We all have different hairstyles. Some have straight hair, while others have wavy or curly hair. Some have long hair, while others have short hair. But one thing is for sure: everyone wants to have healthy hair. No wonder there are a lot of hair products and treatments that promise smooth and healthy-looking hair.

There are a lot of hair treatments to choose from. You can visit a Japanese hair straightening salon if you want to have straighter, easy-to-manage hair. Or if you don’t want your hair to be too straight but make it more manageable at least, you can opt to have a keratin treatment by a hairstylist in a Brazilian keratin salon. You can go to salons that do hair extensions if you want to add length to your hair.

Heat styling tools: Boon or bane?

Aside from these common hair salon treatments, there are also hair styling tools you can use. Although we know these tools can potentially cause hair damage, we do use it anyway to achieve those magazine-worthy hairstyles.

It’s not that bad if you use these tools only as needed. But the more you use it, the more you put your hair at risk for damage. The result: dull, lifeless, brittle, and frizzy hair! And then you would try to reverse such hair damage but unfortunately, your hair seems not to cooperate.

But there are still ways to fix heat-damaged hair. Before that, we should understand how and why heat is one of our hair’s worst enemies. Also, we will know the common signs of heat-damaged hair and how to prevent it next time.

How heat damages your hair

Our hair is made up of different parts. The hair itself, called the hair shaft, is composed of three layers: the cortex, cuticle, and medulla. The first two layers, the cortex, and cuticle are mostly affected by hairstyling including the use of heat and even some hair treatments.

The cuticle serves as the hair’s protective layer. When you style your hair using heat styling tools or have a hair rebond, the cuticle raises and lessens its protective properties and puts the hair at higher risk of damage. When the cuticle cracks, the cortex will be exposed and makes the less lose its strength and elasticity. As a result, the hair becomes more prone to dryness and damage.

We all know how important sunblock is when we go outside or swim outdoors to avoid being sunburned. The same goes for when we use heat-styling tools on hair. There should be some kind of protection you need to do before using these tools on your hair. Otherwise, these can cause damage to your hair.

Is your hair heat-damaged?

As mentioned, there are different types of hair. Some are naturally straight while others are naturally curly. But every hair can be prone to damage especially due to frequent use of heat-styling tools. You can tell that your hair is already heat-damaged if you notice the following.

• Stiff and difficult-to-style hair
• Presence of split ends
• Hair fall and breakage
• Hair that is too dry (no matter the amount of conditioner you slather on your hair)
• Dull and lifeless hair
• Frizzy and knotted hair
• Faded hair color (if you dyed hair)

Having a keratin treatment by a hairstylist can help rehydrate your hair. Some common hair routines can actually do more harm to your hair than good. One example is using hair styling tools too often. Is there no hope anymore for heat-damaged hair? Fortunately, there is still hope for healthier hair.

How to revive heat-damaged hair

The hair care industry earns about billions of dollars annually. No wonder there are a lot of hair care brands competing for customers’ attention and promise to give life back to your hair. Hair treatments in a keratin treatment salon can also help revive your hair and make it look and feel healthier.

But you can also try the following to revive heat-damaged hair.

• Protect your hair from the sun’s heat by wearing a hat, using an umbrella, or using a protective hair serum.
• Do not comb wet hair. Instead, you can finger-comb it and gently squeeze your hair of any excess hair. Let it air dry and comb using a wide-toothed comb afterward.
• Use shampoo on your hair and scalp, while use conditioner on your hair tips only.
• Use heat-styling tools sparingly or as needed only. Do not use it every day or else risk damaging your hair.
• For quality hair treatment, visit a trusted keratin treatment salon in Potomac.