I can't believe I used to think this...

[rosieex3]

When I was younger and wanted to do everything and anything to my hair (I was like 13), I actually thought that flat irons made your hair healthier. My friends would flat iron their hair and I remember showing my parents "look how much shinier and frizz free their hair is!! You need to buy me one!" I remember my mom telling me that heat cannot be good for your hair, and I even convinced myself and them that heat was almost like a deep treatment for hair, and continuous heat would lead to shiny frizz free hair always. lol! :o Did anyone else ever think something completely ridiculous about hair care in your non-LHC days?

[Vani1902]

Lol I used to think that brushing it for hours incessantly was healthy for my hair. Never did it cross my mind that brushes where murder for my hair.
Many people think straightening irons are good for hair. My sister is convinced that all those silicon serums and the heat will not do anything harmful to her hair. I think irons are scary. When I used them in the past, the product would sizzle in my hair. In a way, it is like cooking your hair.

[pepperminttea]

It wasn't that I thought things would be good for my hair, but that I just had no idea. When I dyed my hair, I had no idea it would be damaging. The same with perming. And then suddenly I had very damaged faded-pink/orange straw-like hair breaking off at every opportunity. In retrospect, I'm astounded at my own naivety.

[christine1989]

I always knew that flat irons were terrible for hair but I used one daily anyway because I beleived that if I straightened my (3b) hair enough I would eventually "train" it to be naturally straight. Well, I got my wish; my hair is now a much straighter 1b/1c. Of course flat ironing had nothing to do with it. It got straighter as it recovered from heat damage.

[McFearless]

I always knew that flat irons were terrible for hair but I used one daily anyway because I beleived that if I straightened my (3b) hair enough I would eventually "train" it to be naturally straight. Well, I got my wish; my hair is now a much straighter 1b/1c. Of course flat ironing had nothing to do with it. It got straighter as it recovered from heat damage.


Does your virgin hair grow back in 3b? The same thing happened to me and now the lower half of my hair is straight, with terribly curly roots. It looks awful!

[thirstylocks]

My friend used to think that dying your hair black would make it healthier.

[Dragon]

I didn’t know heat is damaging and thought ripping my brush through my was also not damaging.

[Avital88]

I just talked to a friend who wants to go back to blond(she is a darkbrown now) she is switching colors like 4 times a year(and colors like 12 times).
So i told her not to do it because of the damage it will cause even more on her thin flat ironed hair, but then she said:i will do highlight first and then a month later i bleach ,that will not do so much harm.
I was speechless of her naive mind

[leslissocool]

Oh I used to think that "hair products are useless" and that I would never spend ANY money other than hair dyes... I used cheap shampoo and no good conditioners (like nothing more than 1$) only all of my life, and thought they where just as good even when I used bleach.

Well guess what? Hair dyes and bleach killed my hair, and had to spend a heck of a lot of money on protein and deep condition treatments to get it to be ok... Now I know the shampoos I used to use actually killed my hair (Too harsh!) and that most deep conditioners and coconut oil are not a scam! That if I want my hair to be healthy, I have to keep it healthy...

I wish someone would have told me this sooner. I cannot believe I went all my life without coconut oil overnight soaking, and the correct products for my hair needs... Thank you dear friend Nicole who is a stylist, and thank you LHC for the treatments that saved my hair!!!

EDIT: to the OP, there are hair straighteners that actually close and smooth the cuticle, making hair look healthier when it's actually just smoother (they also use like half the heat of a ceramic straightener) One of those is about 700$ where I live, and I believe you have to be trained and have a licence to have it... I am sure it's still somewhat damaging, I researched a lot and where unable to get it :( It's cheaper and accessible for me to just love the hair I was born with :shrug:

[Druid of Alba]

My friend used to swear that, if you never cut your hair, it would keep growing on, forever. I never beleived that, but I could simply never manage to convince her otherwise...

[rena]

What you used to think about your hair and flatirons was actually my mom's idea for me lol. Go figure?

[alwayssmiling]

I used to think flat irons were good for your hair. My hairdresser introduced me to them and told me that using the right products they seal in moisture and make it healthier. I did it several times a day thinking my hair really needs extra moisture. Even when my hair started to break off unevenly I thought straightening would help. It took me a long time to realised that heat is bad for my brittle hair.

I also used to think dyeing was good too, I think its those conditioners that come with them that make my hair look really shiny and healthy. I had terrible breakage from permenant dyes.

[09robiha]

I know heat is damaging...but I went through a big phase wera I would flat iron once and week, wear it down for 3 days then up in a knot for the other 4 - 5 days. I actually really think this helped me grow my hair out I didnt dye my hair then so it was relativly healthy!

[jesis]

I think, for me, this stemmed from hair stylists telling us "oh it's not bad for you hair if I do it" or "it's not bad for your hair if you use this/do this".

It's not that I ever thought it was good for my hair, but she convinced me it wasn't all that bad. "Oh using your flat iron at approximately 5,000 degrees? No, that's fine! Just make sure you use some heat protectant spray!" "Oh, bleaching your hair every three weeks if A-OK as long as I'm doing it!"

Now, I know better. shudder:

[mrs_coffee]

I never thought products mattered and I never used conditioner because I thought it would make my hair greasy.

[turquoisebud]

I was told the same thing about the smoke stuff coming from my hair when straightening. Oh, it's only "steam". Whatever. How could I have actually thought straightening was good for my hair???? :disgust:

[Cait_Mc]

I thought for the longest time that wearing your hair down was the healthiest route for it, boy was I suprised when I found out differently! Also when I was younger I dyed my hair all the time and straightened it without even a serum or heat protectant! I'm really suprised that my hair hasn't all fallen out and said "Forget you! I'm outta here!"

[Anywhere]

I was also one of the people who thought straightening my hair every day would 'train' it to be straight on its own. Only made it frizzy and dry. :rolleyes:

[long&blonde]

I used to think wearing my hair down was healthiest for it. I'd dye it several times a week sometimes! And I was hooked on the crimping iron; that left your hair all krinkly. I actually wanted an iron that had a Star in it! You ironed tiny stars all over your hair! When I went back to the store tho: the Star irons were all gone. (Maybe the Hair Police raided the place). I washed & blew dry my hair daily. All this on near waist length hair. It is amazing, how our hair survives! And people who don't understand hair care:wishing you'd go back to the daily blow drys or white blonde or crimping iron!

[myria]

When I was 15/16 I used to wash and flat-iron my hair daily, sometimes twice daily if I was going out in the evening. And lets not forget using the straighten-your-hair-from-wet 200 degree straighteners (with holes through the plates to let out the steam). I knew it was damaging but there's this heat-protect serum l'oreal makes that says its heat activated so I thought the more heat I put into my hair the better it would be protected. :(

[spidermom]

I didn't think that flat-ironing was good for my hair, but I didn't realize how damaging it was.

[LissaJane]

Haha, I never thought it was any good, but when I was about 14 my sister and I couldn't afford a straightener, so we just ironed our hair shudder:
Also, I actually recall protesting getting my hair straightened when I got my hair done for prom because at that point I'd seen what the ironing had done to my hair and the hairdresser told me that the flat iron he had was actually good for my hair :rolleyes:, because it was a professional one.

[Igor]

I thought shampoo was actually good for hair health and would repair, rebuild, moisturise or whatever and not just clean it… *Hides in shame*

:couch:

[naushin83]

absolutely beautiful :)

[jaine]

I thought shampoo was actually good for hair health and would repair, rebuild, moisturise or whatever and not just clean it… *Hides in shame*

:couch:

I thought that too!

[thatjengirl1]

haha the whole straightening thing still cracks me up. in what world does adding 100+ degrees of burning heat to your hair make it healthier?

i think my worst pre LHC mistake was using a brush. i would just rip through my hair with a brush and didnt really think about how bad that was. ive used a comb now for a little over a month, and im never going back :)

[Lianna]

My friend used to swear that, if you never cut your hair, it would keep growing on, forever. I never beleived that, but I could simply never manage to convince her otherwise...

I use to think that before knowing about terminal length online somewhere, this past year. I just never thought it would stop. :shrug: About flat irons, I didn't think they were good or bad, then I learned about heat damage.

About shampoo, I don't think they 'treat' hair in general. But I do see differences between brands, and some dry out my hair, others don't. I also see a lot more growth when I use SLS shampoos than when I was CO washing (almost a year). Whatever they're doing is reason enough for me to continue.

[Uni&Corn]

Up until last year, I shampooed my hair, blow-dried, AND straightened it EVERY DAY.
AHHHH!!!
My ends are STILL not completely recovered after I stopped shampooing every day and gave up heat styling completely :(