Spare the heat, spoil the hair...

[sweetestpoison]

So i know this is something preached by most LHC'ers.. but it's time for me to admit it, stop denying it.. heat really does kill your hair. I had my hair trimmed for the first time in a long time a few months ago, and normally by this point i'd be feeling some damage on the ends.. So why do they still feel the way they did the day i got it cut? Why is my hair not a huge frizzy mess? Well.. my theory would have to be the fact that i've stopped using heat! Except on the fringe of course. I have stopped with the blow dryer. I used to be quite bad for it.. The other day i decided to blow dry it because it was cold and i didn't want to go to sleep with wet hair when it was really cold, and boy oh boy could i tell the difference, the whole next day untili had a chance to condition my hair again it felt dry and frizzy and brittle. I even used a heat protectant!!! So this post is an official apology to anybody i scoffed at or said was crazy for giving up their hair dryers! I'm joining the crusade and going to try giving up my heated tools for 2012!

[heidi w.]

Somewhat recently I had need for a blowdryer because I had a special occasion crop up, and I had to travel 45 minutes to my friend's house to use a blowdryer because I don't even own one. And I also had to drop off my dog at his house to watch her for the day.

heidi w.

[spidermom]

Maybe it's because I don't use the hot setting, but my hair always feels and looks so smooth and lovely after blow-drying. Too bad it takes an hour!

[holothuroidea]

Some hair shows more damage from heat than others, but the damage is still there. I think its harder for people whose hair can withstand some heat damage without showing it to understand how bad it is in the long run. I knew that heat styling was death for my hair from the time I was a small child and I only needed to do it once to figure it out. The blow dryer turned my usually flat, silky hair into a tumbleweed (dry and poofy!) and I would actually loose some length after curling iron usage. That didn't stop my mom from insisiting on doing it, though. "Oh, you just haven't found the right blow dryer/curling iron yet, we'll try this kind." :laugh:

As an aside, based on the title I thought this was going to be about someone (very incorrectly) telling you that you will ruin your hair if you don't use heat products and as someone who is fervently anti-corporal-discipline I would have found that really clever!

[jacqueline101]

I don't blow dry I air dry. I used to blow dry and it used to take my hair a while my hair is heavy.

[Becky9679]

I've never been a fan of heat, even before I was on LHC. For as long as I can remember I've preferred 'wash in the evening, let it air dry overnight' as it always seemed like too much hassle to use a blowdryer and my hair would end up horribly tangled from using one. Now I don't even own one :D I've never used straighteners or curling tongs in my life. When I was a kid my mum bought some crimpers to use on my hair but I always got better results from doing tiny braids when my hair was damp and taking them out the next day!

I'm now into month 17 since my last cut, I haven't trimmed or even done S&D since because I have no splits. I'm willing to bet the fact I never use heat is a big contributing factor to that!

[HintOfMint]

Charming thread title :)

This is probably the biggest reason that I can grow my hair long and healthy, no heat. I was able to grow it long before, but it looked like a wreck within 9 months.

I do still indulge a few times a year at the salon. Once for each haircut, and maybe twice a semester for a special occasion or to celebrate the end of finals.

Good luck on your resolution! There are lots of heat-free styling tips on this forum too, so make use of them. Limits force creativity.

[Vanille_]

Maybe it's because I don't use the hot setting, but my hair always feels and looks so smooth and lovely after blow-drying. Too bad it takes an hour!

I'm the same way. My hair looks better when I blow dry it. Too bad. Sometimes I let it dry naturally and go over it very lightly with heat after it's already dry to get some of that smoothness.

[woolyleprechaun]

I have gone well over a year without heat, and Ive never been happier :) Im glad you are feeling the no-heat-hype!

[Covet]

Congrats! I do blowfry every now and then but on the cold setting only (which IS cold), holding the blowfrier at arms length to make sure there is no heat whatsoever reaching my hair.

Even when I did blowfry on high heat and with all my chemical damage accumulated over the years, I still didn't get splits :o I'm starting to think I am weird.

[turtlelover]

I have yet to give up my blow dryer. I can't EVER get my hair to look as nice w/out heat as with heat. I don't use the highest setting, and stay away from other heated appliances, other than flat ironing my bangs on particularly rebellious days. Someday, I hope I find the right combo of products for air dried hair success.

[vintage88]

The best thing I did for my hair was give up heat. 2 years ago I tried to grow my hair whilst straightening/blowfrying all the time. It got to almost waist length, but the damage was just horrific, every hair was split and dry, it felt and looked awful. I ended up cutting to shoulder length and starting again. Since joining here almost a year ago I haven't used heat much at all, maybe 2 times. I do plan to straighten for a special occasion in July but apart from that absolutely no heat will be going anywere near my hair!:)

[mrs_coffee]

Eh, I blow dry on medium a couple times a week and haven't noticed any damage. If I do notice damage eventually, I'll just cut it off. No big deal.

[Lissandria]

I have been heat free for at least 6 months. The difference in my hair is phenomenal. It really does make a difference.

[longhairedwolf]

Maybe it's because I don't use the hot setting, but my hair always feels and looks so smooth and lovely after blow-drying. Too bad it takes an hour!

I'm in the same boat. My hair looks and feels better after blow drying. I use the high setting, but I don't put the dryer too close to my hair, so it never gets too hot. I also focus most of the drying on my roots for lift. When I blow dry, my hair gets a little straighter, the curls curl the right way, and I get more volume.

[morrigan*]

I think it was years since i blow dry my hair, i usually wash in evening and let it dry overnight. I will use it if i was in a hurry, but this happened only twice in last few years, and even then i will only blow dry hair near my head.

[schweedie]

I just have to admit I thought I thought this was going to be a controversial thread about how heat is GOOD for your hair! *g* I always thought the "spare the ..., spoil the..." expression was used about things you should do, like, if you spare something you'll ruin something else.

I agree, though - not using heat has improved my hair as well. I do still occasionally blowdry on the cold setting, at least during the chilly seasons, but just to go from really damp to slightly less damp. The difference in texture compared to when I blowdried from damp to completely dry every or every other day is huge!

[Long_hair_bear]

I used to use a hair straightener from time to time, pre lhc. It made my hair pretty, but in the long run I now know its bad.

[Carrie Ingalls]

I'm glad you are figuring out what your hair really likes!

I can't say that I've ever used heat in my hair, so I can't comment on the difference in hair texture etc. I remember as a kid that we had a blow dryer in the house but no one used it on hair. I couldn't even figure out how one would blow dry your own hair....but that may have had something to do with the heavy clunkyness of the blow dryer and my short arms not being able to get the dryer far enough from my head...