Whether it’s blow drying, straightening, or curling, our hair goes through a lot when it comes to heat styling. While these tools can make your hair looking *ah-mazing*, over time, they can unfortunately lead to some pretty serious damage (think split ends, dry strands, and breakage). However, there’s no need to panic and immediately throw all of your heat styling tools away! While it’s always a good idea to reduce the use of heat when you can, you can absolutely still enjoy styling your hair. We’re here to give you some handy hacks when it comes to your heat styling routine in order to minimise damage and maximise hair health.
It starts in the shower
Healthy hair really does begin in the shower! If you’re not washing and hydrating properly, it doesn’t matter how well you treat your locks outside of the shower. We always recommend choosing your shampoo and conditioner carefully – avoiding harsh chemicals and ingredients that will only further dehydrate your hair and strip it of essential nutrients. Opt for products that are natural and will show your hair the love it deserves!
Protect, protect, protect
A good quality heat protectant will be your best friend when it comes to using heat styling tools and reducing damage. Think of it as a protective layer or shield between your locks and your styler. Getting into the habit of using a heat protectant *every* time you apply heat to your hair will go a long way in keeping your strands healthy and thriving!
Turn the heat down
Just because your straightener or curling iron can be turned up high when it comes to its temperature, that doesn’t mean you should use those settings. This is a one-way-ticket to fast-tracking heat damage and can easily be avoided by only having the heat as high as you need it – particularly when it comes to thinner hair.
Once is enough
Something that often gets overlooked when heat styling is the amount of times you’re using your tools on one section of hair. While it may seem like you need to go over a certain section of hair a number of times to get it to look the way you want, doing so may be causing even more damage to your hair shafts. Try to only pass over a section of hair one or two times – your goal should be to achieve the style you want using the lowest temperature and time spent on each section possible!
Keep those ends healthy
When it comes to heat damage, split ends are one of the biggest effects. The best way to keep your hair healthy and in the best condition possible is by getting regular trims and looking after your ends. While this is important regardless of your heat use, but making sure you cut off those split ends will ensure the damage doesn’t become worse!