Heat and hair
Heat damaged hair is the result of various styling methods that require heat, like hair straightening and also curling. Most of us loves to curl or to straighten, blow drying and crimping our hair. But let’s be honest, despite us the hair strands don’t like them. That’s because heat-based styling methods just cause more damage to hair. In a sunny day, when you head outside, you probably are concerned about the damages that the UV light might cause to your skin. But ever thought that even the heat from the sun (extreme weather conditions) could cause damage to your hair? Heat can cause dryness to your hair; this means your hair is more prone to breakage that comes with frizz. It is true that heat gives best results in terms of styling. But, on the other side, it leaves the cuticles with cracks, frayed strands, split ends and faded colours.
How to identify
Once heat cause damage to your hair, it can be very easily observed. For example, if you do to many blow dryings, after a while your hair may start to present signs of damage, such as difficulty in managing your hair or not being able to hold a shape while styling. In addition, there are other signs that represent heat-related damage to the hair. If you observe signs such as, split ends, hair breakage, white nodules at the tip of the hair, dry hair and rough texture, there is the possibility that these damages are caused by bad habit of using heat styling methods. Again, the same as other hair problems, this issue can be resolved very easily. According to many hair stylists, the most efficient and effective way to overcome this problem is to cut the tip of heat damaged hair strands.
Can too much exposure to sunlight damage your hair?
Summer can be amazing, it’s nice to go to the beach and enjoy a relaxing sunbath. Also, sitting in the sun is a great thing to do, it helps you to relax, relief some of your stress, it also stimulates your body to produce vitamin D, which is essential for many processes in your body. But, too much exposure to sun, especially during summer, can cause damage to your hair and scalp. In other words, if not protected properly, your hair can burn from the sun. In a long exposure to UV light from the sun, the reactive free radicals that are created can react with the proteins of your hair. This will make some changes to the proteins that eventually will make your hair weaker and therefore more prone to some damages such as frizz, split ends and hair breakage.
Now you make ask how can you tell if your hair is damaged by the sun? Once this occurs, there are some visible changes that you can observe, just like your skin. For example, if your hair is damaged by sunlight, then you may observe some changes in the colour. Also, you may notice that your hair is less soft and glossy, and you may experience more split ends. In order to protect your hair from sun damage, you can simply wear a hat. But if you really want to show off your beautiful hair, there are some hair spray and products that are specially designed and formulated to protect your hair from UV light and consecutive damages.
How to protect your hair?
So, now that you know about the potential damages that heat can cause to your hair, you may ask about how to protect your hair? The answer is very simple, just don’t use heat and simply revise your hair care routine and habits. Although this solution may not be as easy for everyone, since some people may be heat styling addicts. If that is the case, then you should give your hair a break by reducing the temperature of your heat styling tools as low as possible.
But, remember that even if you lower the temperature, you are still applying heat to your hair which still might cause some damage, although to a lesser extent. So, the other option is to use special hair care products, usually comes in a form of sprays, that are formulated to protect your hair from heat. These products act like a heat blocker, they stop the heat from penetrating deep into the hair shaft.
How to repair your hair?
If you think that your hair is already suffering from heat damages, then you should develop a strategy to repair your hair. First things first, you should reduce heat. In other words, less heat means less damage. If at all possible, you should go heat free for a while and give your hair a break. For example, after washing your hair you can air dry them instead of using a blow drier, and you can use a heatless curling method instead of using a heat based curling tool. If damage is already progressed and has caused things like split ends, then you have no option but to cut your hair short and give them a fresh look and a new start.