Heat Damage and Change of Hair Texture

[musiclova]

I have read alot about heat damage and some people have said that if you press your natural hair or newgrowth the heat from blow drying, curling, flat ironing will damage it by permanently straightening your hair. This is a concern for me since I plan to transition and when I trim my hair I would like to straighten it to make it easier to cut but I do not want to sacrifice my natural texture by doing so. Has anyone ever heard of heat changing your natural texture by flattening out curls, coils, kinks causing them to be less defined? Or better yet anybody who is natural or stretching out there relaxers if you straighten your hair from time to time do your curls become less defined?

 

[alliyah4eva203]

i think the kind of damage your talking about comes from prolonged usage of heat.

 

[naughteegirl]

I ahve only pressed my hair twice this year (at the salon to trim) and both times my hair texture didnt quite spring back, it doesnt seem damaged but definitely not as coily as before, once it was flat ironed and the other time it was hto combed so it seems like either way my hair doesnt revert right away..Im hoping after a few more washes it will.

 

[reformatio]

i think the kind of damage your talking about comes from prolonged usage of heat.

I agree with alliyah4eva . Your hair texture will not change unless you constantly use heat [ex. everyday]. In addition, it also depends on the hair type. Some types of hair are more resistant than others. To be on the safe side just limit your heat use to once a week or less.

 

[JuJuBoo]

I've "heard" of heat damage doing that, but I've never observed that happen on my hair or anyone elses. I use my flat iron to straighten new growth every week and I wish I could say it makes it less coily. After a wash, FORGET it!

I've never seen heat permentenly straighten hair--Now I HAVE seen it make hair break off when people don't take neccesary precautions when using it!

 

[Poohbear]

Hey musiclova, I feel what you're saying because I've also read alot about heat damage changing the texture of natural hair. Now that I'm transitioning to natural, I'm somewhat afraid to use heat on my natural hair. I was wondering if the texture changes because the heat maybe melts the hair into a straighter look...does anyone think that could be the reason why the hair texture changes with using excessive heat?

 

[alliyah4eva203]

i also think it depends on the condition of your hair. it might happen to hair that is alredy weak and damged. i think it is less likely to happen to hair that is strong and healthy

 

[sillygurl18]

You can damage it if the heat is too hot and it you straighten your hair too much. I think that if you straighten it to trim you should be all right depending on how often you trim it.

 

[musiclova]

Thanks for the feedback ladies! I don't seem to be having any problems with my hair reverting as soon as I wash it but I've read about heat possibly damaging the hair and I assume if I just keep doing my deep conditioning treatments and use a heat protectant that shouldn't happen. And when I straighten it I only do it once and leave it alone until my next wash. Just want to make sure when I grow this relaxer out my full texture will be able to shine through!

 

[alliyah4eva203]

i also think the method you use to straighten matters.
e.g a rollerset and flat iron witha ceramic iron is a lot safer than say blowdring with a comb attachment then hot combing(you can't control the heat) and then a curling iron.

 

[RushGirl]

I went to an Egyptian salon the beginning of Oct and I had my hair done and there were parts of my hair that were permanently straightened because of that iron/stove thingie.. I have pretty fine hair.. when I BC'd she just cut that hair off.. it never did go back to where it was before..

Last weekend I blowdried and flat ironed my hair and now it seems "Frizzier".. I do have scab hair.. but it does scare me to blowdry my hair again.. I really don't plan on doing it again.. oh yah, my hair did seem like some of the curl had gone.. so I did an Aphogee treatment and the curls came back.. I just remembered that.. just me blowdrying and flatironing that once..I did notice a difference.. but the Aphogee treatment definitely helped it go back.. my hair isn't damaged.. I just have that scab hair that is totally gross!

 

[JuJuBoo]

Well here's the thing.

Hair can only be straightened PERMENTENLY by breaking the bonds in your hair shaft. These bonds are what makes hair curly. The only way you can break the bonds SAFELY is to do it chemically--aka, a relaxer.

Now if HEAT is somehow breaking the bonds in your hair.....Good lord, your iron would have to be MAD hot to do that. But if you think heat is infact straightening your hair permentently, it won't stay that way for very long because it WILL break off.

 

[PretteePlease]

i went to get my hair pressed at the school and my hair has not been curled in one spot since. i think the comb has to be extremely hot for that to happen ie seeing a clump of your hair on the comb bubbling like i did otherwise you should be cool

 

[Poohbear]

i also think the method you use to straighten matters.
e.g a rollerset and flat iron witha ceramic iron is a lot safer than say blowdring with a comb attachment then hot combing(you can't control the heat) and then a curling iron.

How would using a flat iron be any safer than using a blowdryer with a comb attachment??? I would think the opposite...well, I guess it all depends on what temperature settings you use on each appliance!

 

[Tai]

I've seen people's hair that was permanently straightened from using heat. I don't use heat regularly now but when I do, I rollerset and then get it blown out. I think the that using the comb attachment to blowdry and then flat ironing or pressing the hair is more damaging because you're using direct heat twice. Once I'm natural, I don't plan on wearing my hair straight often because my hair reverts so quickly that it's not even worth it and I'm transitioning so I can have my curls.

 

[pookeylou]

Saw pictures of a ladies "hot combed" hair. She had it done professionally at a salon.

It was melted. No amount of conditioner, moisturizer, nothing made the natural hair snap back.

Also heard many scary stories of ones who have had the blow dry/wrap under heat/flat iron treatment (I forgot what that is called). So much heat at one sitting caused the hair to melt and evenutally break.

Your hair has a measure of moisture in the center of the hair shaft. When you apply heat to it, that moisture heats up and escapes. That is why many complain that their hair is dry after blowdrying or flat ironing. If too much heat is used and the moisture within the hair is gone, the next phase is over heating the actual shaft, melting it. Once something is melted...it cannot recover. You will either have to cut off the damaged ends or live with the limp, frayed ends.

Whatever we chose to do to our hair will always show up one way or another. So the choice is of course up to us individually on if we use heat or not.

It does seem like the sisters on here with long hair that looks healthy from root to ends...avoid heat. I use that as my guide on if I will accept the advise from someone on a hair subject. How does the ends of their hair look? Does the length of time they have been growing it prove they are following their own advice? (If you have been growing your hair for 5 years-never cut it and you only have 2 inches of hair and you hot comb your hair every day...I am not so sure I would follow your hair routine. )

I know my hair would not react well to heat, so I choose to avoid heat altogether. I know some have seen no adverse affects of using heat appliancs on their natural hair. Some have had damage after one time. I guess it simply boils down to whether you are willing to take the risk or not.

 

[JuJuBoo]

Women, black women especially, experience heat damage because they don't take precautions.

For instance, if your hair straightens with the flat iron on 250 degrees, WHY are you flat ironing at 400? If you smell your hair while blowdrying on HOT, maybe you should turn it down. Or how about using a protectant???

I have medium/fine RELAXED 4a hair, use heat (blow dry and flat iron) every 4-5 days and experience ZERO damage. It's all about taking precautions.

We can have the same conversation about chemical treatments. Why is it that the majority of black women have issues with relaxers while only a few can maintain VERY healthy relaxed hair.....AGAIN....it's because only a few take the time to maintain and take neccesary precautions for healthy hair. It's the same thing with heat. Women experience heat damage because they abuse it and/or don't know how to use it.

 

[Poohbear]

Great comments pookeylou and JuJuBoo!

 

[Daughter]

I have had my hair pressed about 5 times in 7 years. The second time, there was a section that would not go back to being coily, it was limp and straight and I had to cut off about 4" off the ends. I'm very hesitant about pressing hair now and only trust my hairdresser to do it.

I didn't get that when I blow dried my hair but it would be fry - another sign of heat damage as Pookylou described.

Heat ain't my hair's friend, they only say "hi" on an occasional basis and my hair is better of for it, I think.

 

[JuJuBoo]

lol @ Daughter. "They only say 'hi'...." lol, that was cute.

 

[naughteegirl]

I agree that it has to do with heat abuse but I think its just an individual hair texture thing...I did not see or smell my hair burning when it was pressed and also its just certain areas that dont revert as quickly (the front of my hair were the hair is thicker and the curl pattern is more defined reverts very easily), and even without using heat my hair has a few different textures so my little theory is that its related.

 

[Crystalicequeen123]

I think that heat can do a number on your hair depending on everyone's different hair type. For example, I know for me personally, my hair is SO fine in texture, and after I got a Dominican blowout recently, my hair turned even THINNER!! I'm sooo mad! My hair along the sides of my hairline are so thin now, and my hair in the back is thinner than it was before. :-( I went to them again this past week, but only got a rollerset, and I told the lady that I DID NOT want my hair blown out. HA! She looked at me like I was crazy, and even told the cashier girl (who I guess spoke better English). The girl looked at me like I was crazy too! I had to tell them: "I'm sorry, but I can't continue to get blowouts every week. I'll be BALD!!" LOL*

But serioulsy, I don't blowdry my hair every week, and I haven't used a curling iron in almost a YEAR! But after that last blowout, my hair texture has just been really thin. Does anyone know of any remedies for this? I'm even thinking of stretching my relaxer even longer now. My hair is thin now, imagine what it would look like AFTER a relaxer! EEEEK!!

 

[Crystalicequeen123]

*bump*....