For many of us, using a blow dryer, flat iron, curling iron, or all of the above is a daily occurrence. But heat styling your hair doesn't come without drawbacks. You may notice, especially if you've been heat styling your hair for many years, that your hair doesn't have the same shine and texture as years past. You may even be experiencing breaking and hair loss. If this is the case for you, we want to fill you in on what heat damage is and what you can do to prevent and treat it.
Effects of Excessive Heat on Your Hair
When it comes to damaging your hair with heat styling, there are several factors. If blow drying, straightening, and curling your hair are rare happenings, chances are you can use these tools for years and years, and your hair will be fine. So the frequency of use is a significant player in whether or not heat stylers will damage your hair. Other factors play into this as well. Hormones can affect the health of your hair, as well as genetics and diet. These components may also play a role in how your hair reacts to heat styling.
Heat damage starts to show up with your hair beginning to look drier. Dry hair can also look frizzy and begin to feel more coarse and less soft. Curly hair can lose its natural curl as well. Another unfortunate effect of heat damage is that if you dye your hair, the color doesn't last as long. This is disappointing if you're paying a lot of money and spending a lot of time at a salon coloring your hair.
The most extreme form of heat damage, however, is hair breakage. Breakage can happen at either the roots or the ends, but either way, this may cause a bit of a panic. Don't worry, though. There are ways to rejuvenate your hair and get it back to looking and feeling healthy.
How Does Heat Styling Damage Your Hair?
The truth is, heat styling sucks the moisture out of your hair. Your heat styling tools often have a heat setting—whether that's "hot" and "warm" on your blow dryer or temperature in degrees on your flat iron. If given the option using a lower heat can lessen the damage you experience. But the higher the heat, the more moisture is drawn out of your hair. Also, some people try to revive dry hair with protectants. You have to be careful with this, though, because if a product builds up in your hair, it can actually make the heat damage worse.
Combating the Damage
Aside from things we've already mentioned, like using lower heat settings and decreasing the frequency you use heat styling methods, there are some more immediate steps you can take to restore your hair. Many people decide to get extensions to cover up breakage at the end of their hair. Extensions can also help with the damage that occurs where you'd usually place a ponytail. If the breakage is happening at the roots, a hair topper or a wig could be a solution that helps maintain the appearance of your healthy hair while your hair recovers over time.
At New Image Hair Clinic, we can help you with solutions for hair loss due to excessive heat damage, as well as any other hair loss concerns. Our team of experts would love to meet with you to take a look at your hair, hear about your symptoms, and determine the best route to restoring your confidence. Contact us today to set up an appointment for a free consultation.
