Guide to Healing Heat-Damaged Hair

The hairstyle possibilities today are endless for all lengths of hair! Between innovative styling products and modern tools, you can create endless curls or sleek, straight tresses on command.

While this makes hair look amazing, it isn’t without consequence. The unfortunate side effect of these tools is often heat damage, which will be permanent if you’re not careful. With the right products and some easy home remedies, you can heal heat-damaged hair and prevent it in the future.

What is Heat Damage?

When it comes to hair care, you’ll always hear lots of talk about heat damage. Learning how to heal heat-damaged hair starts with understanding heat damage itself.

Heat damage in hair usually comes from piping hot tools such as flat irons, curling irons, and blow dryers. All tools are different, but many don’t have temperature control. This means your tools can reach up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or more.

Heat damage happens because high temperatures change and break down the proteins of your hair. At 300 degrees or higher, the A and B-keratin start to melt and change shape - from wavy to straight, for example. This shape change happens on a molecular level which is why your hair maintains the desired shape for so long after styling.

With frequent heat exposure, this restructuring becomes permanent as the hair cuticle is damaged and raised. When the cuticle rises, not only does moisture escape, but it’s easier for harmful things to get in.

Signs of Heat-Damaged Hair

Once your hair is damaged by heat, it’s usually obvious. If you’re unsure how heat has affected your hair, examine it for these signs:

• Dry. Heat-damaged hair doesn’t keep moisture well. Your hair will feel dehydrated even if it’s clean and conditioned.
• Dull. Once damaged by heat, your hair won’t shine like it used to. If it doesn’t look shiner and brighter after washing, this is an early sign of heat damage.
• Breakage. Heat-damaged hair loses its elasticity and becomes brittle and weak, leading to breakage. If you inspect small sections of hair and notice some strands are shorter than others, this may have been caused by heat damage. Split ends are also common.
• Tangles. Everyone’s hair tangles and develops knots throughout the day, especially during physical activities. But, heat-damaged hair becomes tangled much faster and easier.

How to Heal Heat-Damaged Hair

It’s the ultimate question when dealing with heavily treated hair: can heat-damaged hair be repaired?

On a molecular and structural level, damage done by heat is irreversible. That doesn’t mean you can’t heal your heat-damaged hair in other ways to help it look and feel better. The first step is to examine your products and see if they’re helping or doing more damage.

Shampoo and Conditioner

The world of hair products is vast, but (almost) everyone uses shampoo and conditioner. Unfortunately, not all shampoos and conditioners are equal. In fact, many are downright harmful despite advertising that claims otherwise.
Regardless of your hair’s condition, you always want something free from parabens and sulfates. You'll find these harsh substances in many cheaper hair care products, and they inevitably lead to damage and dryness. Beyond this, to heal heat-damaged hair, you want gentle shampoo and conditioner that offer plenty of moisture.

The Healing Moisture Collection from L’ANZA is the perfect choice as it focuses on restoring hydration to the hair. The Moisture Retain Complex used here contains nourishing Polynesian botanicals that are rich in emollients, humectants, lipids, and essential fatty acids.

The Tamanu Cream Shampoo cleanses without stripping natural oils, while the conditioner provides intense moisture and a brilliant shine. It also seals moisture in for lasting hydration and softness.

Hair Masks

Hair masks offer incredible benefits and healing properties to hair of all types. Weekly hair mask treatments are an effective way to manage and replenish your heat-damaged hair - but you must find the right one.

Hair masks exist for many different purposes, and you don’t want to treat the wrong thing. Look for a hair mask with plenty of natural, healthy oils specifically designed to moisturize and strengthen your hair. L’ANZAs Intensive Hair Masque is a great place to start.

This deeply moisturizing treatment contains Resveratrol which is a powerful antioxidant. It’s known to heal damaged hair and restore its essential lipids. The mask replenishes moisture with each use while restoring elasticity and renewing strength.

When heat-damaged hair loses elasticity, it’s easier to break. You want to focus on moisture, but by also improving elasticity, you’ll prevent further breakage. This keeps your heat-damaged strands looking better for longer.

Easy Home Remedies

Maintaining a system of professionally made and premium quality products like shampoo, conditioner, and a weekly hair mask is essential to healing heat-damaged hair. Beyond this, there are a few easy home remedies you can try for even stronger strands and shinier results!

• Oil soak. Choose a nourishing oil like coconut or olive oil. Saturate your hair with the oil and massage it into your scalp well. Cover your hair with a hot, damp towel and let it sit for about an hour before washing.
• Tea rinse. Brew a quart of unsweetened tea and rinse your hair with it after shampooing. This enhances color and shine while restoring strength.
• Eggs. Your muscles aren’t the only ones that can benefit from the protein power of eggs! Mix one egg with a bit of shampoo and apply to dry hair, rinsing after a few minutes. Or, mix it with some omega-rich avocado for a homemade hair mask. The egg enhances the protein in your hair which strengthens and protects it.

How to Prevent Heat Damage

While you can learn how to heal heat-damaged hair, the best thing to do is prevent heat damage in the first place. Of course, the most effective way to do this is to minimize the use of heat altogether. That said, eliminating heat entirely isn’t always practical, and there are ways to ensure long-term damage doesn’t occur!

Lower Temperatures

Just because your flat iron goes up to 450 degrees doesn’t mean you must max it out. The Journal of Cosmetology and Trichology did a study on this with curly hair.

They found that hair styled at 185 degrees Fahrenheit was able to return to its normal state. On the other hand, 220 degrees resulted in a permanent change to the hair strands. With the right techniques and some helpful products, lower temperatures can be just as effective, and your hair will bounce back!

Use Protective Products

When you must use heat, never do so without a good heat protectant. L’ANZA’s Thermal Defense Spray offers optimal protection from heat while giving you a strong, flexible hold for beautiful styling.

For serious style enthusiasts, the Thermal Defense Spray is only one of many products in the Healing Style Collection.

• The Sculpting Paste offers incredible flexibility and separation for a lovely, tousled effect.
• The Curl-up Cream offers superior hold and retention for beautifully defined waves without frizz.

Explore the rest of the series for a texture cream, mega gel, dry shampoo, and more!

Heat-Damaged Hair Can be Beautiful

If your hair is suffering from heat damage, don’t immediately assume you must chop it off or live with a less-than-desirable look and feel. With the right products, some TLC, and a little patience, you can heal your heat-damaged hair. L’ANZA offers a wide range of safe, effective, and healthy products that will have your hair stronger and shinier than ever in no time!