If you're growing your natural hair out for the first time, or if you're just new to this whole heat-styling business, it can be hard to know what's safe and what isn't. You may have heard that using too much heat on natural hair can lead to breakage and damage, but it's not always obvious what is considered too much.
So here are some common mistakes that people make when styling their natural hair with heat.
Don’t use heat before you apply any protectants or other products.
Not applying heat protectant before you dry your hair is like putting a suit of armor on a person who’s already been stabbed. The heat protectant won’t be able to do its job of protecting your hair from damage if you apply it too soon. It can only work once the water has evaporated and left behind a dry barrier that will keep moisture away from your strands.
A heat protectant is an aerosol or cream you apply to dry hair before applying heat. The idea is that it protects the hair from damage by blocking out the heat and absorbing it, so you don't have to worry about the effects of direct contact with your hot tools.
You should always use a heat protectant before any form of thermal styling, such as blowdrying or straightening—but if you're going for a big change like curls or waves (or even just curling wands), this is especially important. If you neglect this step and go straight for your hot tool, there's no telling what kind of damage will be done!
And even if there isn't any visible damage now, that doesn't mean there won't be later on down the line when those micro-tears start showing up in your strands.
Don't apply heat to soaking wet hair.
Heat damage can occur when you apply heat to soaking wet hair. This is because the water acts as a heat conductor and draws out the moisture in your hair. When that moisture evaporates, it leaves behind "water spots" on your strands, which are essentially tiny pits in your hair follicles. These holes make it more difficult for your natural oils to penetrate the shaft of each strand, causing dryness and breakage over time.
So how do you avoid this? First off, if you're going to use a hot tool of any kind (curling iron or flat iron) on clean hair that still has some excess water from washing it earlier in the day or even just sweating, be sure to use a heat protectant spray first! The same goes for using any type of heated styling tool on damp towel-dried tresses: You need to apply some kind of heat protectant spray before touching up those curls with an iron or curling wand!
And secondarily—even though we suggest avoiding letting your locks air dry whenever possible—if you do find yourself facing down an almost-dry mane but don't have any product handy at all, then consider using something like argan oil which helps seal in moisture while also creating softness and shine.
Don't let the flat iron pass over your hair more than once.
When flat ironing, avoid letting the iron pass over your hair more than once. This will help avoid dryness and breakage. Consider ironing a shirt: repeatedly ironing over the same wrinkle fast won't get rid of it, but a slow pass with focused heat would. The same is true for hair; one pass is sufficient.
Don’t use high temperatures when using a blow dryer.
- Use a lower heat setting on the blow dryer. If you don't have a diffuser, use your fingers to lift some of your hair and direct the airflow away from it.
- Don't blow dry hair when it’s wet. This is one of the most common mistakes I see people making when it comes to how often they wash their hair (or how little). Not only does this cause unnecessary damage - but there's also no need as well because washing every day won't actually benefit anyone!
Try to keep your natural hair as healthy as possible before you apply the heat.
If you want to keep your natural hair as healthy as possible before applying heat, there are a few things you can do.
First, use a wide-tooth comb when detangling. The wider teeth will help prevent breakage and snags.
Second, use a thermal protector on your hair before blow drying or flat ironing it. This product helps protect the hair from heat damage and also makes it less likely to dry out if you accidentally leave it on too long in a high-heat setting (which leads me to my third suggestion).
Thirdly, use a leave-in conditioner after washing your hair with shampoo and conditioner. This will make your natural locks smooth and moisturized so they're less likely to get fried by the hot tools later on!
Fourthly, deep conditioning once per week using an overnight mask is super important because this keeps moisture locked into each strand of your tresses while allowing them some time off from daily styling duties—giving them much-needed rest which reduces frizziness!
Finally (and most importantly), only use heat products sparingly because excessive use can cause serious damage over time.
Go easy on your hair, especially at the very beginning of your natural hair journey.
It's important to keep in mind that your hair is not as strong and thick as it was when you used heat styling tools on chemically straightened hair. If you're trying to grow out your natural curls, it's best to take them down a notch. In other words: go easy on your hair, especially at the very beginning of your natural hair journey.
At first glance, this might sound like a no-brainer—after all, we all know that heat can damage our tresses! At the end of the day, it's all about finding what works best for you and your unique needs, but I think we can all agree that heat damage is something we want to avoid at any cost.