Car Heaters + Hair=?

[jadys]

So it's been getting considerably colder here in Arizona. That's right..arizona. But i get up at like, 4:00 in the morning. so that's a little understandable. I take my shower, and i have been letting my hair air dry, but i have to leave the house and my hair is still wet..obviously i'm cold and i turn my car heater on and my hair is almost, pretty well dry by the time i get to work (in 15 minutes).
I also had a day off yesterday and i got to take a shower and not leave my apartment, and i noticed it took significantly longer for my hair to dry...so it must have been the car maybe?
Well today was my Shampoo/Conditioner today. I got in my car, heater on and noticed later on my hair wasn't really feeling that great. Is it the heater? am I damaging my hair because i need warmth?
I guess my options are showering at night and braiding (which i'm a little opposed to now that I"m actually happy leaving my hair down), or just sucking it up and not leaving the heater on in the car.
Thanks~!

[ange1ito]

I use this method too, as it's so far from your scalp and hair, i doubt it could be so...which product did you use on that particular day, maybe build up...

[jadys]

i use suave professional for dry hair. it has keratin protein in it. I use it every 3 days. for simplicity and cost reasons I try to keep it simple so I stick with shampoo, conditioner and vitamins.

[Freckled.Thing]

Hmmm... are you leaving your hair down when you do this?
If your hair is hanging loose right in front of the heating vents I could see it being much blow-drying except that it's concentrated on one place for an extended period of time. If you're wearing your hair up and away from the vents though I highly doubt that it would be a significant source of damage. But that's just my thoughts.

[Anje]

Arizona... so it's down to, what, about 60F in the morning? :p

I'd still consider buildup -- in fact, protein (such as keratin) can build up and cause significant dryness for some people. You might consider clarifying your hair and possibly switching your products between protein-containing and protein-free to see if there's any noticeable difference in your hair.

A tiny dab of edible oil (coconut and olive are great starters, and you seriously want to start with a drop or less) spread over your hands and blotted onto your damp hair might be enough to prevent it from getting overdry in forced-air heating conditions, which can definitely increase dryness in the winter.

[jadys]

thanks for all your help everyone! I'll try out those solutions :)

[bna_rapunzel]

Arizona... so it's down to, what, about 60F in the morning?

Lol! We get down in the 30's these days! It gets cold for us desert folk. Throw 115 degree weatther at me and I'll figure out how to stay cool. Throw 40 degrees at me and I'm like a chiuahua, I won't stop shivering, and by then I'm already wearing 6 layers of clothing :p most of us don't own "real" winter attire, just hoodies and sweatpants :)
When it snows up in the mountains, the combinations of clothing you see are priceless lol

[redmj]

Lol! We get down in the 30's these days! It gets cold for us desert folk. Throw 115 degree weatther at me and I'll figure out how to stay cool. Throw 40 degrees at me and I'm like a chiuahua, I won't stop shivering, and by then I'm already wearing 6 layers of clothing :p most of us don't own "real" winter attire, just hoodies and sweatpants :)
When it snows up in the mountains, the combinations of clothing you see are priceless lol

Ha. I do the exact same thing. I can think cool thoughts all day long. Warm ones are harder.
You see similar sights in Mississippi.

[Long_Curls]

In my opinion, I think it boils (no pun) down to convenience. I try to stay away from heat as much as possible but there are times where you have to let go.