree and you can control how close you let that heat get to your hair.

[sleepingIn]

I have a curling iron and a straightener, both with adjustable settings. This is key - along with using with care. Do not let it sit for long periods of time on one spot. Imagine what a clothes iron would do if you let it sit stationary? Those will steam too but isnt necessarily a bad thing.

Moderation is key. Anything in life, ANYTHING in excess is bad. Otherwise, exceptions can be made :) Hair is actually quite resilient, assuming you are good to it the majority of the time.

What works for some does not for others. The variables to consider - everything from hair history, to tools involved, to environmental factors, make a HUGE difference. those who say that one use of a tool will fry their hair may have had past experience in one way which lead them to think down this path. It doesnt mean it will happen to you!