Does Daily Flat Ironing Lead To Hair Damage?

Straight hair is easy to style and manage, but not everyone has naturally straight and sleek hair. So, the next best option is to straighten it using a flat iron. Well, is doing it every day damaging your hair? Should consider an alternative like hair rollers or Brazilian keratin straightening? Here is everything you need to know about it.

Can Straightening Hair Every Day Cause Hair Damage?

Shortly, yes. Straightening hair every day can lead to immense damage to the hair and it can make your hair super dry and brittle.

Damage is essentially the drying out of your hair when you use things like heat or chemicals over and over again. Your hair is not made to endure constant heat and chemical exposure, which is why it can turn dry and lifeless in no time.

You want to avoid making your hair go through this torture just to make your hair look straight. People who straighten their hair every day and those who don’t will have hair health that is poles apart. You can tell which hair has gone through the throes of heat and which hair hasn’t.

So, if you want to know how the hair is damaged, then you want to look for signs of dryness. Think about it – your hair is being sandwiched between two very hot plates and, in some cases, you can practically hear the sizzling of the hair as well as see smoke emitting from the plates and the hair. This is putting your hair through the worst and you’re going to see the hair turn from healthy to lifeless in no time.

This is why it is recommended that you don’t straighten your hair every single day. It is not going to end well and you will see the results for yourself, which won’t be great. Using heat on your hair every single day without a break is going to lead to hair fall, breakage, and split ends and that is not what you want to deal with when you’re already in the throes of damage.

Straightening tools should be left for special occasions and that will not only be better for your hair health, but you’ll feel like your hair is growing healthier and faster.

What To Do To Prevent Hair Damage?

So, now that you know you can’t straighten your hair every day, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t ever straighten your hair. There are some ways by which you can minimize the damage as much as you can.

Here is what you can do:

Use A Heat Protectant

First things first, you want to use a good quality heat protectant. Heat protectant is the only thing that will minimize hair damage. It is a product that makes a barrier between your hair and the heating tool and even if you straighten the hair on a regular basis, it will make the hair healthier and it will prevent the strands from getting burnt.

You want to apply the heat protectant on the hair and massage it in. Leave it on the hair for about 5 to 7 minutes and then you can use a hair straightening tool.

Get A Good-Quality Flat Iron

The next thing you want to do is to ensure that you’re using a good-quality hair tool. Using cheap tools or flat irons made out of plastic will only make things worse for your hair. You want to use something that is made out of ceramic plates, because the heat is distributed evenly and it also glides through the hair easily and it doesn’t cause your hair to get caught up.

Don’t Do It Every Day

The next thing you want to do is give your hair breaks. You want to stop straightening your hair after a couple of days. You can straighten the hair once a week and then preserve the hairstyle as much as you can. This is going to lead to better hair health and you will see the difference for yourself in no time.

Preserve Straightened Hair

When it comes to preserving straightened hair, you want to do something that will prevent the hair from turning wavy. You want to keep the hair out of your face and away from things like sweat and water. This is what causes the hair to get clumpy and it will make the hair wavy and turn the straight hair into a mess.

When you want to sleep, you want to tuck your hair into a sleeping cap and then toss and turn all night long. This is going to prevent the hair from getting wavy or tangled and you’ll wake up with perfect hair.

Alternatives To Flat Ironing Hair

If you love straightening your hair but are afraid of heat, then here are some alternative methods that you can try. Some of them should only be done at a salon so look for top rated hair salons Rockville.

Use Hair Rollers

If you want to straighten your hair without heat and damage, then hair rollers are here to the rescue. You want to wrap your damp hair around large rollers and secure them on the head. Once that is done, you want to blow-dry the hair until the strands are completely dry and then unravel the rollers.

You will have straight hair and if you want to add some finishing touches, then go over the hair with a straightener and that is pretty much it.

Hair Wrapping

Hair wrapping is another heatless way of straightening the hair. You can wrap your hair around the other side of your head and pin it in place. After letting the hair dry, you can let it loose and see the results for yourself.

Keep in mind that hair wrapping only works for hair that is already naturally straight with a slight wave to it. You can’t wrap coiled-up hair and expect it to be straight once you let the hair loose.

Permanent Hair Straightening

If you have curly hair and want to straighten it permanently, then you need to go for something lasting. You can go for permanent hair straightening methods like perm, hair rebonding, and other things, which will permanently straighten your hair.

These treatments are a bit more damaging, but if you take care of the hair, straightened hair will last you more than 6 to 8 months, so this is a win-win situation in every way. So, you want to consider this if you want to straighten your hair in the long run.

Keratin Treatment (Semi-Permanent Hair Straightening)

You can also try keratin treatment. It’s a treatment that can straighten and tame frizzy and wavy hair. It is safer than straightening the hair or even going for permanent hair straightening methods. But that doesn’t mean that keratin treatment isn’t damaging either. It can lead to hair damage and that is something that you need to keep in mind.

Keratin treatments are relatively safer, but the treatment does contain formaldehyde and other protein-dissolving ingredients that are harmful to the hair and scalp.

Conclusion

Flat ironing hair regularly is damaging to the mane, but there are ways by which you can achieve straight hair without making your hair go through the wringer. If you want to avoid the hassle of straightening hair every day, then consider permanent or semi-permanent hair straightening treatments offered by Japanese hair straightening salons Rockville.