Is straightening your hair really that bad?

[Chocowalnut]

I know girls who flat-iron their hair and it's still very healthy. Is it okay for your hair to straighten it once in awhile? Do heat protectors really make a difference? Is it mainly for those with really really long hair that have to be careful with this?

[Avenie]

Is it healthy? What does it look like when it's not flat-ironed? The ironing can hide all the broken bits and the silicone products make it look good, but take away the irons and products and I doubt it would look as good.

The women I know who flat-iron also are the ones most likely to complain their hair won't grow past APL. The higher rate of breakage means less overall growth and nothing makes it beyond APL but a few lucky stragglers.

I've blow dried (80% air dry first, low temp, always moving the dryer, far from hair) for years, with minimal damage, but you wouldn't get me near irons!

[browneyedsusan]

I straightened mine for the first time this Saturday. Now, I have a lot of little split ends. I had a few before, but it seems like they've exploded! Used heat protectant and everything. I don't think I'll be straightening very often. It might depend on your hair? (Mine is hennaed and babied, so you'd think it would be pretty strong? ) Maybe others have hair that's more resilient? FWIW: DD (17 yrs) has WL hair and it is torn up. I assume it's from too much straightening. I S & D it for her while watching TV and find splits 4 or 6 inches up the strands!

[woodswanderer]

I think so. My cousin was just complaining that she wants to have healthier hair and when I mentioned giving up the straight iron, she said she has to keep using it because it looks horrible now if she quits.

[Verdandi]

My sister took good care of her hair (well, by non LHC-standards) but used a flat iron every day and recently had to cut her hair from almost BSL to SL due to damage from the flat iron. Her hair was literally fryed. And she used a saloon brand heat protectant.

I have been trimming off damage from my short haired flat iron days and now when I'm finally rid off the oldest ends, my hair splits a lot less. So yes, I think flat ironing is really that damaging. Although, I wouldn't have made it through my bob-days without it.

[Kherome]

Yes, its horrible. Once I was in line somewhere and I noticed the girl by me had really pin straight hair. She was even talking to her friends about ironing it I think. While I waiting I couldn't help but study her hair, which at first glance looked nice. But I looked at it with "LHC" eyes, and Oh my Paczki, (fat Tuesday reference!) it was SO bad! I could not find ONE HAIR that didn't end in a fork or tree. You have no idea how desperate I was to whip out my shears and S&D that head. My husband say me staring and said "Kherome, I know what you are thinking...do not say anything to her!" Haha

[spidermom]

My hair can't take flat ironing even occasionally, although I indulge my stylist about once per year. She loves to see my hair flat ironed, and I agree it's pretty that way, but I want length more than stick-straight hair.

But if you are going to flat iron, use heat protectant (it does help), and only pass the flat iron over each strand once.

[lapushka]

We used to use them for styling my shorter hair, then on top of that I got it permed. My hair was full of white dots, and it was more the straightening really than the perm, IMO. I had to cut my hair from hip+ all the way to BSL, because S&D had thinned it out too much. I lost a lot of length because a lot of those white dots where very high up!

[Wisé]

I'll just drop this video here. I think it speaks for itself. It is about a curling iron, but the heat and thus the damage are the same.

[arr]

I used to flatiron 3 times a week and i used silicone protection sprays and heat serums. People used to always complement me. They said i had such beautiful, healthy looking shiny hair. What they didn't realize was that if i didn't use the flatiron my hair was a puffy frizzy mess and i felt forced to heat style to look presentable. They also apparently couldn't see all the split ends i had and they were not aware that every time i brushed, little chunks of hair would fall into the sink. Maybe it seems like these girls who straighten have healthy hair but have you seen their hair with no products in it and no heat styling?