Is Heat Really that Bad for Your Hair? How Heat Use Affects Black Hair

Heat damage is the mortal enemy to long-haired women everywhere. Heat's damaging effects are especially worrisome for black women and others with textured hair types who straighten their tresses regularly. Though some hair can thrive with crazy amounts of heat styling, regular heat use can drastically affect black hair's ability to grow to lengths beyond the shoulder. So is there a safe amount of heat? How much heat is too much? Only your hair can truly dictate the answers to those questions. Learn how heat use affects black hair and some considerations for incorporating heat in a healthy hair regimen.

How Does Heat Damage Black Hair?

Let's start with the basics. Heat damage affects black hair in two ways:
1.) by decreasing our hair's moisture content and
2.) destroying our hair's protein structure.

The effects of heat damage are significantly more problematic for those with relaxed and/or color-treated black hair because the relaxing and coloring processes also both attack the hair in this two-fold manner. So, hair that has been relaxed or color treated is already, by its very nature, lacking in moisture and suffering from a compromised, inadequate protein structure. It is already working with less, and really can't afford to lose anything more! This is why color-treated and relaxed hair suffer the most and take the greatest beating from regular heat styling.

Step 1: Heat Zaps Your Hair's Moisture

Black hair is very sensitive to changes in its moisture content. Heat styling tools work by quickly evaporating moisture from the hair's cortex. Once you get below a moisture content of around 11%, Steve Tcherkezian stylist and owner of Verticalsinhair.com says, black hair begins to feel straw-like and break. According to a recent study by Ruetsch and Kamath, the hair's likelihood of getting heat damaged depends on the initial moisture content of the hair. Poorly moisturized hair is more easily damaged. The more internal moisture you have built in, the greater your likelihood of success with heat styling.

Step 2: Heat Destroys Your Hair's Proteins

Heat also has to reform and denature our hair's proteins in order to "shape" the hair into place. Without a strong protein backbone and structure, the hair is left devoid of its own internal moisture. It is structurally shabby and very little moisture can be retained. For these reasons, hair that is regularly heat styled MUST be deep conditioned with both protein and moisture on a regular basis. The hotter and more frequent the heat, the greater the hair damage and protein loss incurred. In fact, it is not uncommon for those with natural hair to permanently press out their curl pattern if their styling tools are too hot!

So, How much heat is too much heat?

New to hair care:
For those of you who are new to hair care and are just starting out, heat use should be eliminated from your regimen for the first 3-4 months and then gradually phased back in responsibly if you decide. During that 3-4 month period, heat use should be restricted to hooded dryer heat for your deep conditioning and rollersetting only. This heat break and transition period is necessary to get the hair back in optimal health. I can not tell you the number of times I've had readers comment to me about how their hair thickened dramatically during that first 3-4 months living heat free.

Not so new to hair care: Heat Addicts- Unite!

So you've read the cons and you've been at this hair thing for awhile, but you still (much like me) have to straighten- right?

Though it is best to reduce heat use as much as possible to avoid damaging black hair in the first place, heat and healthy hair CAN coexist! Properly conditioned hair can be heat styled more often than hair that isn't diligently conditioned, without the horrible side effects. *Properly conditioned means: solid regimen, solid deep conditioning schedule, high confidence in your products, and hair that is strong overall with very, very little breakage. If your hair is breaking or you aren't quite confident in your ability to mount a winning campaign against breakage should it occur-- you need to back away from the heat appliances! Heat use schedules have to be customized to the individual. Sandra's every-other-day blow drying session might be breakage city for you, just like your weekly flat ironing might not work for her. No matter how "tight" your regimen is, you need to step back and re-evaluate everything at the first sign of breakage or weakness in your hair.

The best thing you can do to prevent heat damage is to maintain a proper moisture balance at all times. Your hair must be properly conditioned and your protein game should be spot on as well. It is so crucial that you develop a strong deep conditioning regimen (and stay with it) if you plan to be a heat user. Your conditioning will be your buffer against heat damage. Those of us who have certain hair vices (ie- we relax, we color, we are flat iron addicts, etc) have to be just that more diligent about the way we handle things.

Don't fall into a heat habit just for habit's sake. You know, "Ohh I wash, dry and flat iron my hair weekly- that's my favorite hairstyle-- that just how I get down!!" Instead, evaluate each individual heat session on your hair's merits at THAT moment. "Ok, my hair doesn't look up to it, I'll roll it this week instead." You have to be flexible and accommodate your hair.

Finally, on top of a strong, solid deep conditioning regimen, always use a thermal heat protectant before applying any heat to your tresses. This holds whether you are using a handheld dryer, flat iron, or a hooded dryer. Although hooded dryer heat is a "better" heat than the others- heat is heat, and you'll need some kind of heat protectant serum just the same.

Disclaimer:
Now. This is not a license to go out and fire up all the flat irons and marcel irons in your closets ladies! This is simply one of those,"If you're going to do it-- make sure you use protection . . . or are at least armed with the proper info" kind of scenarios. We also have to be mindful of the fact that some hair is simply not going to be able to take any amount heat, no matter how much deep conditioning you do, what the sister three doors down is doing, or how many serums you slather on. Heat damage is real, and once your hair is damaged the effects cannot be undone. Damage is cumulative. Using heat is a risk, plain and simple. Just like chemical relaxing or hair coloring- you're risking hair health with every pass of the flat iron. You will know if you fall in the "can't use much heat" category, and for you, cutting out the heat will be best.

References

Ruetsch, SB and Kamath, YK. Effects of thermal treatments with a curling iron on hair fiber. International Journal of Cosmetic Science.
Tcherkezian, S. Know Your Hair. Verticalsinhair.